SkunkWerX
Platinum Member
Cabin Fever is here!
The Situation:
Mowing and using the home-made leaf vac was pretty good this fall, but,
there has got to be way to also rake and pick up dead grass and moist leaves?
We have a little cheesy pull behind dethatcher, it's seen better days, and is only about 40" wide.
The last set-up we used was a lawn sweeper with the dethatcher attachment, which did modestly well ,
considering it scuffed up the surface THEN swept up the loose debris.
The idea is based on one of these:
Retail Front Mount Detatcher
The prices are enough to send anyone into sticker-shock!
So, a couple of rough sketches later, we have , well, a rough sketch.
Still had a lot of bugs to work out, but the basic idea is there, somewhere?
Began inventorying and collecting up supplies. Steel, wheels, etc. etc.
Anyone who saw the Plow project may remember the front mount adapter to allow the mounting of the Deere Blade. The idea was to mount the Front Detatcher/Rake the same way, making it truly a quick attach tool.
Deere adapter plate
Needed a way for the assembly to pivot or hinge in front of the tractor as it rolls along, so came up with a simple pivot assembly.
Front Dethatcher Hinge Pivot.jpg
As luck would have it, I still have the original black Deere plow lift cylinder!
Cylinders New and Old
Was also lucky to have 2 used swivel yokes and some Harbor Freight tires.
Swivel Casters and HF Tires
Squirrelling away useful items really paid off! Cobbling them together into something that works is a little more challenging.
So far, working some evenings and a weekend or two, have gotten this far:
Dethatcher Partially Assembled
Currently I am working on the Lift and Mechanical Float mechanism.
Just like a snow plow, the Rake needs to be able to "float" along so it can follow the dips and variations on the lawn. This is the first stab at it...but, still not sure if it's correct.
Dethatcher Lift Pivot side view
Need more measuring and thinking about the float.
And yes, even have some spare 1/4" hydraulic hose too! (Need couplings, drat!)
.
The Situation:
Mowing and using the home-made leaf vac was pretty good this fall, but,
there has got to be way to also rake and pick up dead grass and moist leaves?
We have a little cheesy pull behind dethatcher, it's seen better days, and is only about 40" wide.
The last set-up we used was a lawn sweeper with the dethatcher attachment, which did modestly well ,
considering it scuffed up the surface THEN swept up the loose debris.
The idea is based on one of these:
Retail Front Mount Detatcher
The prices are enough to send anyone into sticker-shock!
So, a couple of rough sketches later, we have , well, a rough sketch.

Still had a lot of bugs to work out, but the basic idea is there, somewhere?
Began inventorying and collecting up supplies. Steel, wheels, etc. etc.
Anyone who saw the Plow project may remember the front mount adapter to allow the mounting of the Deere Blade. The idea was to mount the Front Detatcher/Rake the same way, making it truly a quick attach tool.
Deere adapter plate
Needed a way for the assembly to pivot or hinge in front of the tractor as it rolls along, so came up with a simple pivot assembly.
Front Dethatcher Hinge Pivot.jpg
As luck would have it, I still have the original black Deere plow lift cylinder!
Cylinders New and Old
Was also lucky to have 2 used swivel yokes and some Harbor Freight tires.
Swivel Casters and HF Tires
Squirrelling away useful items really paid off! Cobbling them together into something that works is a little more challenging.
So far, working some evenings and a weekend or two, have gotten this far:
Dethatcher Partially Assembled
Currently I am working on the Lift and Mechanical Float mechanism.
Just like a snow plow, the Rake needs to be able to "float" along so it can follow the dips and variations on the lawn. This is the first stab at it...but, still not sure if it's correct.
Dethatcher Lift Pivot side view
Need more measuring and thinking about the float.
And yes, even have some spare 1/4" hydraulic hose too! (Need couplings, drat!)
.