I've just been through two so-called heavy duty forks, and both had the same problem occur nearly immediately with the first use - the head pops out of the handle. These forks just have a male-female connection in which the head slides into the hollow end of the fork. This is an awful design, and only useful for throwing straw and the like. Once it breaks, there is no way (that I've figured out) to repair it for heavy use.

I need a fork that will break heavy, compacted, rocky, root-filled Virginia clay soils. I usually double or triple dig my landscaping beds and holes for planting trees. Therefore, it needs to be able to handle me essentially throwing my weight on it to break the soil.

Any thoughts/suggestions? I've seen broadforks that look like they might be promising. Are there designs that are a single piece, rather than two pieces with a crappy connection between the two (e.g. glue)?

Thanks in advance!!