Rake Rock Rake / Leaf Rake..??

Sully2 · Nov 28, 2006

Anyone see a GOOD reason why I cant modify a "rock rake" with the addition of gauge wheels and use it as a "giant" leaf rake?

I have a new backpack blower that Im using ( I look like rocket man using it..lol) that will flat roll a big stack of leave..but then what? I have 2 "winrows"..??..WAIST DEEP..and close to 200 feet long of leaves and it aint about to blow all of those to where I want them finally dumped. ( Live right in the middle of 4 1/2 acres of BIG trees)

I need some sort of "giant" rake to rake the piles to get them where I want them.

BTDT · Nov 28, 2006

Your windrow comment got me to thinking, I wonder if you could use one of those round balers like they bale hay with to roll them up? May have just invented a new implement (or at least a new use for an old). Any reason this wouldn't work.

HomeBrew2 · Nov 28, 2006

There aren't any good reasons NOT to build gauge wheels

Suggestion though: Build some side skirts for the rake, like a box-rake, and make them as long as possible (front to back) so you can haul a big load and keep them contained. ... 'course, a box blade (with wheels) works too.

Hooked_on_HP · Nov 28, 2006

It might work. I would rotate the rake 180 and push going backward so the leaves weren't pileing up under the tractor.

Sully2 · Nov 28, 2006

BTDT said:
Your windrow comment got me to thinking, I wonder if you could use one of those round balers like they bale hay with to roll them up? May have just invented a new implement (or at least a new use for an old). Any reason this wouldn't work.

If I could find a baler that was only 60 inches wide...Id sure have a hard eyeball on it...lol

BTDT · Nov 28, 2006

Sully2 said:
If I could find a baler that was only 60 inches wide...Id sure have a hard eyeball on it...lol

Do a search for Krone Round balers, the website says bales are 60", baler is 89". Messick farm supply sells these, they post to this site. FYI.

Sully2 · Nov 28, 2006

BTDT said:
Do a search for Krone Round balers, the website says bales are 60", baler is 89". Messick farm supply sells these, they post to this site. FYI.

*S* Yeah but I need a BALER thats only 60 inches wide..not BALES....lol. Got lots and lots of trees to have to get in between.

Gizmo36 · Nov 28, 2006

Me and a friend of mine was talking about that yesterday. if a rock rake would rake up leafs we have them in winrows .I don't see why It won't work.

bx23barry · Nov 30, 2006

There is something called a dump rake that would work better.

RonMar · Nov 30, 2006

I think you will have a hard time moveing them anywhere. That is a lot of leaves. It would be easier to move about if the volume was reduced. Have you thought about a PTO driven vac/shredder/blower? With the suction pipe offset to one side or the other, drive along your windrow. It could use an angled guide to help direct the leaves from the windrow into the suction pipe. It would need a shredder blade on the impeller at the inlet to break up the leave, like on a handheld leaf blower configured to vacume and shred leaves. The shredded leaves could pass on to a trailer or 3PH platform with fine mesh cloth over a box frame. I used to have one of the handheld ones that was pretty cool. It would reduce 5-6 large raked piles to about the volume of one large trashbag. It had a mesh bag that hooked onto the blower air outlet to collect the shreddings, just like a dust bag on a belt sander. The shredded leaves, at a greatly reduced volume, could then be dumped at the desired location. DR and some others make these with their own engine driven blower to tow behind lawn tractors. Mower deck starts the shred process and the deck exhaust is sent into the blower suction pipe.

Or you might have better luck with a long tined fork bucket and grapple with a mesh blade on it(like using a really big pitchfork). Treat it like snow and scoop as much as you can force into the grapple and move it a bucketfull at a time. Sure am glad I don't do that anymore.