Lift a rake

[MikeBurr]

I have a ATV/Lawn tractor pull type rake - it has rear wheels behind the rake. It is nice but needs one more feature - the ablity to lift and lower the rake while riding the ATV.
The current raking process is to goto the area to be raked, get off Atv, lower rake, get on Atv, make 1 pass thru area to be raked, get off Atv, lift rake to leave rocks, twigs and such be hind. Then get back on the Atv and make another pass thru area to be raked. (makes me tired just typing all that in)
Any way, what I need is a way to electricly raise and lower the rake while moving the Atv. I'm thinking if I add a winch to the rake and use it to raise/lower the rake.
The current manual operation involves pulling/releasing a lever to raise/lower the rake. I'm thinking a winch line to the levere should be able to do the same thing.

Questions -
Hooking up the power - I have a winch already mounted on the front of the Atv and it looks like the battery power is hooked up to a power block at the rear of the Atv, would this be a good place to get power for a seperate winch?

Can a seperate winch be powered thru normal 12volt wires or only thru the thick ones supplied with the winch? I also have some normal 12volt wire hookups at the rear of the Atv.

I don't think I can run the rake from the current front Atv winch, the raise/lower function would be changing all the time as turning would change the lenght and pull between the Atv and rake.

Anyone done this or see any reason that using a winch will not work"

 

[George2615]

You can probably use your winch to lift the rake. The power block is is probably a relay. The relay allows smaller diameter wire to switch power between the two heavy gauge cables going to the winch for in or out operation. The heavy cable is required to handle the current drawn by the winch. You may be able to mount some rollers at the bottom and back of the ATV and run the winch cable back underneath the ATV using pulleys to lift the rake. If not, the winch could be mounted in back to raise and lower the rake. Either way you need to use heavy cable for powering the winch. Light gauge wire would burn up the first time you hit the winch switch.

 

[BTDT]

What type rake is it? Any pictures? What about a 12v gate opener? Fasten motor end to frame of rake, put pin (the part that is turned by screw from motor) into arm that you now use to raise and lower, run wires to toggle switch and you are in business. Would have to be stored inside when not in use due to weather unless you fabbed up some sort of cover for protection. Just a thought.

 

[Ductape]

I'm going to suggest looking for a linear actuator to do the job. There should be plenty of then on EBAY, and there are plenty that are beefy enough to do the job and last a long time. A couple simple mounting brackets, and a switch on the bars for up and down. Have a plug on the rear (weather resistant would be best) of the ATV.... just plug in the actuator when you hook up to the rake.

 

[MikeBurr]

Thanks for the replies, gives me some more things to think about and check into.

Looks like for the screw type openers and gate openers -
I would have to get the measurements of the amount of travel needed to work the up/down lever.
Would have to know how much force is needed to move the lever, the rake is alot heaver than it looks.

My big question about them would be would they stand upto the pounding the rake would face as it is used?

The only thing that I can think of that goes against using the winch method is fixing a way to power the winch. I can't see anyway to use my current one without remounting it somewhere else on the Atv, may come up with a bracket to mount it at the rear.

 

[andrewj]

I have a ATV/Lawn tractor pull type rake - it has rear wheels behind the rake. It is nice but needs one more feature - the ablity to lift and lower the rake while riding the ATV.
The current raking process is to goto the area to be raked, get off Atv, lower rake, get on Atv, make 1 pass thru area to be raked, get off Atv, lift rake to leave rocks, twigs and such be hind. Then get back on the Atv and make another pass thru area to be raked. (makes me tired just typing all that in)
Any way, what I need is a way to electricly raise and lower the rake while moving the Atv. I'm thinking if I add a winch to the rake and use it to raise/lower the rake.
The current manual operation involves pulling/releasing a lever to raise/lower the rake. I'm thinking a winch line to the levere should be able to do the same thing.

Questions -
Hooking up the power - I have a winch already mounted on the front of the Atv and it looks like the battery power is hooked up to a power block at the rear of the Atv, would this be a good place to get power for a seperate winch?

Can a seperate winch be powered thru normal 12volt wires or only thru the thick ones supplied with the winch? I also have some normal 12volt wire hookups at the rear of the Atv.

I don't think I can run the rake from the current front Atv winch, the raise/lower function would be changing all the time as turning would change the lenght and pull between the Atv and rake.

Anyone done this or see any reason that using a winch will not work"

I have to go lay down just from reading all the work involved in that thing. sure hope you get that fixed! you got a tractor? you know a rake ain't that much.

 

[BTDT]

Here's another suggestion, maybe too pricey and may be overkill, but I think it will stand up to (hard use). Get small hydr. cyl. and attatch to lift arm and frame and power with one of these, you could still raise/lower with toggle switch from ATV seat. These are same units used on some tilt trailers.

 

[MikeBurr]

The hydro motor looks interesting, but it would be costly to set up. And yes I do have a tractor, but I use a boxblade on it most of the time and a rake would not have enought weight for when I am digging. The company that makes the rake do have a electric raise/lower model, but when I was looking I could not find anyone that sold the electric model.
Thanks for the replies..

 

[capt_met]

Agri-Fab

this might help. not sure if you had seen these before.
good luck,