?? About landscape rakes

[AlbertC]

I have a lot of trees that are always dropping small limbs and sticks that need to be picked up. I assume that a landscape rake is the tool to get this done.

When using the rake to rake limbs into a pile, do you ride over the sticks and drag the limbs or do you put the tractor in reverse and push the sticks into a pile?

Also is there any way to do this without gathering the leaves into the pile. If you remove every other rake tine would it work better?

Thanks

 

[countrybumpkin]

I’m curios what others say too, I’ve got one on order and will be doing this a bunch with it also. But I’ll be fine with it gathering leaves too

 

[AchingBack]

As long as the sticks aren't long enough to do damage to undercarriage parts, you can drive over them. However, caution is always the watch word.

 

[jeff9366]

You cannot use a Landscape Rake on turf/lawn. The tines will seize the turf and rip patches of turf out of the ground.

 

[/pine]

...You cannot use a Landscape Rake on turf/lawn...

Sure you can if you have gauge wheels and an adjustable top link...

 

[32 chev]

A pine straw rake works great for leaves, sticks and twigs, small branches, etc.

 

[TSO]

I use a landscape rake on grass when needed ... you certainly can use them on grass if you're careful. And like has already been said, as long as you can safely drive over them without stabbing your tractor in the belly, you're fine. I've never used mine "backwards" ... I'm sure it will work that way too, but just know that the "pushing" motion will exert more force DOWN to the ground that the "pulling" motion. So if you're concerned with scratching up the turf, pushing may not be the best attack.

 

[sd455dan]

Sure you can if you have gauge wheels and an adjustable top link...

YEP...

 

[CADplans]

Your grass will look like this after raking,,,

Obviously, I have a rake, and I have gauge wheels,,,
we pick up sticks by hand, too many divots are removed,,,:thumbdown:

(the pic is my daughters lawn after a major re-excavation)

 

[countrybumpkin]

Obviously you did a bit more than a lite rake over on that.

 

[CADplans]

Obviously you did a bit more than a lite rake over on that.

Three LARGE trees removed, two basement deep french drains that are 3 feet wide,,
and the land graded so the water will run away from the house,,,

Yea, more than a lite raking,,,
I ran the landplane over it before the raking,,,

The landplane made it much more level than the D3 CAT left it,, also smoother.

 

[Wolfy]

Not sure how many trees you have, but honestly it is just as easy to use a wheelbarrow for this particular chore.

 

[CADplans]

Not sure how many trees you have, but honestly it is just as easy to use a wheelbarrow for this particular chore.

That really depends on your age,, I am at the age that I do not like to pick up more than twenty things at a time,
so, a couple hundred sticks can take a month,,,,

A guy gave me an old hay rake, that did a pretty good job.
the rake tines were rubber mounted, they would flex before you lifted sod.

With that rake, I would end up with a wind row of sticks.

 

[Wolfy]

The problem I find is that when you run over the sticks, they get crushed up into small bits. While on the stronger pieces, I worry about puncturing a $ tire.

 

[Wolfy]

Having said that, I believe the landscape rake is about the best implement to have.

 

[Code54]

In our yard running a landscape rake to gather sticks would cause too damage. A lot depends on your turf, the lay of the land, type of tines on the rake and the weight of the rake. In my case we have a lot of little humps and rolls and the rake tears them all up. I also find that lighter rakes do better in yards where heavier duty ones seems to do more damage and the tines flex less.
As others mentioned there maybe better options than a landscape rake.

 

[Peter 315]

I second vote the pine straw rake I have one it works good on the grass picking up sticks , pine cones, leaves, and also detaches the grass

 

[countrybumpkin]

Mine isn’t for the yard, it is for a few acres of field that I keep mowed with a rotary cutter, we’re I have a bunch of large oak trees that drop a bunch of limbs from 3” down. Plus a bunch of other stuff I’ve to do

 

[kthompson]

I use landscape rake on lawn from time to time and normally no issue damaging grass then will hit a spot that may have some damage but nothing of any important. Normally I feel the little pulled out to be opening up too thick grass. The ability to rake the sticks and not the leaves will work better with at least every other tooth removed. Might be you need to remove two of three, much will depend on the size of the leaves and sticks.

If I were going to do this I would remove some teeth in different spacing say every other one and then two of three and test it.

 

[Thomas]

Good chance you'll rip up chunks of grass here and there and you'll still have to pick up sticks etc.,get what you can w/rake and go slow what I do.