Anyone ever built ..
- Thread starter amashinga
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Well, anything will "work" if you lower your expectations enough....
I would guess that the car leaf's would be too wide and too stiff. You can get around that by cutting them long. Long springs bend easier than short ones, but that will get the rake up pretty high.
If you just want to rake trash, it will be ok at a guess. If you want to use it to bust up dirt clods, it won't work so well.
jb
I would guess that the car leaf's would be too wide and too stiff. You can get around that by cutting them long. Long springs bend easier than short ones, but that will get the rake up pretty high.
If you just want to rake trash, it will be ok at a guess. If you want to use it to bust up dirt clods, it won't work so well.
jb
Iplayfarmer
Super Member
Interesting thought. I haven't ever thought about it until you mentioned it. The shape of the leaf springs is different than what I've ever seen for landscape rake tines, but that doesn't have to stop you.
What kind of plans or ideas have you come up with?
What would you plan to do with it?
kennyd
Advertiser
Agri-Supply has tines from $2.00 for China ones to $4.00 for Italian ones. What's your time worth?
I also don't think leaf springs will work well either...
I also don't think leaf springs will work well either...
Eagleview
Veteran Member
It is near impossible to weld spring steel , especially to a mild steel frame , the welds will crystalize the metal and pluck that piece out .
Iplayfarmer
Super Member
Any landscape rakes I've ever seen have the tines bolted to the frame and not welded.
The primary use would be for cleanup, tree branches, brush after cutting etc. I dont have any plans, because the idea is very much in the mulling phase. I am a good muller 
The reason I even thought about it is that even $2 a tine adds up quick when you are shipping it to Canada, plus I am the sole breadwinner in the family with a mortgage and the usual bills, so $0 is the kind of cost I try to pay for things.
The reason I even thought about it is that even $2 a tine adds up quick when you are shipping it to Canada, plus I am the sole breadwinner in the family with a mortgage and the usual bills, so $0 is the kind of cost I try to pay for things.
Iplayfarmer
Super Member
I think what you'd end up with would be a novel implement that is inspired by a landscape rake. It may very well serve your purposes, but it probably won't have all the same qualities as a standard landscape rake.
It may actually work better for your purposes. It may work worse.
How easy is spring steel to work, anyway? Is it easy to cut or drill?
It may actually work better for your purposes. It may work worse.
How easy is spring steel to work, anyway? Is it easy to cut or drill?
kcprecision
Bronze Member
Here is a landscape rake that I constructed about 7 years ago. I was looking at the one that Big R had for sale. They were made from light metal maybe 1/8 inch.
I figured that I would have the material in my goodie pile and could make one that would stand some abuse.
I planned on purchasing the tines until I checked the price.
That was when I decided to try the car springs. I had to change the way they would be bolted to the angle iron from the horizontal leg of the angle to the vertical. Have you ever drilled 18 3/8s holes hand drill?
The springs were cut using a plasma cutter and the holes drilled on the drill press using a low speed, sharp drill and plenty of cutting oil.
The pockets at the top of the spring is to keep the spring vertical. I was not going to drill another 18 holes by hand.
The thing does work pretty well, maybe not the way that tines would have worked but for my purposes it is OK.
I figured that I would have the material in my goodie pile and could make one that would stand some abuse.
I planned on purchasing the tines until I checked the price.
That was when I decided to try the car springs. I had to change the way they would be bolted to the angle iron from the horizontal leg of the angle to the vertical. Have you ever drilled 18 3/8s holes hand drill?
The springs were cut using a plasma cutter and the holes drilled on the drill press using a low speed, sharp drill and plenty of cutting oil.
The pockets at the top of the spring is to keep the spring vertical. I was not going to drill another 18 holes by hand.
The thing does work pretty well, maybe not the way that tines would have worked but for my purposes it is OK.
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Eagleview
Veteran Member
You are correct , but a lot of the home made ones i have seen , the guy has just grabbed the welder and welded them on and they have broken off . I was simply advising of the risks to anyone reading this thread who may not have known and taken this route .
With proffesional tynes the holes are made before they are tempered . With car springs you are trying to drill through hardened spring steel , one false move and the hole will work harden and without expert help you wont get past this hard spot . I take my hat off to kcprecision for drilling those 18 holes , i bet he was ready for a beer after that .
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