Landscape rake question

[Runs With Scissors]

I've been kicking around the idea of ordering a landscape rake. I have small gravel driveway at the cottage and a small area that needs a once over to clean it up a little.

Last year, I box bladed the drive, and for the life of me I could not get the "lines" where the box blade ends to smooth out. My neighbor came over and lent me a tool that looked like a chain link fence with 2 big bars running width wise and told me to go over it with that thing.

It worked pretty good and smoothed it out nicely, so my question is this.

Will a landscape rake smooth out those lines like that tool I borrowed, or will it also leave those annoying "edge lines"?

Paul

 

[woodman55]

I have a landscape rake and also a land plane/grading scraper. I think you would have better luck with a land plane. The plane has runners, so that may help with the edges.

 

[UpNorthMI]

Buy a chain harrow, it will do a great job of leveling edges and even smooth your drive, just like what you borrowed. TSC sell them.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

keep using your neighbour's tool.....
late farmer dragged a similar 'creation', every Sunday, after church, before brunch and his 700+ driveway was the BEST in the county.Always smooth and level. His was just a steel beam and some old tractor tire chains. I made a similar one, 30 years ago, still use it to 'groom' the forest trails, pull behind the BX23S.

 

[B737]

landscape rake with gauge wheels and know how to use your toplink

 

[Vigo]

I think a landscape rake is a better tool for maintaining (not repairing) a drive than a box blade is, but it'll still be finicky to blend out edges and require you to mess around with the 3pt. Gauge wheels will help A LOT.

But im inclined to agree that unless you have some other use for it (they aren't particularly cheap) i would just stick to the far cheaper drag harrow thing . It is still possible to suspend them from a 3pt frame of sorts so that you can pick them up with 3pt if desired. Just more work on the front end if you care to do it.

If you DO have some other use for it, i actually think the landscape rake is one of the most versatile basic attachments you can have!

 

[jyoutz]

I

landscape rake with gauge wheels and know how to use your toplink

I turn my rear blade around backwards and float it to get the same results.

 

[B737]

I turn my rear blade around backwards and float it to get the same results.

A rear blade is trash for such jobs. The tractor is moving up and down the rear blade is moving up and down. It’s a total pain in the ass.

if you wanna save money, not time, have at it.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

I'm in the land plane camp!
I've had and used multiple different blades, drags, and landscape rakes and the land plane beat the snot out of them all!
Smooth, level, and drop and go, no fancy floating or adjusting (besides initial leveling) required.

 

[RCW]

Everyone has their favorite. Understand that.

A box blade does need a little learning, but my favorite on my smaller driveway.

Have to be very careful of grades so that water goes right direction.

Got my box blade used years ago. Not heavy duty, but it’s really my favorite implement.

 

[jyoutz]

A rear blade is trash for such jobs. The tractor is moving up and down the rear blade is moving up and down. It’s a total pain in the ass.

if you wanna save money, not time, have at it.

It works fine for me. And gauge wheels can be used on a rear blade the same as a rake. No different.

 

[jyoutz]

It

I'm in the land plane camp!
I've had and used multiple different blades, drags, and landscape rakes and the land plane beat the snot out of them all!
Smooth, level, and drop and go, no fancy floating or adjusting (besides initial leveling) required.

It really is the best tool for grading gravel flat, but it’s a one trick pony and isn’t good at crowning or cutting ditches.

 

[D.jFarm78]

I use a rake with gauge wheels then remove the top link and just let it float since we have a lot of hills. Smooths it out pretty good.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

It

It really is the best tool for grading gravel flat, but it’s a one trick pony and isn’t good at crowning or cutting ditches.

I can crown mine with it, I can also set a slope with it.
It's all in knowing how to manipulate it.

 

[hoot owl]

I am in the same boat about buying a rake.
My question is are they good for raking leaves and sticks. I live in the forest, no neighbor's for 1/2 a mile across the hills.
My driveway is over a 1/2 mile long and I have been leveling it the best I can with shovel and rake for 16 years.
I really enjoyed using the scraper to plow the 6" of snow. Looking forward to using the tractor this spring/summer.

 

[D2Cat]

You'll eventually get sticks and larger rocks caught in the tines, but no matter what it beats a shovel and rake. If the rake loads up with leaves you can often move to an area out of the way and back up and it pretty well clears itself. Or you can keep going and really pack the leaves in and then use a "stick" to clear the tines.

Down in your neck of the woods you may find a used on on Craigslist or FB Marketplace.

 

[woodman55]

I use my rake to clean up sawdust, bark, wood trash, ect. It works well. The hyd top link makes it at least x2 as good as normal.

 

[jyoutz]

If you want

I am in the same boat about buying a rake.
My question is are they good for raking leaves and sticks. I live in the forest, no neighbor's for 1/2 a mile across the hills.
My driveway is over a 1/2 mile long and I have been leveling it the best I can with shovel and rake for 16 years.
I really enjoyed using the scraper to plow the 6" of snow. Looking forward to using the tractor this spring/summer.

If you want something to rake leaves and sticks, look into something called a pinestraw rake. I believe EA sells them.

 

[Runs With Scissors]

Dang, now I'm even more on the fence. I should have asked something less controversial like "What is the best oil?.......JUST KIDDING!!!!!

Thanks to all for your replies and the pics y'all posted. It seems like the cheapest route is the drag mat for smoothing out a small gravel drive.

Land Planes, I have heard, are fantastic; but it's hard to justify the expense since I already have a box blade that I need to learn to use better.

If I end up with more uses for one I'll get it, but for now I'll probably hold off and make a drag mat for a few dollars and some scrap metal.

 

[D2Cat]

Runs With Scissors, since you can fabricate why not build your own?

I've build a couple these and they work excellent. I use the pickup teeth from a hay baler. Doesn't matter if it is big round or small square, they are 6' wide, have four rows of teeth mounted on steel angle or round stock. Remove the entire row of teeth (as a unit) leaving them mounted as they were on the baler. Get all four of the reels.

Build a frame for the row of teeth. Use what you have, I used 1 1/2" angle. Basically 6'x4' frame. Then need the steel to make the 3pt attachment. Make it from scratch, or remove the whole thing from another piece of equipment. Bolt the 6' rows of teeth 12" apart on the frame you made.

Need to fabricate with the idea of need to replace the pickup teeth when one brakes or lost. I mention this because some balers install the teeth (round hole in the spring part) over a round tubing. I would pass on this design because it requires removing all the teeth in the way of the one needing replaced. Other models attach the teeth with a curled washer and bolt. Much better design because each tooth is independent of the others.

This implement works real good for working up rock in the driveway that has been packed down by winter traffic. A few slow trips and it looks like you hauled in tons of rock. (I've have had neighbors see what I was doing and asked if I'd do there, how much?) It look that good!

Also use for dethatching grass, or once it's dethatched use it as a rake for anything needing raked. The four rows of teeth are staggered and so it does a good job of missing nothing.

I basically have nothing in it for material, just time and it out performs anything I've seen that is similar to it. Check local scrap dealer for old farm implements for the baler teeth.