BuffaloJohn,
It definitely would have been much easier and quicker to purchase the production tool. Originally, I planned on it but then I experimented with removing the invasive plants we have in our yard. A lot of them are very narrow, pencil diameter, and have deep roots. They are also very strong and rigid. The production tool works more by digging and reaching under a weed and I needed something that could grab hold and then pull. In my case, having jaws with a lot more surface area for clamping was necessary.


There was the option of modifying the existing tool, but it is a cast piece so mig welding would likely be a mess and I would only be reusing the pivot and lever anyway so I decided to create a heavier duty version of a slightly different design, made of readily available materials, that better suited my needs.


By no means did I want to imply that I invented the concept of the tool. This is scratch built homemade tool that is a modification of a proven design. I will definitely not be going into production with these. It is one of one made for my personal use.


Thanks
Richard