Husqvarna Long Handle Hookaroon

A hookaroon, also called a pickaroon, is a handle with a pointed steel pick on the end, and this Husqvarna hookaroon has a long handle that keeps your back straight. Swing the pick into a log or round, then drag, roll or lift it without bending over or putting your hands near the wood.

What a hookaroon does

On a removal, a lot of the day is spent moving wood: dragging rounds to the trailer, rolling logs into position for bucking, pulling pieces off the pile. Doing that by hand means bending, grabbing rough bark and getting fingers close to pinch points. A hookaroon puts a steel pick on the end of a handle so you can do the same work standing up.

Swing the pick into the end grain or side of a round and pull. The pick holds while you drag, flip or lift. A quick twist pops it free. Once you have used one, it is hard to go back to grabbing wood by hand.

It is also a safety tool. Keeping your hands off the wood keeps them away from pinch points between rounds, away from splinters and out from under a piece that shifts on the pile. Your back and your fingers both last longer.

Why a long handle

Short pickaroons are fast for stacking and splitting, but you still have to bend down. The long handle on this Husqvarna hookaroon lets you reach farther and stay more upright, which matters when you are moving wood for hours. It also gives more leverage for rolling logs and turning big rounds.

For heavier rolling and lifting, a cant hook such as the LogRite cant hook is the better tool. Many crews carry both.

The extra reach also helps on steep ground. You can hook a round from above and guide it down without stepping into its path, and you can pull pieces out of a brush pile without climbing onto the pile.

Using it safely

Set the pick firmly before you pull, and pull with your legs and body rather than your back. Keep your feet out of the path of the wood you are moving. A round that breaks loose can roll fast. Be careful of the pick when you swing it. Know where your feet and your coworkers are, and never swing toward anyone.

Do not use the hookaroon as a pry bar against a heavy log under load. If something is too heavy to drag safely, bring a cant hook, a skidding tong, a log arch or the machine. Wear gloves and boots with good toe protection when moving wood.

Where it earns its keep

Firewood producers use hookaroons to load splitters and stack cords. Tree crews use them to clean up rounds after a removal, feed big pieces to a log loader, and sort wood on the trailer. Homeowners cutting their own firewood use them to save their backs.

Keep the point reasonably sharp so it bites easily, check that the head is tight on the handle, and store it with the point covered or facing down so nobody gets hurt reaching into the truck. Browse more log handling tools for the right setup for your work.

Hookaroons also make quick work of sorting a mixed pile: pull the straight sawlog pieces one way, firewood rounds another and junk wood toward the chip pile. Keep the chipper area clear of tools, though. Nothing but brush should ever go near the infeed.