Once you have built your own Planet Whizbang wheel hoe, and you have put it to good use in your garden, I invite you to submit feedback so others can be encouraged by, and learn from, your experience. Please direct your feedback to me at: hckimball@bci.net
I can attribute your feedback to your name or just your initials, along with your state. Or you can be anonymous. Just let me know. And thanks in advance for helping others by submitting your feedback for this page.
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——Planet Whizbang Feedback #7——
Angela M., way over in Oregon, wrote the following:
" I just wanted to let you know that the wheel hoes we ordered from you work very well and were not difficult to assemble. One was for my son, who is ten, so it was a bit too tall, but we shortened the handles and then it fit him nicely."Angela's 12-year-old daughter sent me a letter that reads, in part:
"We have a few gardens that we use our Whizbang wheel hoes in. They work great! We can get a lot more done in a short amount of time than with regular hoes. Thanks a lot!"And 10-year-old Jeremiah sent the following letter, complete with drawings of each wheel hoe part:
——Planet Whizbang Feedback #6——
Planet Whizbang Pioneer #48, Leonard Campbell, out in Nebraska, submitted the following report and photo:
"I grew up on a small farm. We always used a wheel hoe to weed the garden. When the handle broke I took a hedge tree branch and fashioned it into a handle.
This year I broke the handle. In the process of looking for a handle I saw your site and was interested in the hoe so I bought one. I also bought handles for the
older hoe as I consider it an antique and will keep it around. I have found your hoe works so well that taking care of the small garden (20x20') is a breeze.
I will probably not use my old hoe again. Here [is a] picture:"
——Planet Whizbang Feedback #5——
Planet Whizbang Pioneer #001, Pat Gorham, of New York sent me the following e-mail message:
"I finally found time to put my wheel hoe kit together. Except it did not take as much time as I thought. I followed your detailed instructions and was done assembling in an hour and off to the garden. Now my garden was overgrown with weeds, so I figured I would just test it out and come back later when it was cooler and finish the monster job. It was a joy to use and I quickly became entranced in the movement of the blade and the singing of the birds. By the time my "test run" was over, 10 rows 200 feet long were clear of weeds and I still wanted to hoe more! Thanks for a great tool worthy of the Whizbang name."
——Planet Whizbang Feedback #4——
Planet Whizbang Pioneer #017, Tim Zehr, of Ontario, Canada, made the spiffy Whizbang wheel hoe pictured above. Tim is now listed on the International wheel hoe handlemaker database. Here are some of his comments:
"I got my wheel hoe operational! It is absolutely one of the best investments I made for our garden. It works very slick. You made the claim that it is 10 times faster than a hoe, and after using it, I don’t think that was an exaggeration at all. The design is very simple, and the maneuverability around plants and in narrow rows is amazing. This year I have some plant rows closer together than the normal 36” spacing I used in the past, and the wheel hoe is just the thing for those narrow rows. I really like it, and two of my boys and my wife used it as well and they all thought it was amazing too.
I hit a couple of minor snags when assembling it, which were my fault. First of all, I ordered the wrong wheel. I received the 12” semi pneumatic tire instead of the one you suggested. I thought it would work, but the hub is a little wider and I would have needed to modify the design to make it work. I ordered the correct one, and it fit perfectly. I did decide to keep the original ones, as I think they would work almost as well with some modification. The shipping to Canada is pricey, so I did order a few extra to maximize shipping cost. I work in a shop which has a powder coat line, so I took the parts in and got them coated red. The handles I made out of some scrap oak hardwood I had. I gave the handles two coats of stain and two coats of polyurethane. I did make a mistake in the measurements on the handle, and I needed to drill new holes, as you can see in the picture. I am pleased overall with the way it turned out and there is no doubt that it will last for years."
——Planet Whizbang Feedback #3——
Planet Whizbang Pioneer #005, "organicsheri," up in Manitoba, Canada sent the above picture with the following comment:
"Here is my completed wheel hoe! You will notice that the wheel is rather stylish, coming off of a child's bike! The wheel was by far the hardest thing for me to source. The one you referenced at Northern was great, but the shipping to get it here was more than the wheel...US$23! So US$38 before the exchange and possible duty. Originally we took a 10" wheel off of an old wheelbarrow so that I could start using the hoe, but that wasn't the best...wrong angle. Then my housemate called a local bike shop who had a mangled bike with a 12" pink wheel. lol. So that's why the handle grips are already a bit dirty when I took this photo.
My housemate, who put together the hoe, said that the instructions were excellent. I concur for the handle instructions b/c I made them myself.
I've noticed that the wheel hoe does not like mulch nor perennials such as quack grass, but no tool will work on everything! Overall, I'm super stoked to finally have a wheel hoe!"
———Planet Whizbang Feedback #2———
Planet Whizbang Pioneer #004, Clarence Whetten, out in Utah, and pictured above, wrote:
"The metal parts came on Monday. On Tuesday after work I filed and sanded the parts and applied the first coat of primer. The next morning before work I applied another. Wednesday and Thursday I applied either primer or finish coat before going to work, as soon as I got home from work and again before going to bed so I applied a good amount of paint. I painted it green because that was to color of paint that I had the most of. My favorite tractor is still Massey Ferguson so I should have painted it gray and red but I had green paint. I put the last coat on Friday evening. Sunday evening I could not wait any longer so I put it together except the handles. The only mistake that I made was not putting the washers on the bolts that attach the bracket that holds the hoe to the frame. With those missing I tightened one bolt then the other then checking the first it was loose so I tightened it more then checking the second it was loose etc. What I was doing was bending the bracket so I stopped. The lock washers were down so I wasn't worried about the nuts coming loose. When I completed the hoe and still had 2 washers left I went back through the instructions. Those two washers were clearly there I just missed them. Must have been too excited to get the hoe attached. Had the washer been installed the bracket would have been harder to bend. It didn't clamp down tight so it will be OK."...............
"After [the handles] came I sanded them lightly and made up some finish. I melted some bees wax in a tuna can and added equal amounts of turpentine and boiled linseed oil. I stirred and as the mixture cooled it made a very interesting semi-liquid wax paste. I used a rag to to rub it on for application. I put a coat on the handles and cross brace. I still had a lot left so I started lightly sanding and treating all my wood handle garden tools. This is the best finish for garden tools I have ever used. Thanks for the tip. I still had some left so I put a second coat on the Planet Whizbang handles as they were dry to the touch. The first coat had sealed the wood and the second coat had no where to go so they were still sticky after work today. I rubbed them down with a rag and finished the assembly. It looks wonderful and the finish has a comfortable waxy feel to it."..............
"I am very impressed with the quality of this project from the speed of delivery, the way everything was packaged for shipment and the way everything fit together. The instructions on the blog are very complete and easy to follow if one can contain their enthusiasm."...............
"Thanks for such great quality and worth while products and advice. I have really enjoyed reading and learning from your blog. I made my own garlic powder last fall and it is wonderful. I plan to have the apple grinder and press finished by fall for this seasons harvest. Next year if the lots across the street are still available I hope to pasture some meat chickens on the part that I am not gardening. In this city all the lots are at least 1/2 acre and have animal rights which makes for high demand, expensive land but also wonderful people to live around. My wife and I have 11 children and work very hard to try to make sure they have a connection to the land and know where their food comes from. We try to produce and store as much of our food as we can. Every year we do a little better. I have a very good paying job that I really like and we could live a different lifestyle but choose not to. We call our lifestyle Provident Living."
———Planet Whizbang Feedback #1———
Planet Whizbang Pioneer #004 (J.E. in Bayberry, Kentucky) bought a second wheel hoe parts kit shortly after purchasing the first. And he wrote: "The Planet Whizbang surpassed all expectations. Now I've got to build another one to give to a friend."
