3pt Thatch Rake....

Wyobuckaroo · Aug 17, 2013

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....
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gilbertmsg · Aug 17, 2013

Very nice work. I like what you have done.

Eddie

94BULLITT · Aug 18, 2013

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

tachnem · Aug 20, 2013

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 · Aug 20, 2013

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 · Aug 20, 2013

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 · Aug 20, 2013

wawajake said:
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 333087 View 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 · Aug 20, 2013

Wyobuckaroo said:
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....
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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 · Aug 22, 2013

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.