This requires the user to bend over at the waist with every swing. Regardless of the technique employed it is important to strike railroad spikes with the handle of the maul as close to horizontal as possible. The standard 'wood chopping' motion is more comfortable and natural for most people. Windmilling is when a user takes the maul handle with both hands locked and strikes the spike with repeated fast blows by swinging in a circular motion over the shoulder. It also makes the 'windmill' spiking technique more comfortable.

This makes the maul more convenient when used only to 'set' spikes for a powered spiker. It is common practice in many locales to cut down the long handle to about 28 inches (70 cm). Specialized mauls exist with nonconductive handles for work on electrified track.Īlmost all spike mauls take a standard 36-inch (90 cm) oval eye sledge hammer handle, which is frequently replaced through the course of heavy use. Some mauls come with fiberglass handles as well. Handles are often ash or hickory, but lesser species of woods find their way into economy handles. Standard: These have a square cross section, and a squared tapered end opposite the normal driving face.Bell spike mauls are mostly cylindrical in shape. Bell: This is the more common variety.There are two typical patterns of spike mauls: Ray Lyman Wilbur with first spike from Boulder Dam The shorter side provides more surface area which requires less accuracy for normal spiking. The long side allows a user to spike over abnormally tall rails, and to drive spikes down next to highway crossing planks. Some spike mauls have symmetrical heads, but most have a slightly longer thinner side and a shorter larger diameter side of equal weight. The head is typically over 12 inches (30 cm) long to allow the user to drive spikes on the opposite side of the rail without breaking the handle. They have elongated double faced hardened steel heads.

Spike mauls are akin to sledge hammers, typically weighing from 8 to 12 pounds (4 to 5 kg) with 30-to-36-inch (80 to 90 cm)-long handles. ( Learn how and when to remove this template message)Ī spike maul is a type of hand tool used to drive railroad spikes in railroad track work. ( August 2014) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message)

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Railroad spike maul