Raking Small to Large Branches, Twigs, etc.

[RidgeHiker]

There are quite a few large evergreen trees in the area of my house. They drop lots of branches and twigs along with pine needles, cones, and other debris. The ground gently rolls around. Not sure what the best tool is for raking into piles, especially with the uneven ground. The landscape is mainly natural and I am not trying to meticulously clean everything up like one would on a lawn. Considering a 72" Ratchet Rake but most of the videos and discussions relate to clearing thick brush & small trees or grading roads and little around this type of raking.

Also looking at Everything Attachments Pine Straw Rake but seems like it is not really designed for thicker branches. Furthermore, the pine straw rake would be limited to a single usage whereas the RR is very versatile. Do want to do some grading, etc. The other option, a landscape rake, seems like overkill, particularly since I am not trying to tear up the ground.

Any thoughts here?

 

[jeff9366]

I write often about my Ratchet Rake on T-B-N. It is an excellent tool for piling debris that the tool's teeth can get a purchase on such as branches and twigs. Bucket curl helps Ratchet Rake contact and hold debris. The Ratchet Rake is RIGID so it cannot deal with pine straw on uneven ground. I think, inevitably, if you want to pile all debris with your tractor you will need a Ratchet Rake attached to your bucket AND an ETA Pine Straw Rake mounted on your Three Point Hitch.

I also own an ETA Landscape Rake with gauge wheels. It is excellent for grading but tears up turf. A Ratchet Rake is pretty good at grading relatively small areas, perhaps a little slower than a Landscape Rake with gauge wheels, perhaps not; depending on the task. A Landscape Rake without gauge wheels is not much good for grading. With gauge wheels, which protrude a considerable distance when the Landscape Rake is angled, a Landscape Rake is less able to get into tight areas, relative to a Ratchet Rake. For roads and long driveways a Landscape Rake with gauge wheels will grade faster than a Ratchet Rake.

You can order any size of Ratchet Rake from the T-B-N store, button at the top of this page. Some freight is involved but that is offset by savings on sales tax.

You have probably seen a lot of Ratchet Rake photos I have posted, so I will not post them again here.

While I rate ETA's Landscape Rake very highly, the gauge wheels they provided with their rake three years ago, from India, are inferior to the rake itself. My gauge wheels skid/drag too much, rather than castor/roll. ETA is good about improving their implements. ETA may offer better gauge wheels today.

Consider Landscape Rakes from York-Modern if price is not an important consideration.
York Rakes : York Modern

I worked in Mendocino County nine years. Where are you?

 

[jenkinsph]

I use a 6' pine straw rake behind my garden tractor for this type work. Does a great job, with a long handle garden rake to get under the trees low branches. Good for small branches and needles, not so much for larger branches, those I stack in a pile and haul away or chip in place.

A 50 hp. tractor is not a good choice for this work.

 

[nybirdman]

Maybe a "York" rake;may take a few passes.

 

[oldballs]

I'd say the Ratchet Rake plus Pine Straw Rake would be the best combination (on a CUT/SCUT?. The PSR is good for smaller debris, branches less than 3-4 inch diameter. Seems to me that there is no one tool for small vs large branches. Then, of course, there is the matter of disposing of such "piles"....as well as the availability of replacement parts such as the tines. I use a 18 HP L&G tractor, small trailer, a four tine pitch fork and a long rake for moving the piles to a burn area.

I've used the PSR (on my B2620) to clean up after a fallen 40 ft pines, or clearing low branches from a hedge row, having already removed the larger branches.
The large stuff I load with clamp on FEL Pallet Forks........A Grapple would be better for that. But i don't mind work and can hop on/off tractor seat pretty easily.

 

[pmsmechanic]

For cleaning up branches I use a pair of old diamond tooth harrows welded together side by side. I made a three point hitch mount and use the hydraulic top link to move the pressure on the harrows from front to rear as needed. An old highway truck tire and rim provide extra down pressure. It was cheap and works very well.

 

[RidgeHiker]

I use a 6' pine straw rake behind my garden tractor for this type work. Does a great job, with a long handle garden rake to get under the trees low branches. Good for small branches and needles, not so much for larger branches, those I stack in a pile and haul away or chip in place.

A 50 hp. tractor is not a good choice for this work.

What is the concern with using the pine straw rake with a 50 hp tractor?

 

[oldballs]

Yeah, I was wondering that also.

 

[Industrial Toys]

I built this for my Steiner for exactly this purpose. The tines are all mounted on a shaft and individually float to tickle the ground, or they can be arrested.

 

[RidgeHiker]

View attachment 504486

I built this for my Steiner for exactly this purpose. The tines are all mounted on a shaft and individually float to tickle the ground, or they can be arrested.

Looks great. Fun to see what people are able to create but so far I am not a fabricator/welder type guy.