Jay4200
Veteran Member
- Joined
- Nov 23, 2005
- Messages
- 2,053
- Location
- Hudson/Weare, NH
- Tractor
- L4200GST w/ LA680 & BX2200D w/ LA211
I started building a rake today (while the wife was cooking T-day vittles). It's made from a 6' long piece of 2" iron pipe with 24 tines made from 6" sections of 7/8" pipe (All scrap that I had lying around).
I intend to use it to do work on my new 700' gravel driveway. My plan is to attach it to the back edge of my FEL bucket, such that the tines point down and slightly backwards. I'll drive in reverse with the front wheels in the air and the bucket blade dragging, then set the rake's tine depth by using the bucket curl. I haven't exactly figured out how I am going to attach it to the bucket yet, but I'm thinking a couple of pieces of angle-iron that will hug the back angle of the bucket with a few pieces of straight stock going forward across the bucket bottom (to carry the load while dragging) - I could probably hold it in place with a ratchet strap that goes from one side of the rake, across the top of the bucket, then down to the other side of the rake.
The remainder of the build is going to be a little tricky, since my tractor isn't here - it's at my place up north, and I want to use this thing the next time I go up there (which will be in two days - this Saturday).
The welds are actually better than the pics show - I went all the way around each tine, but then put a reinforcing bead coming down across the joint in front, which is all that seems to show up in the pics. The rake also bowed slightly from the weld stress. I was going to straighten it by making compensating welds on the other side of the pipe, but I think I'm going to keep it the way it is, and let the mounting system pull out the bow across the bucket - should make a better mount.
JayC
I intend to use it to do work on my new 700' gravel driveway. My plan is to attach it to the back edge of my FEL bucket, such that the tines point down and slightly backwards. I'll drive in reverse with the front wheels in the air and the bucket blade dragging, then set the rake's tine depth by using the bucket curl. I haven't exactly figured out how I am going to attach it to the bucket yet, but I'm thinking a couple of pieces of angle-iron that will hug the back angle of the bucket with a few pieces of straight stock going forward across the bucket bottom (to carry the load while dragging) - I could probably hold it in place with a ratchet strap that goes from one side of the rake, across the top of the bucket, then down to the other side of the rake.
The remainder of the build is going to be a little tricky, since my tractor isn't here - it's at my place up north, and I want to use this thing the next time I go up there (which will be in two days - this Saturday).
The welds are actually better than the pics show - I went all the way around each tine, but then put a reinforcing bead coming down across the joint in front, which is all that seems to show up in the pics. The rake also bowed slightly from the weld stress. I was going to straighten it by making compensating welds on the other side of the pipe, but I think I'm going to keep it the way it is, and let the mounting system pull out the bow across the bucket - should make a better mount.
JayC
