Purpose of holes in a mud shovel?

[juhn.tho]

I came across what is called a mud shovel the other day and noticed it had several holes punched through the blade and not totally sure what the holes are meant to accomplish. My first thought was drainage, maybe to keep wet material from suctioning and sticking, but I could also see it being useful for lighter work like sifting or separating out heavier chunks. I've mostly used standard shovels, so I'm just curious, are the holes mainly for function, or just to keep the tool lighter?

 

[idle-wild56]

I helped a buddy dig out a muddy trench for a drainage line. We used a mud shovel with holes, and yep, your guess was spot on. The holes help break suction so wet soil doesn't cling to the blade, and they do make it lighter too. Super handy in sticky clay! Hope that helps!