Abstract: A motorized shovel comprises a carriage which may be provided with wheels to enable it to negotiate the ground and is formed with an upright pole carrying an arm adapted to overhang the operator. The arm is swingable about a vertical axis to follow the movements of an operator and carries a pneumatic-motor-driven winch drum adapted to pay out and retract a cable depending from the free end of the arm. The cable is anchored to a shovel unit whose handle is provided with a handle bar adapted to be gripped by the operator. Controls on the handle bar regulate the operation of the winch and of a pneumatic vibrator interposed between the handle and the shovel blade. Flexible conduits run along the downwardly extending stretch of the cable to connect the pneumatic controls to the winch.

Abstract: A mechanical shovel comprises a digging tool, two booms and a harness. One of the booms is adapted to be mounted by the harness on and substantially parallel to the back of an operator so that the other boom extends forwardly of the operator. One of the booms supports a winding mechanism having a cable leading along the forwardly extending boom and attached to the handle of the digging tool. The handle of the digging tool is provided with means to activate the winding mechanism so that the shovel may be raised with the minimum of effort on the part of the operator. The combination of the two booms provides a particularly stable arrangement.