3pt Thatch Rake....

[Wyobuckaroo]

I tried to post this earlier.... Computer must have ate my post....

OK..... So I've had this rattling around in my head a while. Now finely got it together..... So to speak....

I built a 5' yard thatch rake for my universal 3pt tool bar. It is simple enough and seems to work well enough. I plan to work on a front 3pt hitch (European style) so I can use it ahead of the mower deck....

I used JD hay baler pickups (about $1.75) and bent the last inch forward into the direction of travel. It is set up to cut about 3/4" deep and seem quite aggressive as it is now. With my rough, rocky yard it won't hurt to stir it up and help level it a little.

The white cord is a length of old cloths line cable through the springs so if one breaks, I don't find it again stuck in a tire. I had some yellow paint to use up before it turned completely solid, so thank you for not mentioning I'm the worlds worst painter..... I already know....

Good luck....
-------

 

[gilbertmsg]

Very nice work. I like what you have done.

Eddie

 

[94BULLITT]

I like the idea of using the hay rake teeth. Now I want to build one.

 

[tachnem]

Nice! I've been thinking about building one of these for awhile. I would be really curious to hear how it does raking leaves.

 

[wawajake]

So that is what a good rake looks like. I tried to make one out of scrap piece of 4 inch pipe and welded a dozen or so half inch rods 12 inch long. I tried it attached to my back blade but very sensitive to height and I broke a few tines (reweld easy) . But then I tried it at front of bucket using a pinch plate on lip and it works like a comb now. Yes it is very crude and I wish I had known I could of used similar baler pickups to yours !
But I only use mine to collect hay that I cut using bush hog and the hay/weeds go on my 5 foot wide ATV trails via a trailer as mulch in low spots to prevent mudding.

 

[dieselscout80]

I wonder if this would break up horse/cow manure?

If it would, it would be easy and light to mount on the back of my flail mower and reduce trips over the pasture (compaction too).

Might have to turn the teeth 180ｰ to avoid dragging to much grass up.

 

[dieselscout80]

So that is what a good rake looks like. I tried to make one out of scrap piece of 4 inch pipe and welded a dozen or so half inch rods 12 inch long. I tried it attached to my back blade but very sensitive to height and I broke a few tines (reweld easy) . But then I tried it at front of bucket using a pinch plate on lip and it works like a comb now. Yes it is very crude and I wish I had known I could of used similar baler pickups to yours !
But I only use mine to collect hay that I cut using bush hog and the hay/weeds go on my 5 foot wide ATV trails via a trailer as mulch in low spots to prevent mudding.




View attachment 333087View attachment 333088

This is the type hay fork you need for loose hay. Make sure your valve for the bucket tipping has a float position. The back that the girl is leaning on is pushed forward with a cylinder to shove the hay off so you can stack the hay higher than just dumping it will allow. These forks work good with small square bales too. You can pick up say 10 or 12 at a time unless they are in stooks (maybe spelled wrong).


Back starting to move forward.

Making Hay While The Sunshines - aberdeennews.com

Its best to rake it into windrows first then pick it up.

 

[JDonly]

I tried to post this earlier.... Computer must have ate my post....

OK..... So I've had this rattling around in my head a while. Now finely got it together..... So to speak....

I built a 5' yard thatch rake for my universal 3pt tool bar. It is simple enough and seems to work well enough. I plan to work on a front 3pt hitch (European style) so I can use it ahead of the mower deck....

I used JD hay baler pickups (about $1.75) and bent the last inch forward into the direction of travel. It is set up to cut about 3/4" deep and seem quite aggressive as it is now. With my rough, rocky yard it won't hurt to stir it up and help level it a little.

The white cord is a length of old cloths line cable through the springs so if one breaks, I don't find it again stuck in a tire. I had some yellow paint to use up before it turned completely solid, so thank you for not mentioning I'm the worlds worst painter..... I already know....

Good luck....
-------
<img src="http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=332580"/>
<img src="http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=332582"/>
<img src="http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=332584"/>

I made a pull type one similar to this and the only issue I see is the rows of teeth are so close together that I think you'll have problems with it plugging up. If you could separate the rows about a foot apart would help prevent this. Nice build though!

 

[npalen]

Enjoyed seeing the pictures of the hay bucking and especially interested in the "pushoff" mechanism. Does anyone know what brand of loader is shown. We had lots of similar Farmhand loaders around here back about 50 years ago but they use cable pulls to hold the bucket in position. I've thought about building a "pushoff" to be used with pallet forks on my loader. This would allow unloading tree branches and so forth on top of a stack where the loader lift height is being taxed.

 

[dieselscout80]

The older ones with cable dumping didn't need a float valve to prevent the forks from digging into the dirt.

 

[npalen]

Good idea on the clothesline rope, Wyobuckaroo. Could save an expensive tire and broken tines don't mow very well either.

 

[Wyobuckaroo]

"Move the rows of teeth about a foot apart"....... "Won't plug up as much".......

Good idea..... Sounds like a version 2 that I might have to try next summer....

Keep the good ideas coming.....

 

[Luremaker]

"Move the rows of teeth about a foot apart"....... "Won't plug up as much".......

Good idea..... Sounds like a version 2 that I might have to try next summer....

Keep the good ideas coming.....

Here is a picture of my dethatcher. It also has a removable grader blade and gauge wheels for leveling topsoil. I'll like the idea of using an old cable to catch the broken tines.

 

[LiveRoll]

Luremaker.. That is a very nice looking unit you have there, that would do the trick at My place, plenty of larger stones, and the occasional gopher mound, until the dog gets a hold of it then it becomes a mountain, would work great for knocking down the high spots!! Very cool!! going to save that pic and have a meeting with my welder....

Cheers

Roger

 

[Wyobuckaroo]

------
Neat......
Is that home built ???? If not does it have a makers/model tag on it ???

 

[Luremaker]

------
Neat......
Is that home built ???? If not does it have a makers/model tag on it ???

Yes, it is home built.... not by me though... I found it on Kijiji. The fellow I purchased it from was selling his home and 40+ years of homemade implements for sale.

 

[gtrippleb]

Nice! I've been thinking about building one of these for awhile. I would be really curious to hear how it does raking leaves.

I would assume it would work great. Here's some pictures of the one I built. It's the only thing I use to rake up leaves in my father in-laws yard and mine.



I built the 3pt part to be used on other things I've built like a basket and a sprayer. It comes in handy as I can just build attachments to fit the 3pt piece instead of having to build the 3pt part on the attachment.

 

[Wyobuckaroo]

I would assume it would work great. Here's some pictures of the one I built. It's the only thing I use to rake up leaves in my father in-laws yard and mine.

View attachment 334651View attachment 334652View attachment 334653

I built the 3pt part to be used on other things I've built like a basket and a sprayer. It comes in handy as I can just build attachments to fit the 3pt piece instead of having to build the 3pt part on the attachment.

-----------
Neat set up.....
In my version 2, I'm going to spread the rows of teeth further apart so they self clean when the implement raised.....

Good luck...

 

[94BULLITT]

I used JD hay baler pickups (about $1.75)

Where did you find them for $1.75 and what are the supposed to fit? I like the one that fit a John Deere 327.