Using a Landscape Rake

[Lou_B]

I just started using a landscape rake to remove rocks, level, and prepare an area for seeding with a grass mix. Up till now, I never had the opportunity to work on a big area.

Our sportsman's club decided to rebuild our rifle range. The big equipment is finishing up and we now have an area about 300 yards long and 200 ft wide full of Connecticut soil. Connecticut soil seems to be mostly rock.

I'm finding that it is difficult to get a decent rock-free area ready for planting. The landscape rake does a good job in leveling the area but just when I think an area is done, more rocks are pulled up. After 7 hours of work, the job is 1/3 done.

Does anyone have any tips for using a landscape rake? I'm using a fairly agressive angle (top link adjusted out) to start out and then shift to a mild angle when most of the bigger rocks are pulled to the surface. It takes 4 or 5 passes over the same area at different angles to get things relatively rock-free.

A view work in progress is attached. Anyone need some rocks? There are plenty!

Lou Braun

 

[Junkman]

I also am in CT and I have found that you just get the majority out of the way and go forward from there. I just came in from pulling my share of boulders that have come to the surface after the winter "heave". I do this every year and it is a never ending project. The only other thing to do is have someone prepare it with a Harley rake and you will then have enough rocks to start your own rock crushing business.

 

[SteveH_CT]

That looks great Lou - I'm close to starting that same process - I've been clearing some land for a while and I hope to start raking it out next weekend. Thanks for the picture,

 

[Chechnya]

Go slow, take your time, those rocks arent going anywhere(you'd wish).

Do you have anymore pics of your Challenger? Do you like the machine?

 

[riptides]

That looks great!

For the rocks? Well why not do an "Open Field Day", give everyone a five gallon bucket and hand out prizes for most collected?

I did this with my kids, paid them a dollar a bucket! And two years later I am still getting rocks, it never really ends.

Good luck,
-Mike Z. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Lou_B]

As you suggested, the rake works better at slower speeds. Using draft control set to slower 3-point lift response really pulls rocks out of the ground.

After raking a bit less than 3 acres, we took a time out to pick up rocks and toss them in the loader bucket. I lost track of how many bucket loads we removed!

The Challenger worked fine and the 7' rake didn't slow it down a bit. These tractors (and the practically identical Massey's) are tough machines.

Lou Braun

 

[DannyD]

I have one question, and I have shot on LOTS of ranges, why the worry so much about rocks? Most that I have seen are so filled with targets, and other things to shoot at, who cares.
After a year or so of shooting, wont most of it be shot up anyway

 

[Lou_B]

The main reason we decided to grade the area and remove all the rocks was to prevent ricochet and to plant tough grass for erosion control. The area needs to be smooth and rock-free to allow us to mow it later.

Range design is much more complicated than I first expected. We needed to have ricochet control (no bare rock showing) and backstops that will collect all the projectiles that are fired (lead control).

The biggest part of this job is removal of a large section of rock that was between the 25 and 100 yard line. This section required blasting. A photo of one rock pile is attached. No, a compact tractor can't even begin to budge this stuff - that job was saved for a D-8 Cat.

Lou Braun

 

[snmhanson]

I've been watching this thread to see if it can help me also. I too am trying to clear a huge amount of small, medium and large rocks from our land with a landscape rake and not having great results. I made a few passes with a box blade with teeth down to dig up the soil and larger rocks first and took out rocks by hand that I thought would be too big for the rake. I was then left with literally thousands of rocks that I was hoping the rake would pick up. After using the rake for a few hours I am not much better off than when I started. My problem is that the rake seems to pull as much dirt as rocks with it acting more like a rear blade than a rake. I have rows of rocks now but they are mixed in with a bunch of the soil. The rake also misses many of the rocks, usually just going over them. I took every third tine off to try to let more dirt pass through but no luck. I changed the angle of attack and tried tilting the blade and using it straight but that did not help either. I could ultimately probably get most of the rocks out with the rake but I would also end up taking out a large amount of our topsoil at the same time. Am I doing something wrong? Help me please!!!

Matt

 

[rjp444us]

Harley Rake Enough Said!!!! You would be done already. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif