Dethatcher

[MikeD]

Attached is a photo of a custom made dethatcher. I could not find a source to buy one of these. I was able to find a TBN poster with the tools,time,and talent to custom make one. I used it this past weekend and it did a great job of lifting the old dead grass and raking together debris on the lawn. After using the tool I ran a finish mower over the lawn to grind up the dead grass. The guy who made the tool posts under the name Mad Referee. He did say he might be interested in making more of them. He said the price would depend on the cost of steel.

 

[MikeD]

Another view. The stand posts are put into a raised position prior to using the unit.

 

[MikeD]

Over view of dethatcher on tractor.

 

[MadReferee]

That looks even better painted black!!

Gosh, I do such great work (as he pats himself on the back!!)

See the construction details Here .

Enjoy.

 

[MikeD]

Mad Thanks again for the tool. Three coats of Rustoleum gloss black! Matches any color of tractor. As stated above the tool worked great on the lawn. I also used it to rough up some loam prior to seeding. First I ran a york rake over the loam then the dethatcher. It produced a very nice surface for the grass seed. Mike

 

[RonR]

Mad, a great job on that implement.

My one comment if you make some more (or if someone like me builds something similar /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif), Instead of drilling and installing the cap screws to keep the tines from twisting, you could insert a metal tube the length of the tines. This would keep them aligned and prevent them from being lost if/WHEN they come loose. For me, that would be easier/faster than drilling 36 extra holes.

Or if you could find some tine-tube material, you could have that be your frame. Only issue then is you have to remove at least half of each row to replace any broken ones
Hope this helps!
Ron

 

[MadReferee]

Mike had given me a small Agri-fab dethatcher to use as a reference (you can see it in the background of one of my construction pics). It has little bumps in the metal that did the same thing as my hex sheet metal drive screws. It also had a rod about the diameter of a coat hanger thru the tines which I could not determine what it was for. I guess it was to keep the tines from twisting but it seemed way too flimsy for practical use. Hence the hex screws which I think work much better. The metal rod could then be used just like a safety chain would to keep from losing a tine.

 

[MadReferee]

Mike,

I presume that cement patio blocks were not necessary to make the dethatcher heavy enough to get the job done.

 

[MikeD]

Mad The unit is heavy enough by itself. Not to heavy but no more weight is needed. I think it works out to the right amount of weight. The tines took up the dead grass but left the good well rooted grass in place. The rake also did a nice job gathering sticks and pine needles. When I lifted the rake upwards with the 3 pt lift all of the debris feel to the ground in a nice pile. It made easy work of raking out my lawn. I used the rake pretty aggressively on lawn and raw loam. Thought I might break a tine or two but did not end up breaking any at all. I did do some rototilling and broke a tine off that unit but that is another story. Mike

 

[MadReferee]

Thanks, looks like I will have to build one for myself this fall/winter once I get my new lawn in. I'll bet it will do a good job raking leaves too.