LANDSCAPE RAKE - For Kubota B3300SU

[jeff9366]

I am considering a Landscape Rake for my Kubota B3300SU/33-hp/1,900 pounds. B3300SU rear tire width is 59"

B3300SU Operator's Manual, under IMPLEMENT LIMITATIONS, shows 66" / 550 pounds for Rear Blades, nothing for Landscape Rakes. (IMPLEMENT LIMITATIONS seem ultra conservative.)

I have one hydraulic remote at the rear, which I may or may not use with the rake.

Primary use: woods cleanup: collecting ripped-out vines, bush hogged brush, fallen branches before carrying to burn pile with debris forks mounted on FEL. Secondary use: trail maintenance.

Thus far I have web researched Land Pride, which is available from my Kubota dealer. Land Pride LR-16 / 72". Hydraulic kit is an option. No weight for LR-16 listed on Land Pride's web site.

Land Pride's next heavier blade, LR-26, is NOT available in 72", only 84" and 96".

How does one determine if Landscape Blade can be rotated 180 degrees while mounted on the three point hitch?

I am open to any brand. I consider quality before price.

Suggestions? Experience?

 

[RoyJackson]

Any will work, actually. My suggestion is to buy a rake with gauge wheels...much easier to prevent digging in on uneven ground.
You might also want to consider a ratchet rake (for your FEL) instead. No personal experience, but a lot of TBNers like 'em and they are considerably less expensive then landscape rakes (especially one with gauge wheels).

 

[Wolfy]

The 72" LandPride landscape rake weighs somewhere near 300 lbs. As Roy suggested, the gauge wheels are the way to go. They add about $300 to the rake. I have a 84" LandPride rake, it works real nice. But I also have, a 1980's vintage 72" Modern Impliments rake. Can't complain there either. I know the Modern can be rotated, never tried to rotate the LandPride. The only problem I had, was one bushing on the gauge wheel was so tight, the wheel wouldn't come off easy.

 

[jeff9366]

You might also want to consider a ratchet rake (for your FEL) instead.

I have a 52" Ratchet Rake and it does work pretty well at gathering brush, and is a great tool overall.
However, my woods and trail maintenance work require enough time that I am considering a dedicated tool/Landscape Rake that I hope will be optimally effective.

Based on my Box Blade experience, where heavier is better, I am concerned that 72" Land Pride LR-16 at 300 pounds may not be heavy enough. However, I see that 72" Everything Attachments' Landscape Rake is 338 pounds, not too much heavier.

My Landscape Rake uncertainty initiated this T-B-N thread.

 

[Gem99ultra]

I have a 72" Lienbach rake for my L3400 Kubota. My gage was to determine the width as 1' wider than the tractor tracks. Most likely a 5' rake will be your choice for your B3300SU. I believe the tongue length on all rakes will allow swivel 180 degrees.

While most everyone strongly encourages the addition of the gage wheels, I did buy them, but have only used them a couple of times. For a large open area, I can see their value. But for my tight spots, the extra length is a problem. And, for the $300+ price, I'd suggest that you buy the rake now and add the gage wheels later if you think you need them. They can be ordered separately from the rake and are easy to put on and take off.

Unfortunately, I do not recommend the Lienbach brand solely because of the brittle tines. I have to keep several in stock due to breakage. I do understand that Everything Attachments has a much better tine (Italian steel) as standard equipment. I do have 3-spool Top & Tilt hydraulic remotes, but I think that your 1-spool remote used for the top is an adequate starter. Later, when you can, I'd recommend that you expand your spool to a 3-spool. Never too much hydraulics

The Ratchet Rake is often talked about on here, however, I do not have one nor have I used one. It would be surprising though if it were more useful than the landscape rake. I use mine for raking up rocks, sticks, ripping out briars, leveling the limestone driveway, and cleaning up the thatch from the yard - as well as leveling the garden and covering seed in the food plot for deer. Next to my box blade, I find it's the most useful attachment in my collection.

 

[jeff9366]

Using the Ratchet Rake to collect woods debris, I also collect quite a bit of dirt as the RR lower teeth are only 2" long. I let the piled debris and dirt dry for a week, then shake out the half the dirt by bouncing the elevated load on the Debris Forks a few times, gently. Half the dirt falls through the six tines of the Debris Forks, which are spaced 9-1/2" apart. After bouncing the load it is, perhaps, 80% organic, 20% dirt. The balance is carried to a burn pile.

Will a Landscape Rake pull less dirt combined with the woods debris, either with all the tines or every-other-tine removed?

How important is the spring action of the tines?

When collecting debris do you usually operate forward, or with the Landscape Rake "backwards", in reverse?

Videos on Youtube often depict debris collection with rake "backwards" and tractor operating in reverse.


{ Ratchet Rake is a really useful, versatile tool. No maintenance, easy on/off, heavy, strong. Works best at tearing out vegetation above ground and up to 3" below ground. It does a lot of other things but not quite as well. }

Photo #1 is wild grape vines pulled out of trees and roots from underground with RR. This is one of three piles for the day.

Photo #2 is one load of the vines on the Debris Forks several days later. Had to drive tractor in reverse to burn pile due to danglers. Needed the disc as rear ballast.

 

[Gem99ultra]

More than likely, the breaking of tines is 'operator error' Trying to turn sharply with the rake on the ground tends to push them in a way that they were not intended to be pushed. The tines from Everything Attachments are much thicker and probably better spring steel than the Leinbach tines. On the other hand - they, when bought separately, are much more expensive. Replacing mine at $15 per, is not an option.

I have removed every other tine for raking pine straw. Seems to rake pine straw better that way. But for small sticks, rocks and de-thatching, I use all of the tines. I normally operate in forward simply because that's more comfortable. But I don't hesitate to flip the rake around to push up piles either. It's just not a problem either way. I've seen the YouTube video as well.

I'm thinking that the video of the guy pulling grape vines is using forks on front. For very heavy underbrush, I'll also use my forks tilted down almost to the ground and roll the bucket to break them loose, and drag them out. I doubt that the guy needed the disc harrow on back for ballast. The vines shouldn't be all that heavy. My guess is that he was using the harrow for something else and just left it on there. I often do that with my box blade...

I'm not battering the Ratchet Rake at all. Might be a very handy tool. In fact, I'm almost inclined to buy one just to have around. One cannot have 'too many' tools All I'm saying is that for it's intended use, the landscape rake meets it's purpose.

 

[nk3t]

How does one determine if Landscape Blade can be rotated 180 degrees while mounted on the three point hitch?

I have a Land Pride rake LR0560 with gauge wheels on a BX 1860. I tried rotating 180 degrees, but the gauge wheel mount hits.

 

[jeff9366]

I'm thinking that the video of the guy pulling grape vines is using forks on front.

Ratchet Rake was used to pull vines and collect them. RR is visible on the bucket.

I doubt that the guy needed the disc harrow on back for ballast. The vines shouldn't be all that heavy. My guess is that he was using the harrow for something else and just left it on there.

The vines and dirt were right at the lift capacity of my bucket, which is minimum of 750 pounds, less 55 pounds for the aluminum Debris Forks, so close to 700 pounds of vines and dirt.

Ballast behind the tractor substantially reduces strain of the front axle, in this case with a full load initially moving over rough ground, front axle stress was considerable.