Abstract: A shovel apparatus for extracting soil plugs, has a linearly extensive tubular member engaging, a handle at one end and a pair of spaced-apart, opposing, shovel blades at the other. Each of the shovel blades has a blade base with an extensive stem placed approximately vertically. The blades provide a blade tip configured for insertion into a soil medium. Each of the extensive stems is pivotally joined with an actuating link. An actuating rod moves linearly within the tubular member and is joined with the actuating links for providing pivotal motion to The actuating rod is further joined with a lever arm extending laterally from the tubular member. Lever action of the lever arm moves the actuating rod linearly within the tubular member, and thereby moves the actuating links in rotational angular motion, and thereby draws the extensive stems of the shovel blades toward and away from each other for first gripping a plug of the soil medium, and then releasing it.

Abstract: A shovel apparatus for digging holes has an H-shaped frame providing at one end, a handle integrally joined to the frame, and at the other end, a blade mounting support. A pair of spaced apart shovel blades are pivotally engaged with the blade mounting support for drawing the blades from essentially parallel rest positions, toward each other, to form a modified cone-shaped enclosure. A draw arm assembly is engaged for sliding within a pair of opposing slots in the H-shaped frame. The draw arm assembly is engaged with the shovel blades through a pair of links to move the shovel blades toward each other when the draw arm assembly is pulled toward the handle.