How big of cylinder do I need?

[orezok]

That's what I was thinking. Originally I thought about a 1.5 or a 2" but when I posted people here said no - go 2.5 or 3"... so in looking for the length and throw needed vs the cost. This cylinder checked all the boxes without shipping from China direct. Anyway. It's done & ready for testing so I'm happy. Planning on beefing up the main support now with the 3pt pins on it to ensure it won't bend.
Maybe some day I can get back to the gauge wheel addition to the rake.

You asked the “bigger is better crowd!”. You know, hold my beer and watch this