What size rear blade/rake?

[Gary_in_Indiana]

I have a John Deere 4200 HST with, I believe 28 overall HP and probably something in the neighborhood of 25 at the PTO (I'm really guessing at the PTO HP).

I'm looking at getting a rear blade and a landscape rake and am assuming that, as with most implements, I should be in the 6' size range. I also remember hearing about covering your tire tracks and wondered if 6' angled would still cover my tracks. How important is that with a rear blade or rake? Wouldn't 7' be too much for my tractor's HP or just too much for it to handle? Thanks!

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Gary, don't have a rear blade, but I bought a 6' rake for my little TC18 (14.5 PTO HP), and have no problems pulling it (with R4's and loaded rear tires). The only problem I have is that the small tractor does not have enough lift height to keep the rake level and still be able to lift it, so until I make some extensions, I have to run it tilted down, and this prevents me from running at an angle.

As I said, no power problems with this oversize (for my tractor) rake; there was enough power to bend one of the tines that got caught in a root. My tractor width is 48"; aligned straight, the 6' rake sticks out a foot on each side; I have to keep that in mind as I manuever.

 

[Rick Jay]

I've got a 6' blade on my Kubota B2910 and I think that's a good size for the tractor, which I think is similar power-wise to yours.

To determine blade "width" while angled, multiply the length of the blade by the cosine of the angle.

For instance, with a 72" blade:


15 degrees: 72" * 0.96 = 69"
30 degrees: 72" * 0.86 = 62"
45 degrees: 72" * 0.71 = 51"


The same holds true for the rake. I would guess you could handle a larger rake than blade due to the nature of each implement. I would think that 6' for the blade and 7' for the rake would be O.K.. If the blade will be used for light duty applications, then you might want to try a 7' blade.

Just my $0.02...which I believe is a fairly accurate assessment of what it's worth. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

~Rick