Pulling Weeds: Efficient Weeding with BigSlider™ utility mover

There are two ways to use BigSlider when you're weeding. First, if you are fortunate enough to own two, you can put one in the bag and pull your 'instant trash can' on the other one. Also, I like the combination of my lawn bucket with BigSlider™ utility mover. It holds the lawn and leaf bag open, and the Easy-Go (which I bought at Lowe's) is like a tall bucket with a handle and two wheels. Easy-Go is sold under a Black & Decker license by Keter Plastic. It's not as stable as resting on another BigSlider™ because the Easy-Go is a little top-heavy. But once you get some weeds down into it, it'll stay upright.



Second, you can use BigSlider™ as a weeding sit-upon. Just put the weeds at the tail, move along the bed, then dump into the trash. This way you touch the weeds only once -- very efficient! And, if you end up with lots of full bags, you can use BigSlider™ utility mover to slide up to six 39-gallon lawn and leaf bags to the curb in one trip. You can see it in action at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Jm7Wr9xuZQ

Move Heavy Things by Yourself Tool for Gardners

Here's why one customer bought BigSlider™ utility mover this week!

"I was searching the internet for a dolly to move large potted plants across grass, concrete, etc. by myself and your website was listed. After checking it out, I decided your product was the best way to go and could be used for more purposes than I intended. It will even help me out when I need to move those big bags of potting soil to my backyard by myself. It will be a back saver too and will get used for many of the other purposes you listed. I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of the BIGSLIDER Utility Mover." -- MP, Texas

BigSlider and the Japanese Moss Garden

Sadly we lost our beautiful oak tree several years ago. Since the tree protected our moss garden and west-facing sliding glass door from the sun and heat, we needed to replace it with shade. We read about the bamboo fuji-dan (pronounced WOO-gee-don) as a wisteria vine pergola in the Journal of Japanese Gardening and decided to adapt it to our needs. Tip and I put the bamboo structure together on the first day, and Manuel and Grandpa came over the second day with 10 ft cedar posts. They used the BigSlider™ Heavy Duty Tray to distribute the excess post hole soil in the low spots around the yard. They also used it to remove bricks from around the posts and bring back the beautiful river rock from its storage location in the farthest corner of the back yard. BigSlider™ Heavy Duty Tray made it easy to do in one trip! We topped the structure with two layers of 6 ft x 16 ft reed fencing from the hardware store to emulate the deep shade of the oak tree (one layer shown here). Now...we water and wait! PS Do you know how to feed moss? Warm, flat beer!

Laying Garden Pavers

We just got some photos of a client laying garden pavers using our heavy duty tray to move these heavy stones around. These photos really illustrate the ease of using our tray to ease the burden of garden work!

After unloading the stones from the trailer, the tray serves as a platform to hold the stones conveniently for placing them around the edges of the garden.



Look at this next picture and tell me how hard you think it can be to get this work done!! Really!!!





You see how Bigslider can reduce the workload for those big gardening jobs!

Introducing our Heavy Duty Tray in Field Test!

We just got our newest product delivered and tested in it our garden this past weekend. It performed beautifully!

Tip stars in our field trial to plant some new dogwoods plus a potted, rooted Japanese maple. We used the tray to handle the dirt as we moved from place to place in the garden putting in each plant.

We also found that the combination of the Tray with our original Professional model and our newer YardPal made the job that much easier.

See our field trial description on our site and learn how you can benefit from having a variety of these tools for your spring gardening chores! We also put the pictures up in a little larger format for a quick overview of the project.

Thanks Tip! You've got real "Star Power"!!

Yard Chores with a Ruptured Disk?

Many people have health problems of various kinds that limit or constrain their physical activity. These do not always mean that you have to give up your favorite hobbies. Sometimes you can make adaptations that allow you to continue to participate in those things that give you pleasure, like maintaining your garden.

We just sold a BigSlider™ to a man in Pennsylvania who said he has a ruptured disk and wants to use it to help him with his gardening. This is a good solution, because a BigSlider™ certainly reduces the amount of lifting involved in gardening.

To make your chores easier, make sure that a BigSlider™is in your closet of gardening supplies and tools.

Gardening Supplies and Tools

Springtime brings gardening chores, and that brings up the question of tools and supplies. Lots of gardening work consists of moving things around the garden. Starting a new garden area might mean moving dirt away, bringing in mulch or pavers for a garden walk, or bags of sand to provide a foundation for pavers, and on, and on, and on...

A BigSlider™ can save a lot of that work and avoid the back strain that comes from asking muscles that were not used through the winter months to suddenly lift these items into a garden cart. You can see an example of some of these tasks in our recounting of the building of a brick patio on our web site.

We have a variety of gardening supplies/tools for different needs and purposes. Look over the full line and do yourself a favor by having the right tools for the job before you begin the work!

Happy Gardening!!

Announcing The Newest BigSlider: the Heavy Duty Tray!

BIGSLIDER™ Heavy Duty Tray Field Test

Ever since we first designed the Professional model, people have wondered about moving very large loads of loose materials like soil, mulch or sand. Today we are happy to report a new addition to the BigSlider line: the Heavy Duty Tray. We received some last week and had a chance to field test it this weekend with more tree planting projects. We were thrilled with the results! Hear all about it in our Field Test story of planting the dogwoods and Japanese maple. 

BigSlider Heavy Duty Tray is made in the USA of UV-stabilized, #2 recyclable HDPE, so it's tough and slick like all the BigSlider models. We'll have it for sale at www.bigslider.com soon.

Repairing a Brick Patio

The corner of Jeri's brick patio had collapsed, so she decided to remove the sunken area and re-sand it.

This project involved moving a heavy Pennsylvania bluestone stone paver around in her yard, as well as bricks, and getting a 50 lb. bag of sand (the only way it comes!) from the store to the patio to level the patio bricks and paver. She lifted it just once from the store floor into the shopping cart's child seat. From then on it was BigSlider to the rescue.

She draped it over the cart handle and slid the bag into the trunk. BigSlider also kept sand from getting all over the trunk. She used the rope threaded through the tail to pull it from the trunk to the driveway and drag the 50 lb bag to the patio.

This can become quite a chore for someone working alone, but the Bigslider family of gardening tools really paid of in making it possible.

Moving the 50 lb. bag of sand out of the trunk of the car was probably the toughest part of the job, but the Bigslider Utility Mover worked great to help her avoid lifting and possible back strain. All it took was a little creativity and maneuvering, and the job was done!

After finishing the job, Jeri had a great looking patio at her home to enjoy.



You can read the whole story on the site at "Repairing My Brick Patio by Myself".

Planting Italian Pines Made Easier

Gardening projects are easier with the Bigslider at your side. Recently, Jeri put in some pines in her garden and describes the project in detail, showing how she used the Bigslider and the Stacksaver to simplify the operation.

Bigslider can be useful in so many different ways. We will continue to bring you examples of how it can help, and would love to hear your stories of how it has helped you in different situations. Send us your stories and include pictures to share with other users.

The Perfect Mother’s Day Gift in 2009 for the Woman who has Everything

Mother’s Day 2009 is coming sooner than you think: May 10th is less than two months away. Most moms will tell you they have everything they need – after all they have you! – and say they just want a card. But is that really true?

My mom is now in her 80s, so I’ve been focusing on getting her things she actually needs. For Christmas I bought Channellock® straight-jaw, tongue and groove pliers to open bottles and remove lids. For her birthday, I followed up with the clippers mentioned in My Favorite Tools, the Okatsune brand 7” shears. They’re so awesome she’s not sharing them with my dad, so now I have the perfect Father’s Day gift teed up.

Of course, my parents already have their BigSlider™ utility mover. But enough about us; let’s hear what others have to say about it.

• "Wanted to let you know that I gave my mother-in-law her slider and she was thrilled. She is a widow with a large yard, pool and garden. She is 72, very active, still works each day, and keeps up her yard and 1 1/2 acres of land....She does most of her outside work herself. She was so glad to have a way to move heavy stuff without hurting her back. Thanks again.” -- DT, Alabama
  

I also followed up with an avid-gardening customer who received it as a gift from her son. She said,

• “It’s amazing! I saved 90% of the work by not having to lift soil and pavers into the wheelbarrow.” -- Mrs. S, Iowa
  

And, for those of you who feel guilty about not being around to help your mom, here’s what one single mom had to say:

• “I would like to buy the one you let me borrow. It will come in handy around the house esp. since my son moved out and I do not have anyone around to move stuff for me.” -- JLF, Texas
  

The great thing about BigSlider is that it's truly designed to be a one-person tool. Finally, I received this sweet note from a customer just yesterday.

• "My mother, who recently passed away at 100 years old, always used a bit of carpet or a throw rug to move furniture around. I wish she was still here to see your wonderful invention...I used the slider a little while ago and it worked beautifully - just like in the videos. Thank you so much." -- CD, Minnesota
  

So now your question “What do I get Mom for Mother’s Day?” has an easy answer: a BigSlider™ Utility Mover!

Naturally, I have no idea what to get my Mom.

My Favorite Gardening Tools

Being an engineer, I’m very particular about my tools. They have to work extremely well and last a long time. And being a designer, I’m very particular about how my tools look and feel. Functionality, durability, and beauty are what I look for.
Here are my favorites. Top row, Hermes Garden set in stainless and cherry ($330 at usa.hermes.com). I know that’s pretty extreme in price, but my last trowel failed at the weld between the handle and scooping blade, and I’ve lost the one-piece cast aluminum trowel I had. And, the handle feels so smooth and sculptural it takes some of the sting out of weeding.

My other tools (click on the picture for a larger image) are Japanese.

Bottom row (L to R):

• Pull weeder Mont Blanc Brand Kusatori Ichiban Weeder ($11 at hidatool.com)
• OK101 Okatsune Clippers ($39 at amleo.com or mnsinc.cc)
• Super sharp folding saw ARS G-18 ($26 at amleo.com or mnsinc.cc )
• Okatsune Double Pouch Scabbard, which I’m putting in a nail apron until I find a belt I like ($21 at mnsinc.cc)
• Finally, the fabulous Nejiri Weeder / Scraper #211 (not pictured), is a small super sharp hand hoe but the blade is a little soft ($9 at hidatool.com). I had to order a new one since the last one accidentally met with bed edging and bent the sharp tip back.

Happy Gardening from BigSlider!

Good news from our customer with spinal stenosis stinosis

Good News from our customer with spinal stenosis (see Jan 7th and Jan 12th blogs)

"Hi Jeri!

Just wanted to let you know that the BigSlider worked for me! It made it a lot easier to move our boxes from the entrance of the crawl space to the back where we store the Christmas decorations. I had my husband read the information sheet on the various ways people have used it so, when the need may arise when he is working outside, he will think about using it also.

Thank You!" -- JH, Delaware

Make Concrete Easy - BigSlider + CreteSheet at the World of Concrete

Concrete Projects Made Easy! Green, Back-Saving, Top Tools at the World of Concrete Feb 3-6, 2009: CreteSheet™ concrete mixer and BigSlider™ utility mover.

BigSlider will be displayed with CreteSheet at the World of Concrete February 3-6, 2009 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. CreteSheet and BigSlider are the perfect combination for concrete projects. BigSlider gets the bags where you need them, and CreteSheet quickly mixes 80 lbs of concrete in 90 seconds. Your back will thank you since both tools use the ground to carry the weight. John Shoemaker will demonstrate concrete made easy at booth S-22411 (South Hall, second floor).

Both tools are green: human-powered and made of recyclable plastic. Not only that, they have been chosen by Popular Mechanics to receive their coveted Editor’s Choice Award for top new tools. BigSlider has been featured on two DIY Network “Cool Tools” episodes and was named one of 14 top "Hot Tools for 2009" by Canadian Home Workshop. CreteSheet was also named a World of Concrete MIP Winner.

See more at http://www.cretesheet.com and http://www.bigslider.com

CreteSheet and World of Concrete Booth Contact:
John Shoemaker 866-571-7749

BigSlider Contact:
Jeri Masterson 713-459-0660

Looking Forward to Spring and Summer Gardening? You're worth it!

Last week a customer called after seeing BigSlider in her local newspaper in Akron, Ohio. She didn't have internet access and wanted to know if she could order over the phone. Yes, of course we happily take phone orders!

In the past, she's used a vinyl sheet to haul heavy stuff around the garden, and the vinyl would get shredded. She wanted to know if BigSlider was tough and would last. Well, the first one we made in mid-2006 is still in use on concrete, grass, pea gravel, bricks, tile and carpet -- with no signs of stopping. So she said, "I'm worth it. I'm going to get one." "Of course you're worth it!" I said.

"I'm looking forward to spring and summer gardening being more pleasant now." Aren't we all? Enjoy!

Home Office and Gardening Combined!

Reviews Written by M. Gollwitzer, Thank you, BigSlider™!, August 31, 2008

I work at a home office and must shred reams of confidential documents each month. The BigSlider™ makes this so easy! I just place a rolled-up BigSlider™ inside a trash bag, which transforms the bag into a free-standing receptable for all the shreddings. I can empty the shredder into the bag without the struggle of having to use one hand to keep the bag open. When the bag is full, the BigSlider™ easily and cleanly slides out of the bag and I can then just haul the bag (placing it on the BigSlider™ if it's too heavy to carry!) to the garbage can.

I use the BigSlider™ in the same manner to collect leaves in the yard. In addition, we have found the BigSlider™ to be useful in hauling heavy objects around the house or from house to car. BigSlider™ has made many tasks so much easier!

Gifts for Gardners?

The Christmas season is now over, but the "post Christmas shopping season" is in full swing!

Now is the time to begin thinking about buying gifts for your loved ones in anticipation of the New Year. For your friends and family who are gardening enthusiasts, think about the upcoming garden chores and all the work involved in preparing their gardens for Spring. Many gardeners have moved heavy plants into protected areas to protect them from the cold winter weather. These heavy objects will have to be moved back to their preferred locations for display or to take advantage of the changing sunlight. Your special gardener will appreciate the simplicity of dragging these heavy potted plants around instead of lifting them or rolling them around the yard.

With its ease of use and easy storage, there is no better gift than a BigSlider™ Utility Mover.

Working with leaves with BigSlider™

Moving heavy stuff around is what we built BigSlider™ for, but it has more uses in a variety of ways.

Take a look at how BigSlider™ can help you picking up and bagging your leaves. It makes a great scoop and is handy for holding the lawn bag open for you while you fill it with the leaves you just scooped.

After you have filled several bags, you can use your BigSlider™ to move multiple bags at once to the disposal area.

DIY Networks Cool Tools Pick!

The Do It Yourself Network (DIY Network) has picked the Bigslider Utility Mover as one of its "cool tools". You can see the listing on their website.

The Cool Tools section of their site, hosted by Chris Grundy, features their picks for the "newest and most innovative tools and gadgets", and we are very excited to have been selected for this honor!

Haul dirt and remodeling supplies...

Another note that we just received from a happy user of Bigslider!

I originally saw it on television during one of the home shows. It took me a while but I found the site by searching on the name, fortunately I remembered that!!! This is great. I am a woman who is consistently trying to move things about by myself. I am convinced this will allow me to tackle my 'moving' projects easier. I live on 4 heavily wooded acres and am always trying to haul dirt and remodeling supplies.

Regards,
Celina

This illustrates how useful a big piece of plastic can be for your household and landscaping activities, especially if you add a few useful features to it!

Household Moving Checklist!

Moving your household is always a major undertaking, and anything that makes it simpler and easier is appreciated. Here is a checklist that includes a number of moving tips that will come in handy for anyone contemplating making a move in the near future.

In addition to handy tips for dealing with the furniture and other objects that you are moving, Jeri thinks about what you will want to have accessible immediately when you arrive at your new home and begin the process of unpacking and moving into your house or apartment (or college dorm?)

Check out the moving checklist of ten items that you want to put in "The Last Box on the Truck"!

Move Heavy Potted Plants for Hurricane Ike

"My husband and I were preparing our house for the arrival of hurricane Ike, and you delivered BigSlider to our door. We moved two huge terracotta pots with lemon trees across our brick patio into the niches on either side of the chimney, then slid all the rest of the potted plants into the garage, including a huge cactus. We finished very quickly -- it was absolutely fantastic! I was so surprised at how easy it was that I went up and down the block to see if our neighbors needed to move anything heavy. Thank you --
what a lifesaver! "
-- KS, TX

Tale of the Grecian Urn

"The lawn service moved a very large Grecian urn in my garden, but they left it in an awkward place, where no one could appreciate looking at it from inside. I wouldn't be home when they came back, so I wheeled the pot on to bigslider by myself. Rather than pull by the handle, I left bigslider stationary and slid the pot across it and back into the perfect spot. I did that so the loose river rock where the pot sat didn't get messed up. A few weeks later, I hurt my back lifting a heavy box - can’t believe I forgot to use bigslider!"

---CW, Texas

Shred Documents, Move the Trash Bag

"I work at a home office and must shred reams of confidential documents each month. The BIGSLIDER makes this so easy! I just place a rolled-up BIGSLIDER inside a trash bag, which transforms the bag into a free-standing receptable for all the shreddings. I can empty the shredder into the bag without the struggle of having to use one hand to keep the bag open. When the bag is full, the BIGSLIDER easily and cleanly slides out of the bag and I can then just haul the bag (placing it on the BIGSLIDER if it's too heavy to carry!) to the garbage can. I use the BIGSLIDER in the same manner to collect leaves in the yard. In addition, we have found the BIGSLIDER to be useful in hauling heavy objects around the house or from house to car. BIGSLIDER has made many tasks so much easier!" -- MG, FL

(Photo Illustrative)
http://www.bigslider.com

Move Bricks to Make a Flowerbed - Volunteer Projects

“I would like to buy the BIGSLIDER™ you let me borrow. It will come in handy around the house esp. since my son moved out and I do not have anyone around to move stuff for me. The Day of Caring project at the Learning Center for Mentally Retarded Adults turned out great! We used BIGSLIDER™ to move bricks for the flowerbed. They now have a big flowerbed to keep up!” -- JLF, TX

(Photos Illustrative)
http://www.bigslider.com

Keep on gardening in your 70s

"Wanted to let you know that I gave my mother-in-law her slider and she was thrilled. She is a widow with a large yard, pool and garden. She is 72, very active, still works each day, and keeps up her yard and 1 1/2 acres of land....She does most of her outside work herself. She was so glad to have a way to move heavy stuff without hurting her back. Thanks again.” -- DT, AL
(Photo illustrative)
http://www.bigslider.com

Move Heavy Potted Plants - by yourself

Concerned about the cold weather, this woman needed to move large potted frangipani plants under cover to prevent plants from freezing or frost bite. She estimated each pot weighed well over 100 lbs...and she moved them without getting help.

Saves Wear and Tear on My Back

"I wish you'd come up with this sooner. It would've saved a lot of wear and tear on my back. It works great for the lawn and leaf bag!"

– JK, Texas

http://www.bigslider.com

Better than a Wheelbarrow, Move Soil and Pavers

“It’s amazing! I saved 90% of the work by not having to lift soil and pavers into the wheelbarrow.” -- Mrs. S, IA
(photos illustrative)


http://www.bigslider.com