Ratchet Rake

[IslandTractor]

I don't have one because of the ratchet strap attaching method. I'm pretty sure that where I'd need something like that would make short work of those straps./quote]

How closely have you looked at the strap system? There is a three inch ratchet strap in front of the bucket where it rubs on air and the rest of the connector behind and underneath the bucket is steel cable. There is a sheath provided to protect the strap where it goes over the top of the bucket to connect to the metal cable. I imagine after a few years of intense work you might need to replace the steel cable bits. As I recall the company can provide those for pretty cheap money. You could also just make up a set yourself for peanuts.

 

[hill]

I don't have one because of the ratchet strap attaching method. I'm pretty sure that where I'd need something like that would make short work of those straps./quote]

How closely have you looked at the strap system? There is a three inch ratchet strap in front of the bucket where it rubs on air and the rest of the connector behind and underneath the bucket is steel cable. There is a sheath provided to protect the strap where it goes over the top of the bucket to connect to the metal cable. I imagine after a few years of intense work you might need to replace the steel cable bits. As I recall the company can provide those for pretty cheap money. You could also just make up a set yourself for peanuts.

It wouldn't have an opportunity to wear out I'm afraid, instead it'd be shredded or pulled out of alignment(s) and allow the rake to be displaced some whichaway.

I didn't want to start an argument over this point - just saying I'm a lot more comfortable with things being firmly bolted on for my uses.

I've no doubt plenty of people get great results with the product and I like the up/down rake idea a lot. If they came with a model that had a means to hook onto the bucket edge and be able to be bolted on the sides like many toothbars (including mine) are attached I wouldn't hesitate to try one out.

 

[IslandTractor]

It wouldn't have an opportunity to wear out I'm afraid, instead it'd be shredded or pulled out of alignment(s) and allow the rake to be displaced some whichaway.

I didn't want to start an argument over this point - just saying I'm a lot more comfortable with things being firmly bolted on for my uses.

I've no doubt plenty of people get great results with the product and I like the up/down rake idea a lot. If they came with a model that had a means to hook onto the bucket edge and be able to be bolted on the sides like many toothbars (including mine) are attached I wouldn't hesitate to try one out.

If you have ever seen one of these things hooked up you would not be concerned. You point out that the toothbar is bolted on...yes, to a 12 gauge bucket side held by a couple of bolts that would rip through in no time if you routinely snagged rock edges while backing up. I have a RR (and have had toothbars etc) and really there is no siginificant danger of the thing falling off. If you are really so concerned it would not be hard to modify it to be essentially like a toothbar simply by welding on a tongue on each side to bolt into the bucket. IMO that would be less secure however. The other point is that it only takes a couple of minutes to mount or dismount the RR while if it was bolted like a toothbar you are pretty much stuck with it while in the field. Not hard to take on and off as tasks change while in the field with the factory mount system.

 

[hill]

If you have ever seen one of these things hooked up you would not be concerned. You point out that the toothbar is bolted on...yes, to a 12 gauge bucket side held by a couple of bolts that would rip through in no time if you routinely snagged rock edges while backing up. I have a RR (and have had toothbars etc) and really there is no siginificant danger of the thing falling off. If you are really so concerned it would not be hard to modify it to be essentially like a toothbar simply by welding on a tongue on each side to bolt into the bucket. IMO that would be less secure however. The other point is that it only takes a couple of minutes to mount or dismount the RR while if it was bolted like a toothbar you are pretty much stuck with it while in the field. Not hard to take on and off as tasks change while in the field with the factory mount system.

Yes, I gathered that you've got an RR, IT,... ; I hope they give you a commission.


In point of fact I beefed my bucket with 3" bar stock welded on to support my toothbar bolt-in and to support the upper edge mounted grapple. Even so what helps the toothbar most are the teeth that hook the cutting edge.

Really, I put the brushhog into very thick tangles that over the year grow to be easily 12' deep and as high. Aside the brambles there are usually broken branches and other winter debri that comes down from the hills behind me and sometimes get my brushhog so tangled into that stuff that I can't pull it back up without shutting down the cutter and lifting it. Even then it usually brings a ball of stuff that's near as large as my little tractor.

But note that I don't even venture into that stuff going forward - the RR wouldn't do my brushcutter any good.

There ARE other parts of my place where the RR may have uses so I AM now considering it, OK?

 

[IslandTractor]

Yes, I gathered that you've got an RR, IT,... ; I hope they give you a commission.

Nah, no commission (yet). I did once get a couple bottles of nice wine sent to me by John Millonzi though after I sent him a photo of what his light duty 48" grapple could do mounted to a small CUT. That started him marketing more to CUT users and he sold a bunch of them.:thumbsup: The wine was very nice.:laughing:

 

[hill]

Wine's better than a kick in the head, eh?

Your photos are similar to the look of my brushhog when doing the aforementioned ditch. The barbs on blackberry vines causes them to hook together pretty firmly so pulling out after letting my cutter loose in the stuff brings out a mess of vines big enough to attack me in the seat. They twang forward as if they were springloaded when what's being pulled finally lets go of what remains.

I usually end a couple of days of that with my arms , legs, and sometimes my face bleeding from dozens of little cuts. Cuts me even through jeans and long sleeves with leather gloves.

 

[IslandTractor]

Regarding control of blackberry and other similar bushes, I haven't needed to deal with very deep stands. What I've done with thick bull briar is to use the bush hog to back in just six feet or so along a 40ft stretch then turn around and remove the stem/roots with either grapple or RR. Once that patch is clear I go in deeper. I agree it is easy to get tangled up if you back the tractor deep into these snarly areas which is my reason for nibbling away at them from outside. The grapple works a little faster and better for big woody blackberry "stumps" but the RR is better at getting all the subsurface runners. I would generally choose the RR fir that task unless the area was mixed with small trees where I'd need the grapple.

 

[LBrown59]

I got 139 hits for net It's been talked about several times on TBN...

John Tomas himself alone has several post about it.