Rake Pond Rake

   / Pond Rake #21  
Can you detail how the cables are used, I couldn't figure that part from the pics and vid. Why green paint, not blue like your tractor?
Thanks,

CM
 
   / Pond Rake #22  
Can you detail how the cables are used, I couldn't figure that part from the pics and vid. Why green paint, not blue like your tractor?
Thanks,

CM

The cables support the weight of the boom so it can be raised. The rake is hinged at the mounting plate so that it can free float over the surface of the bottom. When the rake is on the bottom of the pond, the cables are slack.
 
   / Pond Rake #23  
So, when the QA plate is tilted to vertical or back toward the OP, the cables are taught and raise the rake to level or above?
 
   / Pond Rake #24  
They allow the whole boom to be lifted. The tines on the rake are at a fixed angle in relation to the boom arms.
 
   / Pond Rake #25  
Thank you for posting this design. If I did this I would attach to a back-hoe. Our cattails are pretty thick. When we first built the pond, we made shallow edges, safety concern for grandchildren. In some places the cattails are growing out into the water 25'. Would you foresee a problem reaching out and pulling in with that much? If making a new one, would you do anything different?









Latest project was an "Extendo-Rake" built to clean up the debris & vegetation along the banks of a pond. 20 feet long, fabricated with 2x4 steel tubing. Hinged at bottom to prevent excessive downward pressure from the skidsteer arms. Weight of steel is sufficient to rake up debris without digging into the pond banks. I needed raking action rather than digging. Lifting cables are 5/8 and crossed to prevent sideways swinging. Quick adapter is a 3 point adapter plate using the lower pins as hinge point. Skidsteer stays up on safe, hard ground.

Works better than I anticipated. Where the vegetation was heavy, a few weeks in the sun to dry out before burning. Grass seed over other areas of ballast, muck & mud germinated quickly. Water was cloudy for a few days but cleared quickly. Pond was being overtaken by cattails, the rake pulls them out by their roots. Stone ballast originally around the banks was pulled back up.

Video is displayed 2X times actual rate. Three pulls in the same spot brought up most vegetation and muck. Also works good from a tractor, but skidsteer is easier without braking & shifting a tractor transmission.


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   / Pond Rake #26  
My pond is covered with water primrose which is like a floating mat of vegetation. I made a 3' long double sided "grapple rake" that I attach to my little tractor with a length of rope. (Similar to this) I throw it out and my daughter pulls it in by driving the tractor. Mine is a little heavy, but I can still throw it out the 20' needed to throw it past the vegetative mat. With my first version, I made the tines out of 3/8" rebar, but they would get bent. So I cut them off and replaced with 1/2" rebar tines.

Next year I think I'll make version 2.0 and work on getting the ideal weight/strength (maybe aluminum). The mats of water primrose I pull in probably weigh a couple hundred pounds. I just leave the clumps on the banks for a few days and the Texas sun dries them up, then I push them to a burn pile.

For the areas where you can't back up with the "extendo rake":
Using the grapple idea, if you didn't have the distance to drive straight out, you could park a vehicle parallel to the bank with a block and tackle attached to the rear. Run the grapple rope through the block and tackle and the pulling vehicle could also run parallel to the bank as it pulls the grapple in.
 
   / Pond Rake
  • Thread Starter
#27  
Thank you for posting this design. If I did this I would attach to a back-hoe. Our cattails are pretty thick. When we first built the pond, we made shallow edges, safety concern for grandchildren. In some places the cattails are growing out into the water 25'. Would you foresee a problem reaching out and pulling in with that much? If making a new one, would you do anything different?

For 25 feet, I would build out the top of the QD plate higher to give more angle for the lifting cables. I snapped the original cables on the first design when lifting with material stuck in the tines. I learned to keep dragging into the pond bank then drive forward a little to unload the rake before lifting.
 
   / Pond Rake
  • Thread Starter
#28  
New video: 2017 Pond Rake V2 - YouTube

Changed the steel cables to chain. Cables were too elastic, causing the arm to bounce & oscillate.
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   / Pond Rake #30  
can you put the landscape rake back on the 3pt hitch or is it dedicated to the pond rake?
 
 
 
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