Landscape Rake Gauge Wheels

[donconnery]

So I just read about every post I could find on gauge wheels, which was probably a mistake because I thought I had a good grasp but now I知 clueless. I picked up a 6ft used King Kutter rake to tow behind my Bx23s. Our road has some hills and valleys and controlling the 3pt is not my specialty. So I ordered some gauge wheels. My biggest question is what to do with the top link. Should I disconnect it all together? I assume after I get the wheels set where I want I should drop the 3 pt all the way down to make it 吐loat? Im guessing this will all make more sense after I get them on and tinker with them, but for now all I get to do is sit and ponder.

 

[chriswheeler]

That is almost exactly what I used to maintain my 3/4" crushed rock driveway that was almost 500 feet long. What I did to make it work was between the top link and the wheel contact with the ground. I never used a Kubota BX23 tractor, but my JD 970 3 point lever has a stop setting position on the lever. I don't know how much HP you have with that Jubota, but that will dictate how deep you can take a bite with the 6" rake, 4wd?? and tire conditions. Between the 3 point drop with the control lever, and the top link, The wheel contact point with the ground, good control with multiple passes. When I was in your position, best trainer was mounting the rake to the 3 point and testing these adjustments to see what happens. This 6' rake was great at maintaining the rock drive, Also a great tool for snow removal. ( I would never have guess that, got to read a post here and gave it a try ) The thing that I didn't like was over time and multiple times with the rake, I got rock displaced on both sides where I didn't have room to run the rake. Great part about this was after a rain or snow period, rake was used to bring the rock back to the top from being compressed in the wet weather lower into the dirt. Over a 15 year period I had to buy 2 loads of rock, All things considered, not bad, that was one attachment that paid for itself many times over.
Chris

 

[donconnery]

No position control on the 3 pt. So i think i should put it all the way down and disconnect the top link so that it will float. I have 23 horse and was taking deep bites with no problem in 4wd. Sounds like its going to be trial and error.

 

[Rebeldad1]

The top link is what holds the frame up or down for depth of cut. With wheels adjusted and touching it holds the frame to control depth of the tines. Without a top link the rake will keep filling up and lowering the tines deeper into the road.

I can lower my 7' rake down with the 3point till the wheels touch and lower or raise the tines with top link adjustment. That will control depth of cut. I try to keep about 3" of material in the rake which gives me about a 1" cut that fills right back onto the road. I also travel at a really slow speed so it dosent hop.
Looks great and doesnt dog out all the organic material from the crushed rock.

 

[Avenger]

I wouldn't disconnect the top link. Think about it, your gauge wheels are on the back of the rake? (my king kutter landscape rake does not have wheels, but my buddies does, on the back). You lower the rake into the gravel, remove the top link and drive forward, the rake will tilt forward, lifting the wheels up, and the tines will be perpendicular the the gravel. Thats if the top link pin doesnt hit the back of the tractor.

I dont use the wheels (I dont have the wheels), so I set my angle with the top link and side link. Turn the 'blade' to the desired angle, and go over and over the areas until it's level and smooth. Might take some doing if you have some hills and valleys. Might also consider using a box blade to smooth it out first, then the rake to groom it.

Now, if your rake has the wheels before the tines, then that might change things. I would actually look into making that hook to the draw bar and have hydraulic up and down. That would probably be the best landscape rake ever! A pull type rake!

 

[donconnery]

So ive been out experimenting. If Ive got this right, once the wheels are on the ground, lenghtening the top link lowers the tines? Does that sound right? Thats what it looks like to me.

 

[Avenger]

If your wheels are on the ground, and you lengthen the top link, you are probably forcing the wheels into the ground more, squishing them or flexing the frame. Do you have a photo?

What I have seen my friend do (with the wheels) is get everything set. Set the depth, the cutting angle, side angle, level, etc. THEN set the wheels on the ground. Once everything is set, make a mark or use a stop on the 3pt control lever. This way you can lift and lower to the same point every time.

 

[donconnery]

If your wheels are on the ground, and you lengthen the top link, you are probably forcing the wheels into the ground more, squishing them or flexing the frame. Do you have a photo?

What I have seen my friend do (with the wheels) is get everything set. Set the depth, the cutting angle, side angle, level, etc. THEN set the wheels on the ground. Once everything is set, make a mark or use a stop on the 3pt control lever. This way you can lift and lower to the same point every time.

where I'm currently at. I only have three bushings for each wheel so not a lot of options there. and I dont have position control on 3 pt.

 

[Avenger]

what do you mean by "I dont have position control on the 3pt."? You cannot let it down and stop it at a certain point? Or are you talking about draft control where the tractor makes the adjustments for you based off the pressure of the top link?

If I were you, I'd throw those wheels in the scrap bin, or turn them up so they are out of the way. Set your angle with the toplink to more of a comb angle (like you'd comb your hair) and run with it.

 

[donconnery]

I can stop it at a certain point of course, but I have no way of telling where that point is, so when I turn around and have to reset it, it always seems to be in a different spot. I just have a single lever 3pt that resets to center when I let go. So what I usually do is hold it until the arms are as low as they will go, and continue holding since theres no down pressure.

 

[donconnery]

Which makes leveling it a PITA, because the wheels touch the ground, yet the arms will go lower still, which changes the angle. I don't know when to level it. Say I level it when the wheels make initial contact with the ground. Now I have to get to that exact same spot every time I lift it up, or it won't be level anymore. If that makes any sense?

 

[Avenger]

On a level piece of ground, lower the rake to it just barely touches the ground. Set your top link to your desired angle you want your rake to be at. Lower your wheels to where they touch the ground (if you want to use them) and take some of the weight off the rake. Take a sharpie and make a mark on the slot where the 3pt control lever goes though, make the mark on the front of the lever. Raise up the 3 point and drive out to where your going to be working. Now, lower the 3pt to the mark, no need to lower it all the way down. Drive forward. Now, if you are not moving enough material to meet your needs, lower the 3 point a little bit more. Make a mark on your LEVER that intersects the mark on the slot. Now, when you lift up, you can set it down in the exact same spot. If that dont work, I dont know what to tell you.

I use my rake all the time and I never seem to have a leveling problem.

 

[donconnery]

July 15, 219 - YouTube

I uploaded a video maybe this will clarify. It's a small tractor, I don't have a control lever like you. Unless I'm that dumb.

 

[Croomrider]

You are not "that dumb". Avenger has a position control 3-pt and doesn't understand how yours works.

Avenger, his is more like you trying to adjust your FEL to the same height on every pass!

 

[donconnery]

You are not "that dumb". Avenger has a position control 3-pt and doesn't understand how yours works.

Avenger, his is more like you trying to adjust your FEL to the same height on every pass!

:laughing::laughing:That would have been a much easier way to describe it than going out and recording a video.

 

[zzvyb6]

The top link serves no purpose on a rake intended for leveling. Use a chain and leave it loose while raking. The rake should sit on the tines and the gauge wheels. That's what they are for.

So, that being said, to cut down ridges, ripples, and to fill holes and ruts, you need a lot of weight on the rake to make it cut. Set it on a 45 degree angle s that the length of the tine group serves as the elevation smoothing plane. The teeth will almost be next to each other as seen by the road. I use large chunks or iron and steel to make it dig. I have enough so that the 3 pt hitch struggles to raise it when traveling.

The lower link height should be set so that when the 45 degree angle is pinned, you get the amount of road crown you desire. Do this for each side of the road or driveway. Then set the rake to zero angle and run it down the center in order to give it that professional, groomed look.

The gauge wheels set the plane of the road, independent of the tractor. If you use a rigid top link, the tractor pitching motion will evolve into a roller coaster in your road.

 

[Avenger]

You are not "that dumb". Avenger has a position control 3-pt and doesn't understand how yours works.

Avenger, his is more like you trying to adjust your FEL to the same height on every pass!

OHHHH!!!!! ok. Gotcha. That's what you meant. Well, that changes everything!

 

[BukitCase]

First off, apologies Don - I wuz starting to think you were "that dumb" (which still beats "stupid" - "dumb" is usually curable by learning, where "stupid" usually isn't

Second, I WAS "that dumb", never knew Kubota's smaller tractors didn't have position control (all my stuff is old, see my list)

Anyway, if I read your comments right your 3ph has only 2 modes, float or lift? See if this would work to get repeatability -

Set your gear up STATIC, with rake at depth (and attach angle) you want, adjust gauge wheels so they're on the ground - then set some blocks UNDER your lift arms, and try to lower the 3PH FURTHER - this is to make sure there IS no "power down" (you already "fooled me ONCE" :laughing

If the above is TRUE, you may be able to rig a couple chains and/or a turnbuckle of some sort, so that your 3PH can NOT go any LOWER than those "snubbers" - if that works, then you would just raise the 3PH between passes/turn-arounds, and lower it ALL THE WAY for the next run - that should get you the repeatability, and it's a few $$$ cheaper than a new tractor

any confusion on what I said please ask... Steve

 

[donconnery]

Wouldnt a lose chain and not being attached at all serve the same purpose? I don't have a chain for that right now, tried disconnecting. I see what you mean, but something still isn't right. With it set up like that, I can not lift rake high enough off the ground to take up the wheels.

 

[BukitCase]

The chain (in order to work as I meant) would need its upper end connected to something that does NOT move when the hitch does - the lower end of the chain would attach to the lift arm(s) so they could still go HIGHER, but not BELOW your low setting. As long as you lowered the hitch far enough each pass so it hung on those chain(s) it should work... Steve