The Agency 6 Mini Off-Road Shovel

Introducing the Agency 6 Adventure Mini Shovel with Universal Billet Aluminum Mount

If you’ve been reading any of the other articles on off-road shovels, you know we have covered a few different styles.

And, I am starting to dig what makes a great off-road shovel, but different styles of shovels serve a unique purpose.

Like I’ve mentioned before, having a good shovel is almost equivalent to a dependable survival tool. A good off-road shovel is one of the main tools that will get you unstuck in a recovery situation. You need to depend on your shovel to get the job done when that recovery situation arises.

So far we have touched on the folding Rhino USA shovel, the overlanders go-to Krazy Beaver, as well as the compact Bond LH015.

The Krazy Beaver is a go-to among many people in the off-road space when it comes to mid-full size off-road shovel. The Rhino USA is compact, light-weight, easy to have on hand and flat out cheap. For a compact mini shovel, the Rhino USA also feels cheap, and it started rusting after one use. I wouldn’t highly recommend the Rhino USA shovel.

The Bond LH105 is somewhere in between a compact shovel and mid-full size shovel and for around $20, it’s a pretty solid buy.

With all of that being said, there’s a new shovel on the block in the compact department, and it’s different than anything we have ever seen.

The Agency 6 mini shovel is compact, light-weight and it comes with an aluminum mount. This is definitely my new favorite in the compact shovel category.

This is a relatively new product to hit the scene so we are pretty stoked to see what it’s all about.

Introducing the Agency 6 Off-Road Mini Shovel

Agency 6 Mini Shovel

• Check Price
• Durable: 6061-T6 Aluminum
• Super lightweight: 1.75 lbs.
• It’s Mini: 23 inches in length
• Finish: Powder coated wrinkle black

Billet aluminum universal mounting bracket

One thing that sets the Agency 6 Mini Shovel apart, separating itself from the heard, is that it comes with what’s called “The Mega Mount Device (MMD).” Its a fancy name for a universal billet aluminum mounting bracket for the shovel.

• Mounting holes spaced 6 inches apart
• Constructed of sturdy 6061-T6 Billet Aluminum
• Anodized red finish (multiple color options available)
• Made in the USA

Let’s get into the meat and potatoes of what makes this a great tool and why you might want to have one mounted on your 4Runner or any other platform for that matter.

Blade

The Agency 6 Shovel is a blade I would consider useful in many scenarios. But there are a few, in particular, it’s well suited for and that is in the sand, mud, snow and loose rock.

This shovel’s blade is wider than many other minis and compact off-road shovels on the market. This makes it ideal for having when you’re in the sand, mud or snow because it enables you to scoop significantly more with each time you heave your shovel.

Whether you are scooping, digging or trenching or dog digging, this shovel can tackle many obstacles it’s faced with.

Although the Agency 6 blade is not designed to break through rock, the tip features two teeth that will crack through hard surface areas with some effort.

The wide blade and unique curvature pull sand, mud, snow and loose rock with ease. The wide-faced blade really does pull an impressive amount of material with minimal effort.

Length

This is where the Agency 6 Adventure Mini Shovel really shines.

Measuring at 23″, the Agency 6 Mini Shovel is one of the smallest off-road shovels out there, and don’t let that steer you away. This is really one of the highlights of the shovel.

The shovel is short enough in length to fit in many areas. Whether it’s your roof rack, bumpers, roll cage or truck bed, the Agency 6 shovel fits in the most compact of spots on any given platform.

You can just about mount this shovel anywhere and leave it mounted as a permanent solution, given you have optional locks in place. I have a few smaller locks that I use with the 4XRAC Hi-Lift Jack mount and those were too small. So, I ordered about 7 different locks to test out on multiple things I have mounted, including the Agency 6 Shovel. I will update this article as soon as they come and see what works best.

That is the only area where I think this shovel/mount could improve on, is a lock or pre-drilled holes to loop a lock through the shovel and into the mount.

Because the Agency 6 shovel is so compact in length, it makes it much easier to leave mounted and have around when the trail calls.

And, weighing under 2lbs you can sleep at night knowing it’s not going to affect your MPGs much at all.

For those out there looking for length, it would be cool to see a 30″ or even 40″ length option down the line.

Material

This shovel is made from 6061-T6 aluminum alloy which makes it durable and super light.

This is a precipitation-hardened aluminum alloy and its major alloying elements are magnesium and silicon. This metal has great weldability and one of the most common alloys of aluminum for general-purpose use.

This aluminum alloy is commonly used in aircraft structures, yachts, and automotive parts. You may be asking, how does this make it a great shovel? Well, because this is what makes it corrosion resistant.

So, if you happen to leave it outside on a rainy day or you leave it mounted to your roof rack as a permanent solution, no worries, no rust.

THIS IS AWESOME! Compared to many other shovels on the market where rust is common, having an option with no rust is pretty damn refreshing.

This is a really big deciding factor for me in choosing an off-road shovel I am going to leave mounted on the 4Runner.

Curb Appeal

Much like many other accessories and tools we buy, we like to go with the ones that at least somewhat look good along with following a function. The Agency 6 mini shovel does just that.

It comes in a variety of colors and color combos so you can pick one that will match your truck or just whatever combo you choose.

We chose the black shovel with red mounting bracket and it gives the 4Runner a clean tactical look when it’s mounted to the roof rack.

This mini shovel will definitely look good and more importantly, serve a purpose. The fact that this shovel and mount look so good was a big deciding factor in permanently mounting a shovel to my 4Runner. Which, in my opinion, goes a long way in regards to justifying the price tag of the shovel.

I would rather have this shovel permanently mounted on my daily driver than something bigger or full-size like the Krazy Beaver. Also, shovels like the Krazy Beaver stand out so much, they sometimes attract un-needed douche bag attention and cause you to lose an item. Just as a precaution, with all shovels and mounted items, you should probably lock them up.

Again, the only thing the shovel is missing is a lock. If you are looking to lock the shovel to the mount, there are a handful of good options available that are great for off-road accessories.

We will be covering this topic soon.

The Mega Mount Device – Universal mounting bracket

Lastly, the standout feature of this mini shovel is the badass aluminum Mega Mount that comes with it.

This is one feature that is completely innovative and unique to the Agency 6 adventure shovel. I have never seen anything like this before, and when I first saw it, I knew I wanted to rock this stunning piece.

The universal mounting bracket can mount on multiple applications, such as flat surfaces, a square bar, and round tubing. The MMD was created to mount most off-road tools or accessories in any desired location on vehicles or equipment.

Now, you do have the option of purchasing the shovel separately without the mega mount. But in my opinion, that takes away from the true value of this shovel, what makes it so cool, and you totally miss out on the enhanced flexibility it offers with the quick disconnect that the twist knobs offer.

If you decide to get the mount/shovel combo, my one suggestion would be to place a thin piece of rubber in-between where the mount attaches to your roof rack and its clamp. Since the mount is made of aluminum, it has the potential to crack whatever powder coating you are mounting to.

I mounted mine with a piece of hollowed out rubber.

Go Explore With Your Agency 6 Mini Shovel

You may get sticker shock when you first see the cost of the shovel/mount combo, as I did.

But don’t let that deter you because when you buy this shovel, you are making a lifetime investment. You will have this one forever.

In reality, this shovel will outlive you, and because it’s made of a corrosion resistant aluminum, it’ll look badass for a long time too; keeping you down for whatever.