Home Made Landscape Rake

[Makers_Mark]

Ooo good point. Looks like my decision is made for me. Cut 1" steel and weld in to the angle. No big deal but it is necessary.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Having put this rake through the test, the blades do rotate. I'm either going to weld a 1" piece of steel between each tine or weld the tines to the cross member. )</font>

As a metallurgist and AWS Certified welding inspector I would suggest the 1 inch spacers…. Welding the tines on is an invitation for premature failure of the tines. It’s not getting them stuck onto the angle that’s the problem, it is keeping from starting a stress riser that will cause a rapid fatigue failure of the tine at the weld. In Billy’s case where he has bolted the tines on with a single bolt he probably could safely put a tack weld on the end of each tine which would keep it from rotating, and if the weld failed there it would not matter much. He could just keep tacking it back on… Actually I think it might would just work fine.

Dave

 

[Anonymous Poster]

I would think welding them directly will take out the temper & they will no longer 'spring', but just bend where they were heated.

--->Paul

 

[Makers_Mark]

<font color="blue"> In Billy’s case where he has bolted the tines on with a single bolt he probably could safely put a tack weld on the end of each tine which would keep it from rotating, and if the weld failed there it would not matter much. He could just keep tacking it back on… Actually I think it might would just work fine.
Dave
</font>
I attempted to measure and cut 1" strips this weekend when I noticed that the tines did not all measure exactly 1" apart (I need a drill press). Some where off 1/16" or so. My first question this morning was going to be "could I tack the edge to of the tine to keep it fom rotating?" Thanks for answering that.

 

[moeh1]

Its worth repeating that Agri-supply has the 2 hole versions of the tines available. I used them and got the pleasure of twice as many holes to drill, but they are locked in place. I actually drilled smaller holes, then tapped all of them and used another nut on the top as a lock nut. My buddy who made the same rig drilled his out and just bolted them. He thinks I was a little carried away that week! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif Once I got going it wasn't that bad /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif I got my idea from my Rhino back blade user manual. The same manual covers both the back blade and the rake, with the identical 3 pt mount, just different parts diagrams for the blade and the rake. Saved some cad layout etc. we just used our blades as a guide and made the connection point to match what we had. The Rhino manual also showed single bolt tines, but they link multiple tines together with a short tie plate that incorporates spacers in between to prevent rotation. I guess while I'm reading my own words that if your spacing isn't equal, this wouldn't be be all that easy to implement /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

I looked at a rake this weekend. The tines are attached to the crossmember with one bolt each, like yours. Then, about 4" down the tines, there is a strip of metal - estimate about 1/2" wide - running above, and another below, the tines, from one end to the other, parallel to the cross member. In between the tines (which were not drilled), the strips were drilled and bolted togther, acting like a clamp on each tine to stabilize them and keep them from rotating.

My guess is that it's a lot easier to drill the strips than to drill the tines (thinner material and could be carried to a drill press), and possibly that lighter grade nuts and bolts can be used. The whole purpose of the clamping strips is to prevent sideways movement; there shouldn't be a lot of stress on them. I don't know how well it works, but I thought of you when I saw it. You could experiment with some scrap on a few of the tines.

 

[Carl_NH]

An another way w/o a lot of work is use some 1/4"-3/8" thick rubber belting (or a truck innertube folded) by weaving it between the tines then folding back attaching each end. This would allow flex and keep the tines apart.

Carl