If you’re a nursery owner then you’re probably worried about moving and transplanting trees and what that means for tree survivability—and the effects on your bottom line. At BIG JOHN, we offer skid steer tree spades that take care of your trees in the transplanting process to improve survivability and decrease your tree losses. 

BIG JOHN has been a leader in the tree spade industry for over 40 years and we help our clients move their trees with ease and care. It’s no secret that we paved the way for nursery owners and better productivity with innovative tree spade designs since our beginnings. 

We take the same durability and ease of operation our larger spades are known for and put it into a smaller design to suit your nursery needs. All of our designs are made to be adaptable and ready to dig in prepared soil to increase the survivability of your trees while being transplanted

Transplanting Small Trees with BIG JOHN Spade Attachments

If you are moving young trees, you need to consider their age, their root systems, and their ability to grow after being transplanted. Most trees take one year per inch in diameter of the tree trunk to fully recover after transplanting. After being uprooted and moved, trees could take much longer to recover if not properly transplanted with the right spade. 

But with the properly sized skid steer spade attachment, you can improve tree survivability and help your trees grow more quickly after transplanting. By moving a larger root ball with a skid steer spade, your trees are more likely to thrive—which increases your bottom line. 

We offer a number of blade configurations to give our customers the versatility they need from a skid steer to get the right sized root ball.

Skid Steer Designs to Fit Your Needs

When it comes to digging smaller trees, we know that there may be a need for special conditions or requirements to move them smoothly. Smaller spades allow you to dig easily, quickly, and carefully. 

At BIG JOHN, our skid steer tree spades are not a one-size-fits-all machine. Our tree spades come in a variety of sizes to accommodate unique needs such as soil conditions and row planting plans. 

We are able to add custom tree spades attachment to make it easier for you to operate while maintaining the life and quality of the trees at the same time. Our attachments and features include: 

• Wireless Remotes
• Extra Hydraulic Bays for Accessories
• Adjustable Leveling Pads
• Heavy Duty Gate Hinges
• Durable Slide Blocks
• Cold Formed Blades
• Adjustable Valve Body Speed

BIG JOHN skid steer tree spades are not only adjustable and affordable but our heavy duty hinges are made to outlast other spade companies. Depending on the type of soil conditions your nursery is in, our nursery tree spades come in pointed, semi-truncated, and truncated with 30°, 25°, and 22° blade angles. 

Our skid steer tree spades are designed to easily maneuver through narrow planting rows so you don’t damage any surrounding trees or soil. You are able to dig new holes, uproot, and transplant trees all with one machine thanks to our skid steer tree spade design. 

Save Your Bottom Dollar

Affordability is important when you’re considering purchasing tree spades to help you get the job done around the nursery. The bottom line is—you pay for what you get. If you’re looking at a cheaper spade, you’re probably going to get less than half the quality of a more robust one and may damage your trees in the process. 

Our skid steer spades are designed to handle high volume jobs with the same type of quality and durability as our bigger spades. We’ve designed our spades to improve the size and shape of the root ball to increase tree survivability in a variety of conditions. 

You can also get everything you’re looking for for a better price. Some of our BIG JOHN family members have been owning and operating the same tree spade for over 40 years. You don’t have to replace parts or repair the machine as often as you would with a less durable one and can often dig thousands of more trees than cheap alternatives.

Speed up your nursery projects and take care of your trees at the same time with our BIG JOHN skid steer spades. You will get the most out of your projects while maintaining affordability. 

Give us a call to find out what tree spade best suits your needs. We’re happy to share our knowledge of tree spades to help your tree moving experience.  

If you’re still moving trees by hand, it’s a pretty long and tedious task that requires lots of hand digging and man hours. We’re here to help you find a better way to move large trees with a tree spade designed for the job. That’s why we created our large tree spades to help save people time, money, and man power when it came to moving trees.

John May started the first design of our tree spade with curvilinear towers and four spoon shaped blades. Our first large tree spades were designed to help get the job done quickly and easily. 40 years later, we’re still the leading manufacturer of large tree spades in the United States. Now a job that used to take days to complete only takes minutes.

Our BIG JOHN tree spade machines are made in America and are durable, proven, and versatile. We have been in the tree spade industry for over 40 years and have a long history of innovation when it comes to making our spades as efficient as possible so we’ve learned a thing or two about what makes a great large tree spade. We put together the three things you need to know when it comes to finding the best large tree spade for your needs.

Large Tree Spades Save Labor Costs

We’ve specifically designed our BIG JOHN spades to be easy for anyone to use and operate and only require a one-man crew. Instead of digging by hand, our spades can handle trees up to 14” in diameter. We offer multiple sizes of large, truck mounted tree spades for any tree moving application.

Our large spades are designed to be a one-person system that makes the moving process as smooth as possible. Our truck mounted spades have hydraulic water tanks that provide lubrication for tough digging conditions and leveling pads for digging on unlevel terrain. All of our spades come with easy to follow instructions and optional wireless remotes and cameras to make your tree moving experience as seamless as possible.

With a BIG JOHN large tree spade, you don’t need a crew of 5 to 10 people to move a single tree. Instead, with just a few minutes and a one man crew, you can move a tree quickly and easily for less cost.

Large Tree Spades Save Time

It’s no secret that tree spades were designed to save time. Instead of having to spend days hand digging, protecting the roots during the process, and carefully moving a tree, you can move a tree and root ball in just minutes.

Not only do we make our machines easy to use but they are known for their productivity as well. If you’re a seasoned truck mounted tree spade operator, you can do even more digs in less time. The best part? It’s easy to learn how to use our large truck mounted tree spades and you can become a pro in just a few digs.

If you are a professional tree moving service or in the nursery industry, our tree spade trucks will save you time spent digging and moving trees so you can get more done in a less time, making your tree moving season even more profitable.

Large Tree Spades Save Money

Our customers have told us for years that our large tree spades have durability and longevity that beats out our competition. Many customers in the BIG JOHN family have been owning and operating their spades for decades and still use them to this day. We’re proud to be an important part of their businesses that keep running for decades.

BIG JOHN tree spades have a reputation of being built to last and the proof is in the longevity of our machines. Ask any BIG JOHN operator what they love most about our large tree spades and they’ll all agree that they’re tough. Our spades require little maintenance for upkeep and we’ve made sure that maintenance is simple and affordable.

Thinking About Buying a Large Tree Spade?

We are proud to have helped transform the tree moving community with our spades but we’re most proud that we have helped so many BIG JOHN operators succeed over the years.

When it comes to moving large trees, tree transplanting, or digging in tough conditions, BIG JOHN tree spades can help you get the job done. We’re here to help answer your questions about buying a large tree spade, which large tree spade is right for you, and how you can run your tree moving business to be more profitable with a BIG JOHN spade.

Give us a call and find out just how great our customer service is, not just that we make great spades.