Unpowered rake or harrow?

[RedneckSavant]

Traction. I see it all the time. People on 4x4 stuck in mud/ice/sand. Without friction you'll spin no matter how many tires you have rotating.

How to increase friction in this application? Increase weight - put the rocks and garbage in that field in your truck bed. Wider tires with a more aggressive profile or chains would help too. Unless that harrow gets stuck on debris there is no reason you shouldn't be able to readily pull it with proper traction.

I'd consider using investing in some soft metal bolts though. Use them like shear pins to prevent damage to your vehicle and the harrow. They're cheap in comparison. You could simply use a length of chain and bolt thru the receiver pin hole - not a bad idea as it could get that harrow a little farther behind you making your line of pull more horizontal and increasing it's efficacy. (Less lift = more harrow friction, often achieved by weighting the harrow).

AAAND I just saw how old this thread is - you've got grass or trees in that field again already! I'll leave my comment as it may help someone else. Also curious how you finally managed?

 

[CodeMonkey]

Yeah - the small truck would pull it fine in dry dirt even with street tires - although in some areas I had to use 4WD due to the slopes, it just won't get into some of the nooks and crannies that the tractor would have.

Yes, I have grass in those woods now. Gophers have made a mess of it after having smoothing out, but still more or less smooth.

I now have a bigger mess to cleanup on the back acreage:



15 slash piles to burn. Excavator ruts/etc. to smooth out. Hardwood and other logs to cut up. *sigh*