Yard Raking Attachments

[willimi1]

You should look at a Cyclone Rake, best attachment I have installed. It handles small sticks and pine needles and small cones. It attaches to your belly mower or zero turn deck and sucks from the discharge.. I found mine on FB marketplace for much less than a new one. Good luck

 

[KennJ]

Let me know your results. I’m thinking I will need to build something.
Landscape rakes seem like they might be too harsh.
I’m considering stiffening the tines on my pine needle rake by adding a horizontal by crossbrace across the complete set of tines, about six inches above grade. This would prevent flexing, but the debris would likely clog it up too quickly.
Just a real pain. I’ve raked 3x this year due to high winds. There’s gotta be an easier way.

I've found with landscape rakes the grass balls up and rolls out the back. They are great for gravel but no good for lawns!

DR Power Equipement sells tow behind gas powered lawn and leaf vacuums: https://www.drpower.com/power-equipment/leaf-blowers-vacuums/tow-behind-leaf-vacs

Here is a good article comparing DR and Cyclone Rake: DR Lawn Vacuum Vs. Cyclone Rake: In-depth Differences

 

[airbiscuit]

Have tou tried attaching a board to stiffen up your tines yet?

Otherwise I think a dethatcher with shorter/stiffer tines would do what you are looking for.

 

[Signmandave]

Anybody have a GOOD way to rake their yard with some sort of attachment or yard tool outside of a good old-fashioned hand rake?
I have over one and 2/3 acres of yard with many maples and Sycamore trees that lose branches and twigs like leaves. Every time there is wind, I am out there raking by hand and in many cases, I am raking the complete yard by hand.
I have tried a Pineneedle Rake, and the tires are so springy that they release the raked contents after a little loading, and do no good. I do have an Estate Rake, but twigs are not its friend. It does wonders for detaching, however.
Other options I have thought of our a power rake like a Shindiawa or Stihl, and although it’s not manually raking, hustling a 40 pound yard tool with an 18 inch brush or rubber, paddle roller, seems like a fair amount of work.
Having a $20,000 tractor sitting there, sure tries to get me to think of ways to either find an attachment, or make something that would work to save me some time.
Any thoughts are appreciated.

I have used a 60” lawn sweeper for the last several years. It does take a little patience to find the best setting for the lawn but once you have it everything set up it works great. I have pulled it with my tractor, side by side and lawn mower, it has a fairly large hopper but during the fall I will make several trips to dump the leaves. My problem leaves are from Magnolias that line 750’ of my property. The leaves are thick and extremely hard to rake by hand. The sweeper definitely makes the job easy.

 

[TORQUIN]

I have a rake like this: VEVOR Tow Behind Landscape Rake, 72" Tow Dethatcher with 32 Steel Tines, Lawn Dethatcher Rake Attaches to Category 1, 3 Point Hitch for Tractor, for Leaves, Pine Needles, Straw, and Grass | VEVOR US
, but made in the USA, and it works well for light stuff, like leaves and pine needles. Dad used to use it under the oak trees in his yard. It is not as harsh on the dirt as a landscape rake.
The one above seems to be a little better design, as it looks like you can replace the tines easily. Mine has welded-on tines.

Chris

 

[robertm]

I have a rake like this: VEVOR Tow Behind Landscape Rake, 72" Tow Dethatcher with 32 Steel Tines, Lawn Dethatcher Rake Attaches to Category 1, 3 Point Hitch for Tractor, for Leaves, Pine Needles, Straw, and Grass | VEVOR US
, but made in the USA, and it works well for light stuff, like leaves and pine needles. Dad used to use it under the oak trees in his yard. It is not as harsh on the dirt as a landscape rake.
The one above seems to be a little better design, as it looks like you can replace the tines easily. Mine has welded-on tines.

Chris

I have the same thing. The long tines are too springy, and once loaded, the tines roll over the collected debris and drag it across the yard. As I mentioned above, I’m thinking about bolting on a crossbrace to stiffen them up and try that.
The dethatcher from Good Tractors looks good, but I might make my own and add it before or after the pine needle rake tines.

 

[Carl_NH]

Roberttm - for that price $160, buy two and bolt or piggyback them into one double rake and if debris still gets thru, slip a 4" x 48" strip of chicken wire or mesh wire on the second set of teeth. $350 or less and you have a yard rake.

 

[airbiscuit]

I made my own dethatcher many years ago to pull behind my lawn tractor. I used baler/siderake tines bolted top a u-channel I welded up. It is heavier than the homeowner styles that are for sale. I hate raking, so I use this on my wooded lawn. It does pretty well collecting the sticks and debris (a few slip through, but not many. Here it is.

I think your pine straw work will work better if stiffened up with a horizontal board(s). Otherwise this

 

[FullMetalBucket]

And the link to the crappy lawn rake?

Amazon link

Going to give it a go tomorrow.

 

[howardjohn]

What about one of those carts with a vaccum that attaches to a mower? Or mdifying one that you could vaccum up the lawn as you go over it? Or a big blower that goes on the back of a tractor? That is what I use to blowmy leaves into the woods.