Landscape Rake Build

[RobJ]

RobJ - What J.J. Said

Thanks J.J.

Larry

Ahh, missed that post at the bottom of the page, hmm, always hate to be the last post on the page...or worse...the first!

Well mine was in somewhere with the catalog. My box was falling apart to so maybe it fell in by accident. Funny looking at again the split key ring on it is also sprung.

I especially liked the reverse action in the video, for some reason my mind says it would dig in more, pop the springs, etc. But it's pretty much the same. I have a couple areas we'll probably be cleaning out for the neighbors, and with all the junk around, backing the rake in forst might save some tires.

Rob

 

[J_J]

Larry,

I just have to ask. Were you pulling the rake is float mode or power down mode?

 

[GuglioLS]

.....snip.... I especially liked the reverse action in the video, for some reason my mind says it would dig in more, pop the springs, etc. But it's pretty much the same.

Rob you are correct, in reverse mode, it did dig in quite a bit more, I could really feel the difference. My intention in reverse mode would be mostly to use it for piling up debris that has already been raked up rather than using it in reverse mode to power rake. I was just trying to break it for Renze , but I failed.


J.J.,

Float mode, as my tractor does not have down pressure. BTW the rake weighs in at 454 pounds.

Larry

 

[SkunkWerX]

Renze, you mentioned forces on a scraper blade as compared to a rake.

I agree with you, however they are two distinct animals when it comes to the types of forces they encounter. The rake merely scratchesa hard surface, where a scraper/grader blade is cutting/digging.
Here on TBN we sometimes see the discussion regarding a rake/grader blade combo unit, or the two sharing the same frame assembly, since they work is similar fashion. If this were to ever be the case (a rake/blade combo unit) the frame assembly and all pivot and fastening points would HAVE to be designed for the forces of the grader/scraper blade. If it can handle the cutting blade , handing the rake tines are a piece of cake.

It now makes sense, your comments, seeing you don't have rakes in your region. You would have to see, first hand, how the tines flex, such as grazing a tree stump. When the tines grab an immovable object, like a large rock or stump, it's like being slowed down by a large rubber band, due to the flex of the tines. You might bend a few tines to the point of replacement grabbing onto a large buried object, and that is probably why all of our North American retailers carry Rake Tines by the gross, typically 2 or 3 types, and usually on the shelf, cash and carry.

Larry's design, if anything, is overbuilt to about 5x of what specs my factory Rake is built on, but that's his style!

Bottom line, he'll rip the tines off the assembly before doing any damage to the frame, cylinders, and pivot points. That's my observation.

 

[RobJ]

Bottom line, he'll rip the tines off the assembly before doing any damage to the frame, cylinders, and pivot points. That's my observation.

I think most any rake would...and should break the tines first...first sign of trouble.

Interesting on the reverse of the rake. wonder if you can adjust the angle to make it tread lighter. I'll have to try mine in reverse net time.

 

[mjncad]

Thanks Mike - I read quite a few of your Tractor mods you post links to in your signature. I must say I am totally impressed with your aux lighting and cameras. The quality of wiring and circuitry would rival that of the Space shuttle - in fact I think your wiring is better and more reliable. Definitely not low bid construction.
Larry

I appreciate the comments Larry. If I were to do the wiring again, I'd use weather-pack connectors since I've found sources for them online. The wiring is based on building design using the ground bus instead of grounding the various components wherever there was a convenient piece of metal, and hope for a good ground. I was reading a Ford Super Duty after market body guidelines book the other night, and they mention that after market bodies (ambulances particularly) should get their power directly from the battery instead of a circuit on the vehicle. Ford's reasoning is that this poses less chance of screwing up the OEM electronics and computer with an unknown quantity. Nice to know that I had the same hunch as Ford.

So far the cameras aren't working as well as I had hoped. The biggest problem is glare, which I think is a two pronged issue. Although the monitor is meant for a vehicle, I'm getting a lot of glare on the screen. I think this is due to reflection from the ground and the lack of tinted cab windows to control stray light. I'm going to construct a cheap black poster board hood to test some of this theory out. If the hood cuts some or all of the glare, then I'm going to look at getting some thin polarizing film that works in the same manner as a camera's polarizing filter. The fold down monitor doesn't lend itself to a hood very easily.

The other part of the problem I believe has to do with the severe angle the cameras are set at. Again, I think it's light reflecting off the ground causing the problems. Once I get my PB and rear SCV's installed, I will look into moving the cameras lower so they are more level and behind the seat. If this doesn't work, then I'll look at adding polarizing filters to the camera or check with my eye doctor's optician to see if a sheet of non-prescription Transitions (Photogray) plastic is available. Maybe a set of sunglasses is what the cameras need.

Remember, the cameras and monitor were Made in China, and I got them off of Fleabay, so that could be a BIG factor too.

Matt

 

[Renze]

Larry's design, if anything, is overbuilt to about 5x of what specs my factory Rake is built on, but that's his style!

Most of the compact equipment you guys can buy at hobby stores, is underbuilt 0.5x anyways. The same thing over here, there is a company importing cheap Polish built hobby machinery. Most of it doesnt need much more than MF 35 power to twist it, as they are built cheap because in the hobby market, price is more important than durability

Another reason to build to your own standards, like Larry does, I do, and many others here on TBN

 

[MJPetersen]

there is a company importing cheap Polish built hobby machinery.

Renze, what is the manufacture of this "cheap Polish built hobby machinery." I have not found any here, how can it be that you found it there? What kinds of machinery and from where does it come? You have me intensely curious.

Mike

 

[Renze]

They import Warfama and Agromet spreaders (which are good bang for the buck) and Samasz mowers. The Samasz mowers are PZ and Deutz-Fahr copies: They used to have a lot of trouble because they used ball bearings for the mowing drums, instead of tapered rolling bearings originally used in the PZ design: Dealers that sold them, rebuilt them back to tapered roller bearings. Once done so, they were as good as the original PZ design.

Furthermore they import Ak-Pil (??) disk harrows and wing cultivators.
They also have their own line of hedge trimmers and ditch mowing buckets.

The rest of the equipment is built to specification, assumably in Polish welding shops, just as many cow fences. I worked for a company that made cow stable fencing, but they lost the work to Polish welding shops.
I'm not 100% sure that it all comes from Poland, but i know a lot of this kind of work is outsourced to Poland.
I also know from the things you said in the rollover box blade thread, that you couldnt find compact equipment in Poland... Maybe you could ask them where their stuff is built, and if you could buy directly from them without moving it to Holland first, then getting it back to Poland...
their website is at Landreus Machines Beilen

You might find something from Delmorino, my neighbour has a Kioti CK 20 and bought a Delmorino single spindle brush cutter, and a rotavator from this brand. Its Italian by the way.

 

[J_J]

Rob you are correct, in reverse mode, it did dig in quite a bit more, I could really feel the difference. My intention in reverse mode would be mostly to use it for piling up debris that has already been raked up rather than using it in reverse mode to power rake. I was just trying to break it for Renze , but I failed.


J.J.,

Float mode, as my tractor does not have down pressure. BTW the rake weighs in at 454 pounds.

Larry

Larry,

Is that cylinder on the top of your 3 Point frame a double acting cylinder?, if it is , then you have down pressure. If it is a single acting cylinder, you could swap it out for a double acting cylinder, and have down pressure for the rake and any other implement you have.