Rake MarkC, question about a landscape rake

[Billc]

Mark, you are the past master (so begins the buttering up) on grading so I figured you would know just how to make a landscape rake sing and dance.

Bought a used Land Pride 7' landscape rake and used it for the first time today. Note: It does not have guage wheels yet; will fabricate some this winter.

I have 7 very very large burn piles that have been sitting since this past spring. Have burnt 2 of the piles (they burn for at least 10 days). I spent the day breaking up one of the burnt burn piles.

To break up the pile I start with the loader and scoop the burnt rubish (trees, stumps, roots, rocks, etc.) into many small piles. Then I use the lip of the bucket to drag the pile out and scatter the debris. The big chucks (stumps, roots, etc.) that were not burnt to ash I stack in the loader and carry to another burn pile waiting it's turn to be fired.

Now the question. What's left is a bunch of tree debris (roots, twiggs, sticks, burnt wood). I need to get the debris to the unburnt burn pile 50 yards away. I have the landscape rake facing backward. I push the piles of debris to the other burn pile. The only problem I am running into is that I not only capture the debris, but also a good bit of dirt and ash.

Anyway to just get the left over wood and leave the dirt behind? Have tried to think this problem through with no luck.

Thanks, Mark, and anyone else you has a suggestion.

Bill Cook

 

[WillingtonPizza]

I use a rake for many different things, it is by far the next best thing to a loader at my house. I have gone to friends houses to repair driveways for a case of "soda" after they were quoted thousands. The only problem is without gauge wheels it is very hard not to stir up the matterial you are raking unless you are very good with your controls. (I am not, but I have gauge wheels).

 

[MChalkley]

Billc - I'll be very brief because I'm away from home and on a pay-by-the-minute ISP line. More details later, if necessary. Just ask.

I find two things helpful: 1) With the rake turned backwards, shorten the top link way up, so the debris will "ride up" on the teeth and let the dirt settle back down and sift through the teeth. 2) You probably don't have a toothbar for your loader, but this is a very good way to accomplish the same thing, if the ground is fairly flat and/or you don't have too far to push the debris. If you dump the bucket a little past level, you can use the teeth on the bucket to rake the debris quite effectively.

Like I said, more details later.

MarkC

 

[Billc]

Thanks, Mark, you don't need to answer until you get home. Hope the job goes well and you stay safe.

I will shorten up the top link some more.

I do have a tooth bar. That is what I usually use, and in the mannor you described. Thought the rake would work better and not pick up as much dirt in this situation. The tooth bar works great when I'm pushing large brush piles, downed trees, upturned stumps, etc. However, in this situation I have lots of little stuff scattered in a big circle. Also there was a lot of dirt in the burn pile. The pile is from an area of woods I cleared with a CAT tracked frontend loader, that's how the dirt got into the brush pile. In fact, I learned the technique you described of using the tooth bar to gather debris from the CAT operator.

The rake has worked great so far, just the problem of picking up too much dirt.

 

[Billc]

Pizza, thanks for the info, and welcome to the board.

How else do you use your landscape rake? Meaning, what jobs do you do with your rake?

I know that guage wheels would really help. Spending several hours turned around in the seat while adjusting the 3 point height gets a little old. Unfortunately I have way too many fall projects to get completed before winter sets in. The guage wheels will be a January project.

 

[WillingtonPizza]

Billc
The main use is make do with the material on my land because we have a limited amount of founds for the amount of work we want to do. When I clear a new area of land I scratch the roots of big trees and push them over with a backhoe (JD510), Then skid the usable wood out. Then I scrape the surface pushing all the debris in a pile to the side and burry it or bucket it latter. Now with the rake I go back and forth many times in different dirctions. Then I angle it and plow the debris to one side, if I have uneven places I plow the debris back and forth until I get it relativly flat. Then with the gauge wheels I barely rake the top in the same fasion. I never by topsoil and I live in Connecticut where there is a lot of rocks. This has worked great but you have to be patient. I do the same thing with bank run gravel on roads. It is also excellent for spreading all types and sizes of rock, procesed gravel, top soil if you can afford it and sand. I have also used it on old lawn, scrathcing the soil for overseeding. It is an excellent "poormans" tool.

 

[gordon]

Bill another thing that might be helpful but it takes a few minutes to do is remove some of the tines so there is a bigger gap for dirt and ash to wash through. Just a thought.
Gordon