Tight timelines, large trees, and tough soil—when the work is demanding, your equipment has to rise to the challenge. If you’re regularly transplanting trees for commercial landscaping, nursery management, or urban greening, you know how important it is to have the right gear. Outdated or underpowered tools can stall a job and damage the trees you’re trying to protect.

That’s why Big John Manufacturing provides dependable tree spade equipment for sale in Michigan. Our machines are known for their power, durability, and ability to handle Michigan’s unique terrain. We’ve helped professionals across the state move trees of all sizes with fewer setbacks and better transplant success. No gimmicks—just solid equipment that works.

Contact our team to find the right tree spade for your operation.

Big John tree spade equipment in use at Michigan nursery.

Built to Perform, Wherever You’re Working

We understand that Michigan’s climate and ground conditions can vary wildly. That’s why our tree spade equipment for sale in Michigan is designed to stay reliable through all kinds of conditions, season after season.

Truck-Mounted Spades

Our truck-mounted spades are a smart option if you want fast deployment and heavy-duty performance. These units are ideal for municipal projects and nurseries needing to transplant trees quickly over large areas.

Trailer-Mounted Tree Spades

If you’re looking to buy tree spade in Michigan with a little more transport flexibility, our trailer-mounted units offer a practical alternative. They’re easy to tow and come in multiple configurations to suit your workload.

Large Tree Spades

For projects involving mature or oversized trees, we offer large tree spade for sale in Michigan that are built to dig deep and hold firm. With robust steel construction and excellent digging geometry, these models deliver reliable results with less root damage.

What Makes Big John a Smart Choice?

Choosing Big John means you’re getting more than just equipment:

  • Long-lasting designs trusted by Michigan landscapers and tree services
  • Easy-to-operate controls and accessible maintenance features
  • Multiple sizes to fit your skid steer, truck, or trailer
  • Fast access to parts and real customer support
  • Trusted by professionals nationwide for over 35 years

Your 3-Step Path to Better Tree Moving Tools

We make it easy to get started with tree spade solutions that work for your needs:

  1. Reach Out to Our Team
    Use the contact form to tell us about your transplanting needs.
  2. Find the Right Model
    We’ll walk through your specs, job type, and budget to recommend the best equipment.
  3. Put It to Work
    Once your tree spade arrives, you’ll be ready to tackle larger jobs with less hassle.

Tackle Bigger Jobs with Confidence

Struggling with the wrong gear slows you down and puts trees at risk. With tree spade equipment for sale in Michigan from Big John, you can take control of your timeline, protect your investment, and stop dealing with unreliable machines. Our team will help you find the right fit—so you can get to work and get results you can count on.

Work with Big John Manufacturing to start moving trees smarter!

Features on all Models

Control your skid steer tree spade with ease inside the skid steer with cabled controls or from anywhere with a wireless remote that allows for easy operation.

Gate hinges designed for stressful conditions, our skid steer spades feature heavy duty gate hinges that beat the competition for longevity.

Add on stabilizers or other optional features to make your skidsteer tree spade more robust with an extra valve section for add-on hydraulic components.

Anyone can learn how to operate a BIG JOHN spade with minimal instruction and successfully dig a tree in a matter of minutes. Maintenance requirements are simple, quick, and affordable with a minimal time commitment to keep your spade at peak performance.

Made with top grade plastics for heavy duty use, our slide blocks dig for thousands of tree moves with ease and simplicity. Fewer moving parts, no bolts to rust, and no small plastic parts to keep track of make the simple design of BIG JOHN spades last decades longer.

Our blades are cold-formed from AR400 steel, making them durable and strong for all kinds of digging conditions and maintain their integrity for decades. The blades are also fluted to distribute the stress of digging better in tough conditions.

Get the level of digging speed you need with adjustable valve bodies on all our skid steer tree spades. Slow spades down for safety with new operators or speed up for seasoned spade users for efficiency.

Features on all Models

Control your skid steer tree spade with ease inside the skid steer with cabled controls or from anywhere with a wireless remote that allows for easy operation.

Gate hinges designed for stressful conditions, our skid steer spades feature heavy duty gate hinges that beat the competition for longevity.

Add on stabilizers or other optional features to make your skidsteer tree spade more robust with an extra valve section for add-on hydraulic components.

Anyone can learn how to operate a BIG JOHN spade with minimal instruction and successfully dig a tree in a matter of minutes. Maintenance requirements are simple, quick, and affordable with a minimal time commitment to keep your spade at peak performance.

Made with top grade plastics for heavy duty use, our slide blocks dig for thousands of tree moves with ease and simplicity. Fewer moving parts, no bolts to rust, and no small plastic parts to keep track of make the simple design of BIG JOHN spades last decades longer.

Our blades are cold-formed from AR400 steel, making them durable and strong for all kinds of digging conditions and maintain their integrity for decades. The blades are also fluted to distribute the stress of digging better in tough conditions.

Get the level of digging speed you need with adjustable valve bodies on all our skid steer tree spades. Slow spades down for safety with new operators or speed up for seasoned spade users for efficiency.

Proven results from Proud BIG JOHN Owners

I would definitely recommend the Big John tree spades to anyone looking for a reliable, efficient and robust digging machine. The style and design of the Big John 90D proved to be way better and allowed for more down pressure in much harder ground than the other manufacturers’ spade.

Stephen Jones

Friendly service, straight to the point type. Check’m’out!

Robert Dobbins

Amazing and reliable machines.

Lukáš Kaprál

Big John has been the back bone of our company for 30 years now. They are high in quality, durability, dependability, and affordability. Great response from parts and service if needed. Still moving trees in north east Florida.

Keith Kirker

Quality-built Tree Spades made by an American company with a proven track record since the 1970’s.

After owning 3 different manufacturers of Tree Spades I realized I needed to use the Big John brand so I could be more efficient No other manufacturer offers the tree pod capability of taking multiple trees to the job site with 1 trip. Fuel is expensive and time isn’t cheap!

Fred Heckman

Fantastic company with people who care about your business and their products are first class with the service to back them up.

Bryon Rahn