Landscape Rake Experiences

[SnagDump]

We've got a contractor working on our wooded property right now to thin out trees and remove brush. They're using tracked machines (ASV and Fecon) with mulching heads. A lot of pieces, chunks and stems are left after the mulching is done and there are areas where I'd like to bunch this stuff up and then burn the piles.

I've got a lightweight rake (Kolpin) made for an ATV that I've adapted for the Ventrac 3 point hitch but due to its light weight and lack of down pressure it struggles to handle even tall grass that's been cut with a rough cut mower. The rake fills up and then just hops over the pile. I could get a much heavier rake for the 3 point hitch or a Ventrac KR502/702 landscape rake. It seems like things might go better if the rake was in front and I could see what I'm doing since it's all on sloping terrain and there will be roots and stobs remaining that I'll need to get over.

Anybody have any experience using the Ventrac landscape rake in conditions like this? The videos seem to be all about moving trivial stuff and I'll have a lot of stuff and larger stuff to move. Also, if you have one: how tall is the rake itself? The ventrac specs just show overall height which includes the frame and gear above the rake.

 

[drumminj]

I can't speak to anything Ventrac-related, but I've been doing similar work lately to what you describe.

We had ~4 acres forestry mulched with large, dedicated machines. We collected most of the big chunks by hand to have for bonfires and such, but I've been using an 84" landscape rake to collect the smaller chunks for burning or composting.

The 285lb rake works pretty well, but sometimes requires a pass to "loosen" things up (the mulching was done close to a year ago), then a second pass to drag into piles. So far I've found it works well to use the rake to drag things into rows, then use my grapple to push into larger piles.

Not sure how that would change with a front-mounted rake.

 

[jeff9366]

They're using tracked machines (ASV and Fecon) with mulching heads. A lot of pieces, chunks and stems I'd like to bunch, then burn.

I have a heavy weight EverythingAttachements Landscape Rake with gauge wheels.

I have a Ratchet Rake bucket attachment.

I do this kind of work on a 160 acres residential development with 40 acres of common/greenways.

A Ratchet Rake attached to your bucket is a much better tool for your objectives.

MORE:

Front-End Loader - Ratchet Rake // Today

I had a snarled mass of wild grape vines and brush near a gate. Decided I should clear it today, before everything emerged from dormancy. Photo #1 Ratchet Rake on bucket. Downward oriented teeth make this attachment excellent for pulling brush and light grading, but you cannot dig a hole...

www.tractorbynet.com

T-B-N ARCHIVE:
LANDSCAPE RAKE VS RATCHET RAKE site:tractorbynet.com

 

[JCoastie]

my experience is like drumminj's, we had about 4 acres forestry mulched (pine trees and scrub brush) and what was left behind sounds similar. We used a 6 foot landscape rake which weighs about 265#, and it worked really well. We raked into piles near each other, and then used the bucket to make big heaps to compost. We're heading into year 2 and they are breaking down well, not dirt yet, but getting there.

 

[SnagDump]

I have a heavy weight EverythingAttachements Landscape Rake with gauge wheels.

I have a Ratchet Rake bucket attachment.

I do this kind of work on a 160 acres residential development with 40 acres of common/greenways.

A Ratchet Rake attached to your bucket is a much better tool for your objectives.

MORE:

Front-End Loader - Ratchet Rake // Today

I had a snarled mass of wild grape vines and brush near a gate. Decided I should clear it today, before everything emerged from dormancy. Photo #1 Ratchet Rake on bucket. Downward oriented teeth make this attachment excellent for pulling brush and light grading, but you cannot dig a hole...

www.tractorbynet.com

T-B-N ARCHIVE:
LANDSCAPE RAKE VS RATCHET RAKE site:tractorbynet.com

I have a piranha tooth bar on my bucket and I'll give that a try.

 

[SnagDump]

Drumminj and JCoastie - did you run the rake with gauge wheels while doing that cleanup?

 

[JCoastie]

no gauge wheels on mine, so directly on the ground, which is what we wanted, we scraped down to bare dirt since not much was growing through the thick mulch.

 

[future_vision]

Landscape rakes seems to be best for flat ground. What if you are starting off with uneven soil? Box blade with the rippers down first and then the landscape rake? Or maybe root grapple then a landscape rake?

 

[jeff9366]

I have a piranha tooth bar on my bucket. I'll give that a try.

It is the downward oriented row of 1-1/2" teeth on the Ratchet Rake and the operator variable down-pressure from the FEL hydraulics that make the Ratchet Rake effective at raking.

The Piranha tooth bar lacks downward oriented teeth.

VIDEO:

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=+ratchet+rake

 

[drumminj]

Drumminj and JCoastie - did you run the rake with gauge wheels while doing that cleanup?

I have gauge wheels, but set so the tines dig in a bit. Don't want to disturb the earth too much as it will just erode until the vegetation grows in, but need something a bit more aggressive than the wheels at max height.

@future_vision my land isn't flat...hilly middle TN. Putting the 3pt in "float" works pretty well, though sometimes the rake will lift up over a pile of mulch/branches/etc and I'll have to back up and take a 2nd pass. But this isn't about leveling the land, just scraping off the leftovers from the forestry mulcher.