have a couple ?'s regarding landscape rake..

leeinmemphis · May 27, 2006

have a couple ?\'s regarding landscape rake..

Hey everyone,

I have done a lot of reading about everyones implements and from the sound of things I could really use a landscape rake. I have looked at a few brands and am fairly sure that I would prefer to get a Woods branded landscape rake. i know I have read on here that gauge wheels do alot of good for making the rake work better but my main question is what is the difference between gauge wheels and a rear wheel? Woods offers both and I honestly can't figure out why either would be really necessary? I have a kubota 5040 4x4 tractor and will likely be looking at the 7' units with the hydraulic cylinder for adjusting angles and a set of gauge wheels. My farm is fairly small but we have put in a couple miles of trails that will need to be maintained and it sounds like this tool could be a great addition.

leeinmemphis · May 27, 2006

have a couple ?\'s regarding landscape rake..

Hey everyone,

I have done a lot of reading about everyones implements and from the sound of things I could really use a landscape rake. I have looked at a few brands and am fairly sure that I would prefer to get a Woods branded landscape rake. i know I have read on here that gauge wheels do alot of good for making the rake work better but my main question is what is the difference between gauge wheels and a rear wheel? Woods offers both and I honestly can't figure out why either would be really necessary? I have a kubota 5040 4x4 tractor and will likely be looking at the 7' units with the hydraulic cylinder for adjusting angles and a set of gauge wheels. My farm is fairly small but we have put in a couple miles of trails that will need to be maintained and it sounds like this tool could be a great addition.

Slamfire · May 27, 2006

Re: have a couple ?\'s regarding landscape rake..

I've not seen the rear wheel on the Woods, but as for gauge wheels, I have a couple on my landscape rake. I put them in place of a couple of tines, equidistant between the end and the middle of the rake. They are adjustable for height. The purpose is to keep the rake from digging in too deeply and bogging the tractor down, or pulling up a big pile of dirt/vegetation. My ground isn't anywhere near level, so I float the 3 point control, and let the gauge wheels set the depth that the tines get into the ground. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
I find the implement handy for pulling the gravel on the driveway out of the clay that runs off the adjacent ground. I also use it in the spring, when preparing a new seed bed to pull out some of the stones. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

Slamfire · May 27, 2006

Re: have a couple ?\'s regarding landscape rake..

I've not seen the rear wheel on the Woods, but as for gauge wheels, I have a couple on my landscape rake. I put them in place of a couple of tines, equidistant between the end and the middle of the rake. They are adjustable for height. The purpose is to keep the rake from digging in too deeply and bogging the tractor down, or pulling up a big pile of dirt/vegetation. My ground isn't anywhere near level, so I float the 3 point control, and let the gauge wheels set the depth that the tines get into the ground. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
I find the implement handy for pulling the gravel on the driveway out of the clay that runs off the adjacent ground. I also use it in the spring, when preparing a new seed bed to pull out some of the stones. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

OkieG · May 28, 2006

Re: have a couple ?\'s regarding landscape rake..

...and I honestly can't figure out why either would be really necessary?

Probably not necessary, ...but can be useful. Anytime you suspend an implement between sets of wheels, the result is less choppy. A roadgrader is a good example. The gauge/tail wheel(s) act sort of like the rear wheels of the road grader.

By the way, powered landscape rakes (ie Harley-type rakes) all come with gauge wheels as standard equipment.

OkieG

OkieG · May 28, 2006

Re: have a couple ?\'s regarding landscape rake..

...and I honestly can't figure out why either would be really necessary?

Probably not necessary, ...but can be useful. Anytime you suspend an implement between sets of wheels, the result is less choppy. A roadgrader is a good example. The gauge/tail wheel(s) act sort of like the rear wheels of the road grader.

By the way, powered landscape rakes (ie Harley-type rakes) all come with gauge wheels as standard equipment.

OkieG

dubba · May 28, 2006

Re: have a couple ?\'s regarding landscape rake..

I find my wheels allow me to set the crown on the driveway & trails easier. Having to wheels allows me to set the depth of each end of the rake. My previous rake did not have wheels & the job always took longer trying to get the grade right.

I think the single wheel would make sense on a grader blade, but not on a landscape rake.

dubba · May 28, 2006

Re: have a couple ?\'s regarding landscape rake..

I find my wheels allow me to set the crown on the driveway & trails easier. Having to wheels allows me to set the depth of each end of the rake. My previous rake did not have wheels & the job always took longer trying to get the grade right.

I think the single wheel would make sense on a grader blade, but not on a landscape rake.

coffeeman · May 29, 2006

Re: have a couple ?\'s regarding landscape rake..

Hi there dubba

Are you saying a landscape rake can help with a driveway? Then equipped with a set of wheels one could set one wheel higher and get a little slant on drive lane in order to get water run off? Or do I have this wrong?

Cheers....Coffeeman

coffeeman · May 29, 2006

Re: have a couple ?\'s regarding landscape rake..

Hi there dubba

Are you saying a landscape rake can help with a driveway? Then equipped with a set of wheels one could set one wheel higher and get a little slant on drive lane in order to get water run off? Or do I have this wrong?

Cheers....Coffeeman

dubba · May 29, 2006

Re: have a couple ?\'s regarding landscape rake..

exactly. I use my rake on my drive every spring. Setting an aggressive crown is easy with the wheels. Also IMHO a rake works better when the leading teeth are biting deeper than the others allowing material to get "sorted" along the teeth with the undesirable big rocks getting windrowed into the middle, then setting the rake real lite & windrowing them into the ditch.

A few other observations about landscape rakes.

They do not deal with sod well.

They prefer the surface to be chopped up first. Not necessary on a gravel drive. (Unless you have one as hard as mine. All I do is wait until spring, just before it dries up.) Chopping is more necessary on lawn & field repair.

If the tines aren't clanging, it's overloaded. Try going a little faster, if it won't clear, change the setup.

Rakes are not a one pass device. If you need a one pass device, buy a Harley rake for 5 grand. Even then you'll probably need 2 or 3 passes.

Your results may vary...

dubba · May 29, 2006

Re: have a couple ?\'s regarding landscape rake..

exactly. I use my rake on my drive every spring. Setting an aggressive crown is easy with the wheels. Also IMHO a rake works better when the leading teeth are biting deeper than the others allowing material to get "sorted" along the teeth with the undesirable big rocks getting windrowed into the middle, then setting the rake real lite & windrowing them into the ditch.

A few other observations about landscape rakes.

They do not deal with sod well.

They prefer the surface to be chopped up first. Not necessary on a gravel drive. (Unless you have one as hard as mine. All I do is wait until spring, just before it dries up.) Chopping is more necessary on lawn & field repair.

If the tines aren't clanging, it's overloaded. Try going a little faster, if it won't clear, change the setup.

Rakes are not a one pass device. If you need a one pass device, buy a Harley rake for 5 grand. Even then you'll probably need 2 or 3 passes.

Your results may vary...

Slamfire · May 30, 2006

Re: have a couple ?\'s regarding landscape rake..

You really have to examine the grade your driveway is on. You don't want to just crown the middle if one side is higher than the other. That will result in water standing in the drive and it will rut badly when driven across. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

Slamfire · May 30, 2006

Re: have a couple ?\'s regarding landscape rake..

You really have to examine the grade your driveway is on. You don't want to just crown the middle if one side is higher than the other. That will result in water standing in the drive and it will rut badly when driven across. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

coffeeman · May 30, 2006

Re: have a couple ?\'s regarding landscape rake..

So on a nice downgrade one could get the water to a ditch? Seems like something I might want to check out.

Cheers..Coffeeman

coffeeman · May 30, 2006

Re: have a couple ?\'s regarding landscape rake..

So on a nice downgrade one could get the water to a ditch? Seems like something I might want to check out.

Cheers..Coffeeman

Hard · Jun 1, 2006

Re: have a couple ?\'s regarding landscape rake..

I have a Woods 5' rake, no wheels. Works great on smoothing out trails, gravel, raking up debris. And it fits on the TSC/Speeco quick hitch.

Hard · Jun 1, 2006

Re: have a couple ?\'s regarding landscape rake..

I have a Woods 5' rake, no wheels. Works great on smoothing out trails, gravel, raking up debris. And it fits on the TSC/Speeco quick hitch.