Rake

[Charlie_Iliff]

Decided Monday that some projects required a rake.
Read posts - Sedgewood re PT rake, PTRich, etc.
Tuesday, faxed an order to PT for adapter plate. Arrived my office Thursday.
Friday, foung 72" King Kutter rake at Mt. Airy TSC,
Saturday, picked up rake & got adapter plate mounted.
Sunday, determined that yet another implement requires skill to get good results -- Drat! /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif

 

[Charlie_Iliff]

Another view

Maybe someday some gauge wheels

 

[pajoube]

That skill will come very quickly knowing you. Nice job on the welding.
PJ

 

[Sedgewood]

Charlie: <font color="red"> Maybe someday some gauge wheels </font>

Someday soon I'll wager, especially pushing. My poorly chosen rake, a Modern Implements by York, has pin holes for rotating the rake from pulling to pushing but silly me I just assumed you could rotate it. NOT SO, the frame interferes. Go figger. With enough grinding I think I can get it round. With gauge wheels I think pushing might be a good thing an am anxious to try it. The learning curve with this thing even pulling has been surprisingly steep. Have fun, and get some wheels.

Sedgewood

 

[bubenberg]

Charlie i concur with Sedgwood. but make it so they can float otherwise you will have another source of flat tires in your beginning (rough to finish process) raking period. See my airplane tire replacement post from a while back for a tougher longer lasting tire and wheel source.

good luck

hrl under the weather /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[PTRich]

When dragging the rake backwords change the angle the rake goes into the dirt. the more aggresive the angle the more material it moves but it will also tend to bounce. The less (flatter) angle the smoother your results, less bounce but also less material. This should all be done in float.

When pushing the rake you need to have gauge wheels in front of the rake. The nice thing about pushing the rake with wheels in front (like a grader) is you can easily change the bit of the rake buy movng you joy stick left and right. This is the method I use for gradeing my drive way.

The only improvements I would like on my rake are: The rake should have the ability to swivel freely like the mower deck does. And of course having a power angle like the snow blade would be top notch!

 

[Charlie_Iliff]

Thanks for the primer. Sounds as if the wheels are necessary.
I did amaze myself, however, by piling up 15 or 20 of the 18cu. ft. buckets of wasted hay, to keep the hay from smothering new grass growth. The rake worked pretty well, once I got the angle approximately right. Then, I tried it to smooth the garden which I had tilled a week ago, but which had some new ruts due to a couple of inches of rain. Seems a bunch of the rain was still there. Had to pick up the rake and do a lot of the Power Trac wiggle to get out of the garden/mud hole. Left a nice smooth track from the belly, between deep zig-zag ruts. Almost artistic. But planting had to be postponed a week or so. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif