here is some info from the imba website
http://www.imba.com/resources/trail_building/tool_guide.html
Hand Tools
Lamberton Construction
Address: 45 Newtown Place, Walla Walla, WA 99362
Tel: 509-526-7321
Web: http://www.lambertonrake.com/
Email: lambertonrake@aol.com
Rob Lamberton's custom-designed Lamberton rake is similar to a Mcleod. It features a bolt-less handle, so you can use it to check the slope of your trail tread, and it comes with your choice of wooden or fiberglass handle. Also, it is very reasonably priced.
Ben Meadows Company
Address: 190 Etowah Industrial Ct.,Canton, GA 30114
Tel: 800-241-6401
Fax: 800-628-2068
Email: mail@benmeadows.com
Web: www.benmeadows.com
Note: No IMBA discount.
If you work outdoors Ben Meadows sells equipment you use. From a trailbuilder's perspective, their selection of flagging tap, pin flags, clinometers, and hand tools is hard to beat. Two favorites of ours are the:
* Suunto Self Damping Clinometers - #102200 Suunto PM5/360PC - Percent and Degrees
For fast, accurate height, slope, and vertical angle measurements. Graduated 0 to ±90°, 0 to ±150%. Accuracy to 1° or 1%. Cosines to 45° on back. Scale reading estimated to 10 minutes or 1/5 of one percent. Rust-resistant aluminum. Skylon leather-like carrying case with belt loop, snap closure.
* Adze Hoe - #170602 Wardwood
Though they don't offer an IMBA discount, Ben Meadows provides excellent customer service and pricing on a number of great products from lovely Suunto brand Clinometers to your everyday pin flag.
Forestry Suppliers, Inc.
Tel: 800-752-8460
Fax: 601-292-0165
Web: www.forestry-suppliers.com
Forestry Suppliers is similar to Ben Meadows in their wide selection of products. Our favorites:
* Suunto PM5/360PC Clinometer,Percent and Degrees - #43830
* Texas SunGlo flagging tape
A.M. Leonard
www.amleonard.com
Tel: 800-432-8955
Fax: 800-433-0633
A.M. Leonard sells many landscaping tools. The IG7 and AE1 are good hoes for taller trailbuilders.
* Italian Grading Hoe w/41" handle - IG7
* Grubbing Hoe w/54" handle - AE1
BOB Trailers Inc.
Tel: 800-894-2447
www.bobtrailers.com
bob@bobgear.com
Yak bike trailers and tool racks for Yak trailer. The single wheeled BOB trailer will hold 4-7 hand tools and a chainsaw enabling a bike based trail crew with tools to travel up to 10mph on singletrack trails.
Trail Services
Tel: 207-947-2723
Fax: 207-945-6050
www.trailservices.com
Trail Services provides quality and hard to find products for trailbuilding, such as Griphoist winches, slings, blocks, and stone working tools.
Digital Levels
A digital level is a useful tool for identifying trail features like tread outslope. Professional trailbuilders use the SmartTool Electronic Level, which is available at Ben Meadows in two sizes: 2-foot for $165 and 4-foot for $204. Both include a soft carrying case. http://www.benmeadows.com/
Wildfire Fire Equipment Inc.
http://www.wildfire-equipment.com/
The leading North American producer of forest fire fighting equipment. With locations in Montreal, Winnipeg, Edmonton and Vancouver, as well as online sales, Wildfire Fire Equipment is a great source for trailbuilding tools in Canada.
* Cost for a wood handle Pulaski (#HTL-107) is $42.27 CDN
* Cost for a wood handle McLeod(#HTL-115) is $69.00 CDN
EsupplysHop
Great source for Canadian trail builders to get the right tools to get the job done. Lots of good stuff from tools to flagging. Locations all across Canada, find your nearest dealer.
* Cost for a wooden handle Pulaski (Part #HJK 100350) is $19.80ÊCAD
* Cost for a Clinometer (Part #SUU 51PM5/1520PC) is $138.90 CAD
Forrest Tool Company Inc.
Max Ax multi-purpose tool (MacLeod, Pulaski, axe, pick)
Lee Valley Tools
Hand tools such as pruners, loppers, pole pruners, shovels, axes, Pulaskis
Mechanized
Sweco Trail Dozer by Sutter Equipment Co.
Literature
IMBA
Trail Solutions: IMBA's Guide to Building Sweet Singletrack - Trail Solutions is IMBA's premier trailbuilding resource. This 272-page book combines cutting-edge trailbuilding techniques with proven fundamentals in a colorful, easy-to-read format.
Managing Mountain BIkes - Written for professional land managers, volunteers, and recreation providers alike, this 256-page book offers an essential collection of best practices for planning, designing, and managing successful trail networks and bike parks.
Natural Surface Trails by Design: Physical and Human Design Essentials of Sustainable, Enjoyable Trails - A perfect companion to Trail Solutions: IMBA's Guide to Building Sweet Singletrack, this resource focuses on the 'why' of trails more than the 'how.'
Lightly on the Land: The SCA Trail Building and Maintenance Manual - A classic book that focuses on traditional trailbuilding skills, 2nd edition. By Bob Birkby, The Student Conservation Association.
The Mountaineers Books
Tel: 800-553-4453
Fax: 800-568-7604
www.mountaineersbooks.com
FHWA Trail Publications
www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/trailpub.htm
The Federal Highway Administration makes available for free many of the US Forest Service trail documents. These include, but are not limited to:
* Trail Construction and Maintenance Notebook
* Trail Traffic Counters
* MTDC Handtools for Trail Work
* Wetland Trail Design and Construction
The International Mountain Bicycling Association
Tel: 303-545-9011
www.imba.com
IMBA's Building Better Trails is an excellent handbook on developing and constructing long lasting shared use trails. There are also many other trailbuilding and managing documents on IMBA's website.