Pond Rake

[stray]

I need to design and build a pond rake. I would like it to extend about 15 feet out from the PT. I think it needs to be 4 feet wide and the teeth about 2 feet deep. I have in mind using 3/8 rod for the teeth. I made a rake I use by hand (some what smaller) it worked well but a lot of work. I have altogether about 4 acres of water (5 ponds). I was wondering if any of you all had any ideas or new of any thing similar one could buy and adapt for this job.

 

[MossRoad]

I'll bet with something protruding 15 feet out in front of the PT that you can tip it on its nose with one hand. So, I cannot recommend anything like that.

I have seen some hand operated ones that look like a Y shape with a rope connected to the base of the Y. You toss it out as far as you can, let it sink, and pull it in. The leading edges of the arms are sharpened, so it cuts the weed off at the bottom. Hmmm.. maybe that is a weed cutter and not a rake. Anywho, any weight sticking way out front might get you a result like this...

Official PT test Pilot!

 

[stray]

Nice pick but you know very well if you straighten that PT out you could easily load those logs. LOL Later on I will take some pics and explain the pond situation better.
I don’t need to lift any thing but the rake at the 14 or 15 feet. Just pull weeds in. Drop the rake in, let it hit the bottom and pull back.

 

[Charlie_Iliff]

<font color="red"> if you straighten that PT out you could easily load those logs </font>

He did and it did

 

[MossRoad]

OK. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

But remember, if the rake gets stuck on something sticking way out there and you step on the reverse pedal, you're going to tip forward. And since the seat also tips forward, you're going to have a belly full of steering wheel real quick. Just experiment and go slow. And of course, take interesting photos /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif.

Ask the folks with the mini hoe's how it works if they step on the reverse pedal when the bucket is buried in the bottom of a hole. /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[FOURTEEN]

"" you're going to have a belly full of steering wheel ""


Always wear your seat belt!!

If your belly hits the steering wheel with your seat belt fastened, you need to get a smaller belly!!!!

/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[stray]

Thanks guys I’ll sure keep that in mind. Ideas and thoughts like this are just what I’m looking for. Thanks again!!!!

 

[Sedgewood]

<font color="red"> I need to design and build a pond rake. I would like it to extend about 15 feet out from the PT. I think it needs to be 4 feet wide and the teeth about 2 feet deep. </font>

I took the wimpy tines off my Power Trac rake & replaced them with 18 inch tedder tines. Something like that might work for you. The tines are in two alternating rows, one on either side of the 5 ft bar. Works great pulling weeds out of ditches /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

Sedgewood

 

[pairodime]

The current power trac rake looks like the one you created /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[stray]

Yes something like that has possibilities for me at least for the rake part. that still leaves the handle.
Here are some pics of my hand pond rake. It works very well for man power. What I am shooting for is to make one with a strong enough but light handle that won’t bend when the end is mounted to a receiver hitch that I put on a quick plate for the PT. I want it to be 4 ft wide and I don’t want to have to back the PT up the full 15 ft but I need it that long. Pulleys? Sections? Cylinders? Or what?

 

[stray]

The Receiver Hitch plate

 

[Schultz]

I made my rake out of angle iron. It's 4' wide with tines on both sides. Each tine is about 18" (9" to a side). Hole thing weighs about 20 lbs. You toss it out as far as you can then pull it in with the tractor. I did the double tines so it wouldn't matter what side it landed on but it turns out the top tines pull in as much as the bottom tines. I'm mainly pulling out milfloil so I can get my boat in easily.

Attached is a rendering of the design that I welded together.

First time I tossed it in the milfoil, it disappeared and I thought, Oh s*** I'll never get that out. We'll the little ingersoll pulled it out without spinning a wheel.

Maybe you PT'ers can make one six feet wide, using a clever real of rope and a boom pole. Drive up to the pond edge as fast as it will go, hit the brakes er' tredle and cast it out there 15' or so. Ok that wouldn't work, but it sounds fun.
Tim

 

[Schultz]

Let's try that attachment again.

 

[stray]

Yes, and thank you a lot. This is a whole different concept than the way I have been thinking. This type of rake would be much ease to make. I don’t know about the swinging it from a boom pole though. LOL Any thoughts or words on how easy the weeds come off once you get it out of the water. Any thing you would change for weeds growing up from the bottom as in the pics. I am sure that this type rake would pull them loose.

 

[J_J]

Have you tried a product called Rodeo, it is similar to Roundup but it is safe for aquatic life. You spray it in the area of the weeds, and it settles around the root system and is absorbed. It is supposed to kill the whole plant.

 

[Schultz]

Mine is tossed from the end of the dock see attachment.

Removing the weeds is a dirty job since I have muck around the lake, no sandy bottom just muck and bog. To remove the weeds I pull most off by hand until I can lift it, then I shake the rest off. It will pull up about 75-100lbs at a time. In half hour I can clear a section 15' wide by 30' long down to the mud. If I had a helper it would go twice as fast. It will even pull out lilly pad roots too, but there's enough left that the lilys still grow.

I've lived on this lake before the milfoil took over, the mucky edges used to be filled with fish beds. As a second benefit after a raking I noticed the fish quickly move in and create their dished beds in the mud, so I like that too.

It looks like your weeds are milfoil too, if they are then it should work fine. I wouldn't think my rake would work well on the tall sparse sea weeds.

The rake rendering is after three modifications. My first generation had the rope tied to the outside ends to save weight, but that started to fold in half so I added the bent strap to pull on. That too started to bend in half, then I added the inside reinforcements. It's been working just fine since.

 

[stray]

Looks like you have a nice place to play or work I meant. I think I am going to built that rake much like yours. The only reason it won't be just like your is I’ll use material i can find. Thanks for the info about how much it will pull in and that your weeds look as if they are like mine. I will let you know how it works. Thanks again very much.

 

[Schultz]

Thanks, for the compliment, we do enjoy being in the country. My rake was build out of stuff laying around, its not as pretty as the rendering. The angle iron came from a bed frame, and a real estate sign.

 

[stray]

This thing works and pulls in a lot of pond weeds and the power trac does the lifting. But as you said it is still a lot of work and it would go twice as fast if one had some help. The rake is thrown in by hand (it’s a little heavy to throw 25 or 30 ft but can be done) just don’t let the rope get tangled around your feet. Pull it in to the bank by hand (it pulls easy as long as the rake and weeds are in the water. When it gets to the bank it stands on its end. Then get the power trac, catch it with the hook on the end of the boom and lift it out and into the buggy. You then have to rake the moss off by hand.

 

[stray]

Hooked and lifting moss out of the pond