Rake brands of rakes and tillers:the sequel

[santacruzer]

First off let me thank the guys that responded to my first post I appreciate your time and effort.

Since there was so little info on rakes I wonder if a few guys would chime in about them. The main question would be :there must be quality differences between rakes. strength of tines, are they removeable etc. What should I look for in a good rake?

Secondly, I mentioned in my first post that the Gearmore rake, with gauge wheels was about $1000. The tiller was about $2080. Why would that be? A rake has virtually no (read almost none) moveable parts. It's a hunk of steel that just goes along for the ride.

On the other hand the Gearmore tiller (or any other brand) has a lot going on, what with needing a PTO, transmission, a drive mechanism to the tines etc. etc. Question is why is a rake only 1/2 the price of a tiller. Surely it costs more to manufacture a tiller that would be of the same quality level as the rake.

I would appreciate any input. Again thanks for the replies to my original post.

Paul

 

[Charlie175]

I like my Bush Hog brand Rake, it is very sturdy. The rakes are replaceable.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

Here's my opinion on cost of each. The cost involved in transporting any implement is relatively the same. Strong likelyhood that with todays fuel situation, a substancial portion of the cost of any item will reflect the cost to get it to the dealer. Long story short, the price to get the rake to the dealer isn't going to be significantly less than that of the tiller.

That, and some things are just simply overpriced for what they are.

 

[Charlesaf3]

I have a problem with my cheap TSC farm force rake, which is basically the same as the bush-hog above. It'd be fine without gauge wheels, but I have them, and even on a lawn they put too much pressure on the angle iron the tines are attached to and twisted it.

I'll get it reinforced by running a full box the length of the rake, but if I were buying I'd make sure there was box, not angle iron.

 

[seapea]

First off let me thank the guys that responded to my first post I appreciate your time and effort.

Since there was so little info on rakes I wonder if a few guys would chime in about them. The main question would be :there must be quality differences between rakes. strength of tines, are they removeable etc. What should I look for in a good rake?

Secondly, I mentioned in my first post that the Gearmore rake, with gauge wheels was about $1000. The tiller was about $2080. Why would that be? A rake has virtually no (read almost none) moveable parts. It's a hunk of steel that just goes along for the ride.

On the other hand the Gearmore tiller (or any other brand) has a lot going on, what with needing a PTO, transmission, a drive mechanism to the tines etc. etc. Question is why is a rake only 1/2 the price of a tiller. Surely it costs more to manufacture a tiller that would be of the same quality level as the rake.

I would appreciate any input. Again thanks for the replies to my original post.

Paul

For the Gearmore B-120 Tiller you were quoated $2080 for, I got a quote for $2030. From what I have seen in general on TBN with tractor quotes, this was from the dealer that is the 2nd most pricey in the country, with the most pricey dealer being 30 miles away in the opposite direction. My point it, you should be able to do better unless you are dealing with the same dealers as I am.

...and now that I see your login name, it looks like you are dealing with the same dealer. I then got a quote for $2150 for the Gearmore E-48. Turns out this is the exact same tiller as the KK II 48", which I got on sale at the local TSC for $1200 (usually priced at $1359).

For the Gearmore rake, your quote is about $400 more than a KK rake with landscape wheels. I own the KK rake. It suits my needs, but I don't plan on abusing it or I would have bought something sturdier. I won't be snagging and roots or rocks. Just grooming tilled soil to remove some smaller rocks.

The Gearmore rake is about 35lb lighter than the KK rake. The frame is of a very different design than the KK rake, but I'm not sure if it is a better design or not. The guage wheels look better on the Gearmore rake. My guess is the Gearmore rake is not worth the $400 premium over the KK rake.

As for rakes costing half as much as a tiller, you seem to think rakes should be even cheaper relative to a tiller. Keep in mind you have still have a lot of parts on the rakes with all the tines and the guage wheels. I think 2x is about right.