Landscape Rake - First time building anything

[kwolfe]

Attached are pictures of the rear blade I bought used about 6 months ago (now that I have seen others this one looks homemade). It works well for plowing snow, however has sat idle since I bought a box blade.

Since I have spent more money on a tractor than my wife would like to ever admit, I have limited funds for other implements. This is why I am coming to you all for your suggestions.

Attached are four pictures of my rear blade. As you can see, the blade has a 1" spindle that is welded to the extending arm. The spindle has been drilled and uses a 1/2" bolt to hold the blade on. Taking out that bolt should let the blade drop right off.

I have done a lot of research and am planning on using 3" by 3" by 1/4" angle to attach 30 tines (making the rake 5') to. In order to attach it to the spindle, I was thinking of welding 2" by 2" square to the front of the angle. I would then drill a hole down through the tube for the spindle. Finally I was think of welding a plate on the top of the whol gismo with holes drilled in it so I can angle the rake.

By the way, the spindle seems a little short. It only extends between 2 and 3 inches down from the extension. I was think about cutting it off and drilling for a new one. Not quite sure it is worth it.

OK, I will stop ramble and wait for you comments. Please don't worry about offending me. If you have better ideas, I am all ears.

 

[kwolfe]

Duh, I forgot to ask. I am thinking about using the two hole tines from Agri-Supply however buying th one hole ones would save me about $30. What are your thoughts on this as well. Thanks again.

 

[MadReferee]

Forget the 1-hole tines. Unless you put in some type of spacer between the tines they will rotate. Get the 2-hole and mount them 2" on center. That is what I used on my home made rake. I would suggest using 4" x 4" x 1/4" angle as that is a little more heavy duty with less flex and gives more room for mounting holes. Woods uses this for their rakes. I used a 5" x 1/2" flat bar for mine.

 

[kwolfe]

Forget the 1-hole tines. Unless you put in some type of spacer between the tines they will rotate. Get the 2-hole and mount them 2" on center. That is what I used on my home made rake. I would suggest using 4" x 4" x 1/4" angle as that is a little more heavy duty with less flex and gives more room for mounting holes. Woods uses this for their rakes. I used a 5" x 1/2" flat bar for mine.

Now that you mention it, you are right. 4" would be better. Do you think I should ditch the existing spindle and replace it with a high grade 1"+ bolt? It would be easer to replace if something bent. I am also going to rework the way the blade hooks up next fall. The current design stinks.

 

[MadReferee]

If I recall correctly, I used 7/8" or 1" grade 8 bolts. Expensive but they work fine.

If you are going to use angle instead of flat bar be advised that the angle will bend. About 2 years ago another poster brought a Woods rake into my shop for straightening. It seems he backed into something and bent the heck out of the angle. I ended up re-straightening the angle and adding braces to prevent further damage. I posted a thread about this over a year ago.

 

[kwolfe]

I was thinking 1" grade8. I was planning on getting extra angle in order to put a 2" box brace every 12" or so. I think that should be plenty strong for my bx1500.

 

[MadReferee]

As you can see from my earlier pictures, I welded a length of 3" angle on the back of the 4" angle and then added a piece of 3" flat bar to the inside of the rake. This was done to both ends of the rake. This was for a B2910 and it doesn't matter what size tractor you have, the rake can still bend if hit just right with the right amount of force.

 

[kwolfe]

I just bought 30 tines from Agir-Supply. The total with delievery came to $113.70 delivered to PA. I am planning on making the rake 5", so the tines will be 2" on center. I am going to the scrap yard tomorrow to pick up the angle iron I need. I am taking Mad's advice and going with 4"x4" angle. Looks like I'll be drilling 60 holes very soon.

The existing blade set up I am using has a 1" steel rod that is welded to the frame. I would like to replace it if possible. I do not have a welder, or drill larger then 1/2" at home and the piece is to big to bring into the shop at work. Should I just try and use the existing spindle. I was going to replace it with a 1" grade 8 bolt.

 

[MadReferee]

Crap. I should have warned you about paying an arm and a leg for shipping. If you would have broken the tine order into 2 orders of 10 the shipping would have been way less. I got 36 tines and saved a bundle on shipping by using 2 orders.

 

[DanielAlexander]

I got lucky, I searched out previous posts on landscape rake construction and hit Mad's tip on splitting the order up, thanks Mad.