Tree Spade Blade Configurations: Number of Blades, Angles, and When to Use Each

The blades are the part of a tree spade that does the actual work. Everything else, the towers, the hydraulics, the mount, exists to drive those blades into the ground, close them around the root system, and lift a rootball out intact. So when operators ask about tree spade blade configuration, they are really asking a set of practical questions: how many blades should the machine have, what angle should those blades cut at, and how do those two choices affect cut quality and the survival of the tree.

This guide answers all three. We cover the number of tree spade blades and why the count matters, the blade angle options and what each one does to the rootball, and how to match a configuration to your soil, your tree size, and the machine you run. There is a comparison table you can use as a quick reference, and a set of common questions at the end.

How a tree spade works, and why blade count matters

A tree spade is a hydraulic digging attachment that surrounds a tree, drives curved blades into the soil at an angle, and lifts a cone-shaped rootball out of the ground so the tree can be replanted elsewhere. If you want the full overview of what the machine is and what it does, our tree spades page walks through the mounts and applications. This article stays focused on the blades.

Each blade cuts one slice of a cone. When the blades close, those slices meet to form the full rootball. The number of blades determines how many cuts make up that cone and how much force each blade carries. More blades mean each individual blade is narrower, so it meets less soil resistance and slices cleaner. Fewer blades mean each blade is wider and has to move more soil, which asks more of the hydraulic system but keeps the mechanism simpler. That trade-off, cut quality and rootball shape against force and machine complexity, is the whole reason blade configurations exist.

Big John’s founder, John May, patented the original design with curvilinear towers and four spoon-shaped blades, and that four-blade geometry is still the reference point for most tree spade work today. Understanding why he landed there, and when three or five-plus blades make more sense, is the point of the next few sections.

The number of tree spade blades: 3 vs 4 vs 5+

Three-blade configurations

A three-blade spade uses three wide blades spaced evenly around the tree. It is the simplest layout, with fewer moving parts and fewer hydraulic circuits to maintain. Because each of the three blades is wide, the machine needs strong down pressure to force them through soil, and the resulting rootball has a slightly more triangular cross-section than a four or five-blade dig.

Three-blade layouts show up most often on smaller, lighter machines and on some tractor-mounted, 3-point-hitch spades where simplicity and lower cost matter more than a perfectly round ball. For a nursery moving small-caliper stock in loose, prepared ground, three blades can be plenty. In heavy clay or rocky ground, the wider blades and higher per-blade resistance make three-blade digs harder on the operator and the machine.

Four-blade configurations

Four blades are the industry workhorse and the configuration most operators picture when they think of a tree spade. Four evenly spaced blades produce a well-rounded, symmetrical rootball, distribute the cutting load across more edges than a three-blade unit, and balance cleanly around the tree so the machine tracks straight as the blades close. This is the geometry John May patented, and decades of field use have confirmed it as the best all-around answer for most tree sizes and soils.

Most of Big John’s spades across the truck, trailer, loader, skid-steer, and tractor lines are built on this four-blade principle. If you are moving a range of tree sizes across mixed soil conditions, a four-blade spade is almost always the right default. It cuts cleaner than three blades in tough ground and costs less to build and maintain than a five-plus layout.

Five-plus blade configurations

Adding more blades divides the rootball into more slices, so each blade is narrower, meets less resistance per cut, and produces a rounder, more finished ball. That precision matters most on large-caliper trees, where the rootball is heavy, expensive, and unforgiving of damage. On the largest transplanting jobs, more cutting edges help the machine surround a big root system with less soil disturbance per blade.

The trade-off is complexity: more blades mean more hydraulic actuation, more maintenance points, and higher cost. That is why five-plus configurations are reserved for the large-caliper end of the market rather than everyday nursery digging. The largest tree spades in the industry handle trees up to roughly 12 to 14 inches in trunk diameter, and at that scale the extra cutting edges earn their keep. For most operations, though, four blades deliver the cut quality they need without the added upkeep.

Tree spade blade angle and cut quality

Blade count decides how many slices make up the rootball. Blade angle decides the shape of that ball and how the blade cuts through soil. This is where Big John offers three distinct options, and choosing the right one for your ground is as important as choosing the blade count. All of these are covered in more depth on our skid steer spade blade configurations page.

Pointed blades (30 degree)

Pointed blades are the all-purpose option for all soil types. These cold-formed blades come at a 30 degree angle, which makes the bottom of the ball narrower and minimizes the amount of soil lost when transplanting. They shear tap roots and perform especially well in very sandy soils. If your ground varies job to job, or you are digging in loose sandy conditions, pointed blades are the safe, versatile choice.

Truncated blades (22 degree)

Truncated blades come at a shallower 22 degree angle and have a wider base at the bottom. That wider base produces a pot-shaped rootball, which makes it easier to basket and burlap the tree afterward. These cold-formed blades are designed for prepared nursery ground and perform well in harder, clay-type soils where the extra bottom width holds the ball together. If you run a production nursery in clay and finish trees in baskets, truncated blades are built for you.

Semi-truncated blades (25 degree)

Semi-truncated blades split the difference at a 25 degree angle, applied to both the tower and the blades. They are designed for nursery digging and easy transfer to flat-bottom baskets, which suits a heavy-duty compact machine. This is the middle-ground option when you want a flatter-bottomed ball than pointed blades give but do not need the full pot shape of the truncated design.

Cut quality, the cleanness of the slice and how well the rootball stays intact, comes down to matching angle to soil. A blade angle that shears cleanly in sand can smear and drag in wet clay, and a blade base sized for clay can lose too much sandy soil out the bottom. Match the angle to your ground first, then confirm the blade count fits your tree size and machine.

Rootball integrity: closed bottom, open bottom, and blade choice

The whole point of a tree spade is to lift a rootball that keeps enough intact roots for the tree to survive the move. Blade angle and blade count both feed directly into that.

Blade angle sets the taper of the cone. A steeper angle like the 30 degree pointed blade narrows the bottom of the ball and reduces soil loss during the lift, while a shallower angle like the 22 degree truncated blade widens the base and holds more soil at the bottom. Blade count sets how continuous the wall of the ball is: more blades meet with less gap between slices, so the soil column stays together better during lift and transport.

A tree spade closed bottom setup, where the blades close fully underneath to cradle the ball, matters most for lift and transport integrity, keeping the rootball from sloughing out the bottom on the way to the truck or trailer. The right combination depends on your soil and how far the tree travels. Horticultural guidance from the ISA and university cooperative extension programs is consistent on the underlying point: the more intact and undisturbed the rootball, the lower the transplant shock and the better the survival odds. Blade configuration is the mechanical lever that protects that ball.

The rootball also has to match the tree. The widely used standard, drawn from ANSI Z60.1, is a rootball diameter of at least 10 to 12 inches for every inch of trunk caliper. A 3-inch caliper tree calls for a 30 to 36 inch ball; a 6-inch tree calls for 60 to 72 inches. That rule is what ties blade configuration back to spade size.

When to use each configuration: matching blades to the job

Blade configuration only makes sense in the context of tree size, soil, and machine. Here is how the pieces fit together.

• By soil: Sandy or mixed ground favors 30 degree pointed blades. Hard clay in a prepared nursery favors 22 degree truncated blades. Nursery ground where you finish in flat-bottom baskets favors 25 degree semi-truncated blades.
• By tree size: Small-caliper nursery stock can move on three or four-blade spades. Most mid-range work is four-blade. Large-caliper trees justify five-plus blades for a rounder, better-protected ball.
• By machine: Big John builds spades for truck, trailer, loader, skid-steer, and tractor 3-point mounts. Skid-steer tree spade attachments come in sizes from 28 up to 60 inches and can be customized to attach to small wheel loaders and telehandlers. Truck-mounted models scale from the 45D (3 to 4 inch trees) up to the 100D (12 to 14 inch trees). The tree spade buying guide walks through mount and carrier selection in detail.

If you are unsure what size tree spade you need, start with the caliper of the trees you move most often, apply the 10-to-12-inch-per-inch rootball rule, then pick the mount that matches your carrier and how often you move trees. Blade angle and count follow from soil and tree size once the class is set.

Tree spade blade configuration comparison table

Configuration	Typical use	Rootball shape	Cut load per blade	Best for
3 blades	Smaller / simpler machines, some 3-point tractor units	Slightly triangular cross-section	High (wide blades)	Small-caliper stock, loose prepared ground, lower cost
4 blades	Industry standard across most mounts	Well-rounded, symmetrical	Balanced	Most tree sizes and mixed soils, best all-around
5+ blades	Large-caliper transplanting	Roundest, most finished	Low (narrow blades)	Large, heavy, high-value rootballs
Pointed (30 deg)	All soils, especially sandy	Narrow bottom, low soil loss	n/a (angle)	Versatile, sandy soils, shearing tap roots
Truncated (22 deg)	Prepared nursery, clay soils	Wide base, pot-shaped	n/a (angle)	Basket and burlap, clay ground
Semi-truncated (25 deg)	Nursery digging	Flatter bottom	n/a (angle)	Transfer to flat-bottom baskets

Frequently Asked Questions

How many blades does a tree spade have?

Most tree spades use three, four, or five-plus blades. Four is the industry standard and the original patented Big John geometry, giving a well-rounded rootball and balanced cutting load. Three-blade units are simpler and suit smaller machines and some tractor 3-point mounts. Five-plus blades are used on large-caliper spades where a rounder, better-protected ball matters most.

What tree spade blade angle is best?

It depends on your soil. Big John offers pointed blades at a 30 degree angle for all soils, especially sandy ground, since they shear tap roots and minimize soil loss. Truncated blades at 22 degrees suit hard clay in prepared nursery ground and produce a pot-shaped ball for basketing. Semi-truncated blades at 25 degrees are made for nursery digging into flat-bottom baskets.

What is a closed-bottom tree spade?

A closed-bottom tree spade is one where the blades close fully underneath the rootball to cradle it during the lift and move. That matters for keeping the soil column and roots intact between digging and replanting, especially on longer hauls to a truck or trailer. It protects rootball integrity, which is directly tied to lower transplant shock and better tree survival.

What size tree spade do I need?

Start with the caliper of the trees you move most, then apply the industry rule of a rootball 10 to 12 inches wide for every inch of trunk caliper, drawn from ANSI Z60.1. A 3-inch tree needs a 30 to 36 inch ball, a 6-inch tree needs 60 to 72 inches. Match that rootball size and your carrier to a mount and class. See the tree spade buying guide for the full walkthrough.

Tree spade vs stump bucket: what is the difference?

A tree spade digs and lifts a living tree with an intact rootball so it can be replanted, using angled blades that close into a cone. A stump bucket is a digging or extraction attachment aimed at removing stumps and roots, not preserving a tree for transplant. If your goal is moving live trees, you need a tree spade, not a stump bucket.

Are Big John tree spade blades customizable?

Yes. Big John skid-steer tree spades can be customized by size, blade number, blade shape, and blade position, plus options like hydraulic stabilizers and adjustable leveling pads. Skid-steer sizes run from 28 up to 60 inches, and 3-point tractor-mounted units are offered in pointed, truncated, and semi-truncated blades. Contact the Big John team to spec a configuration for your soil and tree size.

Related Big John equipment and guides: skid-steer spade blade configurations, the full Big John tree spade lineup.