Landscape Rake

[AndyM]

I have about 600' of gravel drive the gets loaded with small branches, fir cones big leaf maple leaves and the like. Would a small landscape rake (like a Land Pride LR05 Series Landscape Rake) deal with this stuff? I look at the tines and wonder if the small stuff would just flow through it.

Thanks
Andy

 

[Brazos]

It may work well. I will say I bought a landscape rake recently and have found it very handy. In fact I have it hooked up most of the time. It does a lot of things very well. Just becareful not to back into a tree with your new landscape rake like I did. No mine is all bent and crooked but I am still using it.

 

[AndyM]

Thanks for the ifo. I know what you mean about backing up - just added some mirrors to improve my odds. (have had a couple of oops.)

 

[bcp]

The landscape rake needs gauge wheels and delicate top link adjustment or it will rake up your gravel, too.

Maybe a pine straw rake would be better.

https://www.everythingattachments.com/searchresults.asp?Search=pine+straw&Submit=Submit

Bruce

 

[AndyM]

"Maybe a pine straw rake would be better."


Thanks Bruce. I did wonder about those as well; same question on stuff going through. Douglas firs are huge but have tiny needles and cones (unlike the Pines I am familiar with).

I hear you on the gauge wheels - sounds like that's a good add.

Andy

 

[bcp]

I have hundreds of fir trees, and a landscape rake with gauge wheels. I hand rake my driveway (about 200ft) a couple of times a year. The rake is too aggressive on my slope changes and water bars.

I plan on trying a backpack blower when conditions are right.

Bruce

 

[AndyM]

I should have looked where you were from - you know all about Douglas firs!

Well good too know it might be too aggressive. I have been manually doing it and I do have a blower but it gets stale after a windstorm every couple of weeks in winter. Had hoped to make the BX earn it's keep.

Andy

 

[Creature Meadow]

I have a lot of trees along my drive about 1000' of road and 400' around house.

I use a Little Wonder push blower and a Echo back pack blower to keep my gravel roads clean.

I have a landscape rake I purchased from EA and it does a fine job maintaining the road but not thinking it will remove debris without taking gravel also.

For me blowers work best.

Good luck.

 

[gcmiller]

I'm a big proponent of backpack blowers, but I also believe when it comes to them, you need to go big or go home. The smaller stuff you buy from a big box store just doesn't compare to a large commercial grade blower. The higher CFM from a good commercial grade blower will clear a driveway like that in no time, even when the leaves are soaking wet. I have a Stihl BR600 (677 CFM) and it will blow gravel around if you're not careful.

 

[bearskinner]

I borrowed my neighbors huge Stihl backpack blower to blow the pine needles out of my driveway and parking area. I was truly amazed how efficient it was. Cleared a couple inches deep of pine needles instantly. I will second the go big or go home comment from above

 

[Creature Meadow]

My Little Wonder is amazing, 2260 CFM and 143 mph, I can roll piles of leaves and pine needles.

My roads average about 12' wide i push down the middle then turn around and push back through middle and road is done.

I also use it to blow gravel back in drive every few month. I walk in the grass few feet from drive and it blows the gravel that has migrated into the grass back where it belongs.

I often use the Echo back pack in conjuction with the push blower, this makes quick work of most tasks.

When I burn I also sit my Little Wonder at a safe distance and blow air into the pile to speed up burn.

 

[AndyM]

Well the good news is I think I have my answer (no to the landscape rake). The bad news is there goes my best laid plan for a new implement!

Thanks all - better to pick the right tool. A bigger blower it is.

Andy

 

[AndyM]

Picked up a Husqvarna 560 BTS. Not the baddest but plenty bad enough for me. It does an AMAZING job on the driveway even when wet. Very happy everyone streered me right.

 

[Buffalo]

I use a landscape rake, turned backwards, on my 900 foot gravel driveway. It
seems to "float" the gravel, and redistribute it just enough. I keep it angled, and
it dresses things up quite a bit, and can create a crown. I can't claim any
skill with it.

I don't know about pine needles, but we get
a lot of oak leaves here in southeastern Oklahoma. I have only gentle slopes.

 

[Missouribound]

If all you need is a rake for small debris the pine needle rake may be what you want. It works well for leaves as well but it won't do much for the gravel...or to the gravel. The landscape rake with wheels may be OK for you but the pine needle rake is considerably less money.

 

[Buffalo]

By the way, using my landscape rake "backwards" on gravel for years has resulted
in sharpening a few of the tines (the ones in the 'lead of the angle') almost to a point !

 

[AndyM]

Buffalo - neat idea on the turning the rake around.
Missouribound - pine needle rake may have been the ticket. I was concerned how it would handle the douglas fire needles (which, unlike the pine needles I am aware or, are very small and fine)

Hence the decision to try the bigger blower. Another advantage of the blower approach that I hadn't thought of is that it works in other areas. I do have some paved areas and quite a bit of deck the blower makes quick work of.

Having said all that, the grooming part may still lead me to looking at some type of rake in the future,

 

[bcp]

For anyone not familiar with fir needles, here is a photo. The individual needles are constantly falling. Hard winds bring down twigs or more.

I think a pine rake would work if there are twigs to help hold the loose needles between tines. If you rake often and have only the needles, then the tines may be too far apart. I would like to see what happens.

Bruce