Landscape rake

[SCB]

Hi Guys!
I'm looking at a few rakes. Seems the best price I've found is for a Howse 5' at 397.00 delivered. Anyone have one of those or another model to compare with. I seached the forums but had little luck finding any comparisons.
Thanks all
Steve

 

[Bob_Skurka]

I just used a 6' Howse rake on a B2910, the tractor didn't even know the rake was attached, you might want to consider going up to the 6' rake with your BX23? If I would have been buying the rake instead of borrowing it, I would have gone for at least an 8' rake with my tractor. By the way, the guy I borrowed the rake from also happens to be a dealer. He was selling the rake for $385.

 

[Will_C]

Steve; One thing you may want to consider with your BX is ground clearance. When I have the rake on my BX adjusted level, the rake only clears the ground by 3-4". If I had to do it again, I would buy a King Kutter or Woods model sized for a sub-compact.
I also think you will find the 6' rake too big, especially if you are going to do very much heavy raking.
Will

 

[DannyD]

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/download.php?Number=394792

check out this post before you buy. This rake has rounded metal instead of the frame. It causes this to not fit.

2 fixes are as follows, cut the curved part of the frame off and weld in a straight peice

or get one of the quick change (pats) and lengthen the arms that way.

soon as things iron out next week, Pat's will be on this tractor

this is a KK if you could not tell by the lousy pain and lousy color to boot

 

[RonR]

Wow Danny, I REALLY feel your pain!

I spent most of the morning fabricating some new pins for my used KK rear blade. Picked it up for a decent price, but I'm sure going to have to rework it. I wanted to add some new pins so Pat's system would work with it....... so I welded some angle below the existing frame..

And Mr. Stupid /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif(me), just finished welding some 3/8" thick angle under the frame, when I sat down with a coke and realized that with what I did, I wouldn't be able to swing the blade around. After verbally scolding myself, I figured I could live with it........

And then, when I tried hooking it up to the Bota--I hadn't gotten enough clearance for Pat's system to work......

Tomorrow AM, I plan to torch all that fine work off. If I can find some 1/2" strap, I might redo the hitch again.....

Seeing your pic--they must have the same frame. I ain't no engineer, but that appears to about the goofiest way to install a pin right in the radius of your bend........ The pins on my blade were loose when I got it.

Best wishes,
Ron

 

[RonR]

Danny, another thought about your post. What is the spacing on your pins on the KK rake? On my blade, it is about 30". Most of my other implements are between 22 and 24.

What I found with Pats, and others have referred to it here but I just didn't comprehend what they were saying, is that if you set your Pat's alignment to fit with a 24 inch spacing, you cannot back up to one with a 30" and have it align. Obviously, you have to spread the lift arms, which is no big deal.

But do this simple test. With your lift arms set at 24", align the ball (or Pat's) to be square with the pin. Now slide one arm out another 3" or so, to simulate the wider implement. You will notice that the ball (or Pat's) is now so out of angle that a pin would not go in it. Of course, with Pat's, you can adjust the alignment, but that kinda defeats the benefits of having Pat's.....

I still like the system, only now I am MUCH smarter and will check the size of any new implement I buy or will make sure I can successfully mod a used one to have 24" spacing on my pins.

Hope this clarifies.
Ron

 

[Junkman]

I have a Howse that I took in trade from a friend who got it with a tractor purchase and never used it. Neither did the first owner. I am the third owner and I haven't used it either. I already have a 5' York Modern, the original manufacturer of York rakes and that one was set up for a Cat 0 hitch. I got the changed over bar to use it with the Kubota BX22, but I have to do some changes to accommodate the top link pin. That is too tight for the Cat 1 also. I haven't tried the Howse, because it doesn't have the gauge wheel kit. Without wheels, they don't work as well in my opinion. I like the original York, because it has a scarifier that drops down and also a leveling blade that will drop down. Both of these two options make it a great landscaping blade. I have owned it for about 20 years now. If I have time this weekend, I will hook up mine and give it a try. Will fill you in on the performance details then.

 

[BXMMCC]

If you are into cutting and welding, maybe you can get a 6 footer to work on a BX.

I have a Woods Estate series 5 footer, and it works just fine. When I spin it around to use it in reverse, the ends just clear the link arms. If it were to be even 3 inches longer, I wouldn't be able to reverse it.
Look into the KK x series-they're supposed to also be sized for subcompact tractors like the BX.
I think Henro modified his rake so that it would fit on a BX. Do a search on his posts - pretty recent.

 

[DannyD]

I have seen the posts on this. I am no engineer for this stuff, but what I thought about was a frame that would hitch to the tractors 3 pt, then allow adjustments to the width of the new arms on the frame to fit multiple implements.

Sort of like, you can slide each side out to fit whatever implements, and they are straight out. The bottom bar would be similar to a receiver on a trailer hitch, the slide would have the new bars to hold Pats system

 

[SCB]

Thanks for all the posts. I sure would appreciate it Junkman if you could let me know about the fit up of the Howse. If and when you get the chance. Will, your post didn't exactly say, but do you have the Howse rake? Clearance won't be too much of an issue as I am going to use it mostly for rock removal and dirt prep on a pretty level area. But I am not a welder, so the actual fit is my major concern? Thanks for the input on the larger rakes. I am actually only considering a 5' rake though, due to the areas that I will be needing to access.
Steve