Ratchet Rake - ever seen/used one?

[johnnyvol]

Got it yesterday and immediately installed it. Haven't done much with it yet as I'm in full on bush hog mode but I had to play a little. Once I get some practice I think this will be a great addition. I cleaned some fence rows while cutting and it was slick. It just grabs brush and vines and rips them out.

 

[TheIglu]

Got mine yesterday. Impressed with how well it works on our hard rocky New England soil.

 

[IslandTractor]

Got mine yesterday. Impressed with how well it works on our hard rocky New England soil.

Yep. I find that once I have cleared an area of large rocks and brush/trees/stumps with the grapple, that I can do a quick back dragging with the RR and leave the area pretty much ready for either grass seed or to return by itself naturally to field. I formerly used a 3PT rake to do that task but found it clogged up with debris/roots and moved more dirt than I wanted. The other nice thing about the RR is that it is loader mounted so you can be far more precise about what exactly you are doing than with a 3PT mounted implement. I use mine almost exclusively in back drag mode as I use the grapple for things like brush removal that could otherwise be done with the forward cutting edge of the RR. I go forward only to redistribute dirt. Very useful tool. Only downside is that you cannot scoop with the bucket when it is attached.

 

[Cherokee140]

Only downside is that you cannot scoop with the bucket when it is attached.

Yea...there is really no way around that, I have found that you can use the "front" teeth and the "bottom" teeth or both together and get very different results depending on what you are trying to do. I would put this tool on the must have list.....If you have a loader you need this tool.

 

[IslandTractor]

Yea...there is really no way around that, I have found that you can use the "front" teeth and the "bottom" teeth or both together and get very different results depending on what you are trying to do. I would put this tool on the must have list.....If you have a loader you need this tool.

The RR would be even more useful for removing light brush and easily pushed over saplings if you combine it with a bucket grapple. That way you could scrape up brush and then collect and move it with the same implement. I haven't checked recently but there used to be lots of bolt on or weld on hydraulic thumb attachments on ebay that can pretty easily be added to a bucket. Using a rear remote to control the grapple arm would be very easy for anyone with a rear remote (and everyone should have at least one!). That combo would not be quite as powerful as a true grapple for digging out bigger trees and rocks but it would be a HUGE improvement over just the RR alone. I'm kinda surprised that the folks who sell the RR haven't offered such a combo or add on as it would markedly improve the utility of their tool. The RR plus grapple would be a much better tool for example for someone just trying to reclaim a field that hadn't been mowed in four or five years or for someone pushing the boundaries of their yard into adjacent woodland. For those purposes it would be better than a true grapple as the RR leaves the soil smooth and ready for grass in one stage while a grapple needs to be followed with raking or box blade to level things up.

 

[edkemper]

I have to say it is the bomb for removing small trees. I have about 150 acres of second growth pine and there are thousands of smaller diameter trees to thin. Those that won't push over with the FEL are easily pushed over and pried out getting lower on the tree and lifting the front loader as you go forward. Removing brush is easier than I can believe. This is one of the best add ons I've purchased for my tractor.

 

[hobonc]

JJ I have drove by there place it was late and did not stop... There are a few places within a mile of them that make basically the same equipment... It sorta like the Hatfield and McCoy deal I have been told to go to both places and haggle a deal they will cut the others throat... Lexington NC style BBC is hard to beat they are in the neighborhood... BTW eastern NC style BBC uses a tomato past base

 

[Hayloft]

Hi there
Well I'm sure not to be the first one to use these but I just got a ratchet rake for my 35hp tractor and although have not had it long I'm happy with the company and the product so far. The attachment fit as advertised and all the pieces were sure enough there in the shipment delivery. Didnt take long to ship and got here fine. There were even basic instructions included - like a lot of us I didn't read them- figured what the heck this can't be hard. But I did notice it wasn't printed in Chinese.
(As a suggestion after youve used the rake and when you go to remove the rake from your loader it should go easy if you set it down on top of a flat surface at least a foot or so off the ground - some blocks or railroad tie or something- that will make reinstalling back on the loader pretty easy.)

The rake is easy to put on the loader\bucket and tie-down ratchet &straps & cable fit as advertised.
I have not had any trouble with the rake so far...brush clearing, a little driveway maintenance, and building about 500ft of walking path for landscaped area. I've got lots of brush clearing ahead of me still.

Yeah I watched the Utube clips about using the rake and the one that mentioned using chain and a load binder instead of the straps & ratchet when working extremely heavy brush clearing -does sound like a good idea. So far I have not had a problem though. Regards to everyone.

 

[almaryholm]

I put a large bolt through the holes in the "ears" of the bucket mount bracket to give me something to GRAB onto when installing/ removing...also coated the cables with plastic dip to protect cables (and my hands from stray cable wires)....

 

[jeff9366]

The rake is easy to put on the loader\bucket and tie-down ratchet &straps & cable fit as advertised.
I have not had any trouble with the rake so far...brush clearing, a little driveway maintenance, and building about 500ft of walking path for landscaped area. I've got lots of brush clearing ahead of me still.

I have had the shackle clevis pins fall out twice. I replaced OEM clevis with cotter pin secured clevis. At $2.99 each, pretty cheap way to avoid down time and possibly bending the Ratchet Rake. Note: We have the same tractor.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/180292344946?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT