Raking Pine Needles and Leaves in Sand Ring

[biker128pedal]

I am looking for something to pickup, move or rake pine needles and leaves out of my wife's riding ring. Before we drag the ring we have been hand raking the pine needles and leaves to one side otherwise the drag gets clogged. I tried a leaf blower but it does not good on partially covered material.

I was thinking about about a 3-point lawn rake. Something not so heavy duty that I could use on the 3-point like a dump rake. Another option is a wheeled rake if I could make multiple passes and just keep pushing the pine needles and leaves to one side. Falls come late this year so the amount of pine needles and leaves is not too bad.

Has anybody tried these or something else that works easily. It took 2 hours to rake the ring this morning.

Thanks

Mike

 

[Rara Avis]

I am looking for something to pickup, move or rake pine needles and leaves out of my wife's riding ring. Before we drag the ring we have been hand raking the pine needles and leaves to one side otherwise the drag gets clogged. I tried a leaf blower but it does not good on partially covered material.

I was thinking about about a 3-point lawn rake. Something not so heavy duty that I could use on the 3-point like a dump rake. Another option is a wheeled rake if I could make multiple passes and just keep pushing the pine needles and leaves to one side. Falls come late this year so the amount of pine needles and leaves is not too bad.

Has anybody tried these or something else that works easily. It took 2 hours to rake the ring this morning.

Thanks

Mike

It's called an INDOOR...

Works well when it rains, too...


Really this is what you want to manage your riding ring...
TR3 Rake, Arena Drag, Harrow, Arena Rake, Arena Groomer, Arena Equipment, ABI Equine, Chris Cox, Clinton Anderson, John Lyons

 

[Timber]

I'm sure that was a lot of help, There is really nothing to hook to your tractor short of some kind of vacuum set up. I would say raking by hand is your best bet

 

[willfick]

When I'm raking up pinestraw to use in the flowerbeds I've found that a pitchfork (the short D-handle kind with 12 or 15 tines) works a lot better than a rake. It's not hard to imagine three or four of these mounted side by side on a three point hitch toolbar, with the tines angled slightly forward. I'd think with a little practice you could lightly rake the leaves and straw out the ring gate.
Good luck, Wm

 

[Rara Avis]

I'm sure that was a lot of help, There is really nothing to hook to your tractor short of some kind of vacuum set up. I would say raking by hand is your best bet

How do you avoid vacuuming up some of the sand everytime...Been there...tried most everything...the major downside of a vacuum rig is the wear and tear that the sand does to the impellor...other than cutting down the pine trees, the only real long term solution is an indoor arena...

Either that or abusing your working students by having them manually do the job...

Depending on how deep your sand is above your base, you could try contacting this outfit...I know it doesn't work for dressage arenas...

Beach Cleaner, Beachcleaner, Beach Cleaners, Beachcleaners

 

[shaley]

Have you tried a light weight landscape rake. Maybe you could remove every other tine.
You probably have sandy soil so some type of 3 point rake turned at an angle ought to windrow the straw.

 

[Deerlope]

I have a pull type divice that I bought at TSC for around 200 bucks. Its called a lawn rack. Just pull it over the are that you want devoid of pine needles and it sweeps them into a hopper that can be dumped some place else. Lawn rack or lawn sweeper I am not sure but it does work well. I use the pine needls for my blueberries.

 

[Timber]

My areana is 80 X 130 and I have box bladed and rakes stone out of it by hand myself. it is a days work. depends I guess on what yor willing to do. nothing will do the job better than raking by hand

 

[biker128pedal]

I did barrow a light weight landscape rake. I found that if I adjusted the top link at short as possible the rake leaves about 3 inches of sand. This is just what the wife wants for dressage. If the sand is dry the pine needles seem to float and roll on top of the sand. I can rake around then lift the rake slowly to drop most of the sand. Still have to rake the pile of pine needles out by hand. If the sand it still looks good but the pine needles get buried. I am still experimenting but it looks like the right tool. It works well for piles of composted manure.

 

[Timber]

I do have 1 large pine over the corner of my arena but I really have never had a problem with it. I am really not that fussy about pine needles. That is the same corner the horses seem to poop in so I get it all at the same time. My bigger concern is stones and divits that the horses make. I have about a 6 inch sand base but the stones are working there way up. I like to box blade the arena and then use an aluminum 4 foot rake to pull the stones and grade the arena all by hand. Like I said it is a days work. I have a great tractor and I know I can do something similar with a 3 point rake but hand grading is the best way. Mind you I have a very large arena and I do this once or 2wice a year