[roofbutcher]

Just curious as to what most of you guys are using for tear-offs. I prefer shovel and fork depending on type of shingle. Ive been looked at oddly more than once when I hop in with guys to tear off with a fork or shovel.

Shingle Eater is one of if not the first specialized tear off tools, and is still the most rugged of the bunch. Shingle Eater favors the open, smooth-deck walkables and in the right hands will be very tough to beat under those conditions. However, the very features that give it the performance in ideal conditions make it cumbersome under less than perfect conditions.


AJC’s Shin-go is an excellent all-‘rounder. It has decent thrust, enough lift to pull a spike, and the deep gullets will pull some of the more ornery nails. Great for salvaging flashings.


Roofers’ spade is just a square shovel with teeth and fulcrum added. The low working angle gives it excellent reach and thrust. It is one of the lightest options and has a low rate of fatigue for its operator.


Roof Bully, home depot’s red-handled stripper is very economical and works well on stapled shingles. The mild steel is short-lived, but the dull blade will ride over some of the rougher deck. It also features a square heel, which is handy for bent over nails and stubble.


Shin-dig (and wipr-do) is another dull-bladed shovel, which is nice on the rougher decks, but can have trouble getting under the material. It features a reverse blade, which is handy for bent away nails. It also has a good striking surface, which is very nice for tightening loose boards and pounding down stubble. An excellent choice when in rougher conditions.


Pitchfork, or more accurately dung fork, was made to penetrate material which isn’t easily shoveled. This has great appeal as a tear off tool because it reduces tedium, particularly under adverse conditions. It’s obvious downside is that the nails need be dealt with in a separate operation. In order to show an advantage in productivity over a shovel-type tool, a fork needs to cover the area at a tremendous rate of speed.


Stripping irons benefit from lessons learned from all of the above and yet are based on a completely different operating principle. Virtually all other strippers use lever-action to free the shingles from the surface, whereas stripping irons use wedge-action to get consistent long strokes on rough deck. Their major drawback is the learning curve presented by these unique concepts.

 

[roofbutcher]

The Red Ripper has the "power to play rough all day" Rip shingles and peel nails in seconds, save 30% on labour and reduce back strain. Only $60 for a shingle removal tool that will get the job done quickly and efficiently. [URL="http://www.roofersworld.com/redripper.htm"]http://www.roofersworld.com/redripper.htm[/URL]

Not a bad looking shovel, your Red Ripper. I like the picket-fence teeth, they’ll work very well. I also like the reverse-blade and striking surface, they will get you through much adversity. It also looks wonderfully lightweight.


All it needs to be a great ripper is a reduced working angle, somewhere around 12-15 degrees. I don’t mean to hack on your tool because it does have the best features of all the shovels I’ve tried, so please, bear with me.


Firstly, the most overlooked fact when designing these rippers is that most of the effort is expended on the thrust (slam) and NOT on the lift (pry). With a steep angle like that, you can’t get your full body behind the tool, so the arms and upper body (back) tire quickly. Secondly, the lower angle will provide more REACH, which is very handy on a steep-staged roof. Third, the reduced angle will make both your reverse-blade and your striking surface more effective. Lastly, the suggested angle will make your tool one-handable for even more reach and great videos of guys running dual rippers!


Keep your fulcrum as close to the forward cutting edge as possible, leaving just enough lift to barely pull a spike. This will minimize effort on the pry and maximize sweet spot. Your current pattern looks pretty good on this.


For $60, I’m assuming it’s a tempered steel blade so it’s performance will last more than just a few roofs. You can go about 50 points of carbon without running into welding issues.


Yeah I know, you gotta change your tooling, but fix that angle and you’ll have the best performance of all the many shovels on the market. I’ve been through it on my rippers, and can tell you that it’s well worth it.


Good luck to you on your ripper. Hope to see you around.

 

[roofbutcher]

I like the four prong potato fork to remove the shingles, then we come back with the shingle eater to get the nails.

If you like the potato fork, it might be worth taking a look at Razor Bar. Not limited by tooth length, it has infinite penetration for long strokes on rough deck. Its tempered steel teeth tend to self-sharpen and will deliver high performance for many tear off jobs.

Nice looking brake btw.

 

[roofbutcher]

I use a flat garden spade and then go back over the area with a claw hammer to pull the nails. I want something better for the wood shingle tear offs, most of them here are fixed with narrow crown staples which are a pain to remove from the battens after the shingles are off. I use a cats paw for this which works but isn't ideal, slips off the staples too easy and frequently sends them flying all over resulting in a big cleanup that at times includes the neighbours properties!
Any recommendations? Anything I get will have to come from the US as they're not available here in NZ.

Wooden shingle stapled to slat, Hmmm...

Provided that the slats were at least 3 1/2 inches wide, I'd pull out the power stripper. Those staple jobs can be pretty tough depending on the specifics.

The staples will still need to be dealt with. A (welder's) grinder will make short work of them, but may pose a fire hazard. Be careful. I usually use either end-nips, or just bend them over with a hammer, depending on who's looking :whistling:

 

[roofbutcher]

Yes, Shingle Eaters are the best and it is especially designed to remove asphalt shingles, cedar shakes, and underlayments from roofs with the least amount of stress on your back.

Shingle Eater has its day and is certainly rugged enough, but in shake? No way. Try pulling those 5s with those coarse teeth or slamming through them with that steep angle and narrow sweet spot and it won’t be a fun morning.


Shin-dig or Shingo are far more effective in shake, with even better results after having done this.

 

[roofbutcher]

Only use pitch forks. It's tough to find thin wide tines but now we just buy them and put them on the grinder before they gon the roof.

I wished you could still get the good ones.

I have toothy shovels too. They work great for pulling nails. As far as ripping shingles? Way slower than a pitch fork!

Tines that are thin AND wide? I have either maximized that concept, or went totally opposite, not sure which.


Anyhow, If you like the forks, it may be worth your while to have a look at this thing. It gives long strokes on rough deck, and has several cool tricks for dealing with the debris.

The "good ones" may be gone, but perhaps now you can get better ones. It took over twenty years practice to get the tool running just right. It would be nice to see some of my fellow roofers benefit from those lessons.

 

[roofbutcher]

This pic gives you some idea of what i'm up against. Battens are 2" wide.

Those narrow battens look tough for a fork, not enough surface to ride on. My first choice ripping that one would be Shin-dig. Second would be Shingo.