Is a power rake the same thing as a Harley rake and is this better than a root grapple + landscape rake?

[dirttoys]

Power rake is generic harley. Rock hound does or did make a good variation as well.

Break the soil with a x, hoe, ripper, or disk. If the soil is loose the rake will have no trouble wind-rowing even large rocks. Get it loose and rock free-ish down 3 or 4 inches. Then make passes at an inch or two for finish.

As someone above said, not sure what I would do with a harley rake without gauge wheels.

If you just have one spot, rent for sure, they are (at least mine) the implement I have to work on the most. That said, they do "stuff" nothing else will do.

Best,

ed

 

[Cataclysm]

Excellent! Is there a particular brand to look at? I've got maybe 5-7 acres to clear, a 60 hp tractor and won't be using this much after that unless I get some crazy idea to do this as a side hustle. In fact, given the cost, I might even just rent one. 72" for under $1000 for a month in my area. That might be the more financially responsibly way to go.

Harley Power Rake Landscape - Tractor Rental | Sunbelt Rentals

A harley power rake which features a tractor attachment that allows the user to break up hard soils and create a smooth finish. This attachment has a working width of 72"

www.sunbeltrentals.com

As listed in the video mine is made by Woods. While I really haven't had problems with mine, I'd stay with a known, major brand to insure parts availability if you buy one.

Renting could be a great option if you have limited use.

 

[Cataclysm]

Your video is the first time I have seen a Power Rake operating with gauge wheels. In your video the gauge wheel tracks are nearly continuous.

Gauge wheels are an expensive option.

Have you found the optional gauge wheels worth the expense?

I believe the gauge wheels to be well worth the expense. In some tight places I have ran with my gauge wheels up. The rake doesn't do nearly as good a job of leveling with the gauge wheels up. You have to slow down and be quick on the lift lever.

In this video I am digging in pretty good with the rake and pulling forward pretty hard to move a larger quantity of material further for the initial passes. With the slotted top link pin hole that does cause the gauge wheels to lift a bit.

On subsequent passes I lighten up on depth and increase ground speed to give a better, overall smooth surface.

 

[Cataclysm]

Thanks for the input. While I was clearing with the excavator I got a little overzealous clearing out those size rocks so the area done so far might be fine. I expect I'll find more along the way and pull those out with the backhoe. But your idea about the rock grapple is certainly the direction I am leaning. You can do some root with it and lifting logs and dealing with brush should still be fine but the ability to sift all those smallish rocks saves a lot of bending over and gathering them by hand for sure. I've seen some rock grapples I like but they are a bit on the heavy side. I'll likely be running a Kioti DK6010SE and the loader has the following specs. Just need to find something that comfortably works with those specs. My understanding is the grapple should be no more than half the lift weight of the loader at the pins which feels like it might be pushing it if I am lifting 14-16 pine and oak logs. Granted, they aren't that round but I do get some up in the 14-16 inch range. Not sure what those weight but I'm guessing I'll be near my limit.

Lift Capacity to Full Height at Pivot Pins	2,474 lbs. (1,122 kg)
Breakout Force at Pivot Pins	3,895 lbs. (1,767 kg)
Bucket Rollback Force at Ground Line	3,148 lbs. (1,428 kg)

I use a 72" Everything Attachments Wicked Root grapple to pick up the rocks and sticks the power rake brings to the surface. EA's Wicked grapples are the best and very light.

 

[mikester]

Excellent! Is there a particular brand to look at? I've got maybe 5-7 acres to clear, a 60 hp tractor and won't be using this much after that unless I get some crazy idea to do this as a side hustle. In fact, given the cost, I might even just rent one. 72" for under $1000 for a month in my area. That might be the more financially responsibly way to go.

Harley Power Rake Landscape - Tractor Rental | Sunbelt Rentals

A harley power rake which features a tractor attachment that allows the user to break up hard soils and create a smooth finish. This attachment has a working width of 72"

www.sunbeltrentals.com

You can rent a forestry mulcher on a CTL for the land clearing and use it like a power rake for finishing up.

 

[justtheengineer]

Without sounding like a salesman, have you considered a TR3 instead of the Harley/power rake? (full disclosure, I work for the company that makes them, but have used them on my own property and they work great) It costs less and has fewer moving parts. It will prep the soil for seeding and help with land clearing (still need the graple). You could use it for gravel driveway work or other things instead of buying a one trick attachment.

 

[future_vision]

Without sounding like a salesman, have you considered a TR3 instead of the Harley/power rake? (full disclosure, I work for the company that makes them, but have used them on my own property and they work great) It costs less and has fewer moving parts. It will prep the soil for seeding and help with land clearing (still need the graple). You could use it for gravel driveway work or other things instead of buying a one trick attachment.

Curse you! Lol! Just when I thought I was networking things down a new implement pops up. This looks interesting. Just don't see how it'll do a good job getting rocks and roots or of the ground but as a replacement for a box blade and landscape rake it's an option for sure

 

[future_vision]

Looking at the rock/skeleton grapple I'm wondering if it makes sense to just get a skeleton bucket and a root grapple instead. I'll still need to rent a power rake for the 'fine tuning' of the soil but for the bigger debris I'm wondering if the two more specialized implements are better than a combo like a skeleton grapple and possibly cheaper?

 

[Surshot]

They do not call it the Granite State for nothing. Every piece of property I have ever seen there is bordered compleatly with granite bolder rock walls. Look for the walls.
If your property was never rocked, hard to believe, but possible, especially if it was discovered to have larger bolders than could be moved or broken up, then you could have a bigger problem than a tractor can solve.
I lived in NH for a couple of decades, graduated HS and college there. I have hunted and wandered that state from end to end and side to side. Built a house outside of Manchester, used blast mats to put in the foundation and water lines.
Good Luck.

 

[future_vision]

They do not call it the Granite State for nothing. Every piece of property I have ever seen there is bordered compleatly with granite bolder rock walls. Look for the walls.
If your property was never rocked, hard to believe, but possible, especially if it was discovered to have larger bolders than could be moved or broken up, then you could have a bigger problem than a tractor can solve.
I lived in NH for a couple of decades, graduated HS and college there. I have hunted and wandered that state from end to end and side to side. Built a house outside of Manchester, used blast mats to put in the foundation and water lines.
Good Luck.

I believe you. I've rented an 18,000 lb excavator and dug up some seriously large boulders but the area is not riddled with them. At least not the acre or so I've already worked on clearing. I haven't hit any serious stuff yet but I know it is there but further back on the property. Mostly in the wetland area which is never going to be touched. But I would say most of what I've come across can be can probably be handled with a tractor or subframe backhoe one way or another. That and maybe one of those 12,000 lb winches from Harbor Freight. At least that is what I would like to believe. People have moved huge rocks for millennia without a tractor why can't I?