How to pick up pine needles?

[gizmo111]

Red Dirt...I forgot to ask you approx., how high, wide, and deep the brush forks are? Thank you again for the great post.

 

[IMCA38]

I use a 3PH dethatcher that I built a few years ago. I take the gauge wheels off, and I can back up and stick the rake under the tree, drop it down and drag a big pile of needles out into the open. Then I load them up in my FEL and dump them.

 

[RedDirt]

gizmo111, my rake is five feet wide. Measuring from the bottom & tractor side of the "L" tine support piece the forks are three feet long spaced six inches on center and the rear rack is three feet high. This is a nice size for the BX and works great for pine needles (but oak leaves are a bit of trouble). Build yours to suit your tractor size.
Also...When logging our property we were able to fell and limb the trees then run the rake up the stem of the tree to pick up the limbs, both sides, and only have to touch(sometimes) less than 5% of the limbs. We'd work up one tree at a time. Fall, limb, haul limbs away, buck, skid, then do another. I was amazed at how much the FEL rake would haul...about a pick-up bed full, stacked cab high or more, for each load.
From the tree the limbs went straight to the burn pile. With the forks you can dump high, introducing air space into the load so the limbs burn quicker. I use to shove a pile of limbs into a burn pile. Not only did the pile continue to grow in diameter, pushing reduces the air space and the limbs would take longer to burn.
My logger friends love working here...they hardly touch a branch! A few years ago we sent out 4 full log trucks from our three acres (leaving that much or more) and I banked another few cords of fire wood from the tops.

 

[gizmo111]

I use a 3PH dethatcher that I built a few years ago. I take the gauge wheels off, and I can back up and stick the rake under the tree, drop it down and drag a big pile of needles out into the open. Then I load them up in my FEL and dump them.

Thank you for the great info and especially the picture.

 

[gizmo111]

Thank you very much RedDirt for your reply and of course the pictures you posted earlier. I am going to build one like you did as it can be used as a rake and a loader. Thanks again for sharing.