Tips on using a rock rake - or am I expecting too much?

[FTG-05]

Like a lot of you, I have rocks, lots of rocks on my +30 acres. Most of it isn't too bad as long as I don't get into the ground much, but when I do - rock city!

In particular, my pole barn field has been torn up somewhat; by the previous owner for his burn pit and by me attempting my first deer food plot. Turned up a bunch of rocks.

I got a Tractor Supply rock rake a couple months ago in a package deal, seemed like a good deal at the time. Now that I've used it a couple times trying to clear rocks, I'm now not so sure. Then again, maybe it's the way I'm using it or perhaps I have too high expectations for gathering rocks off my field.

Here's a small portion of my pole barn field. I've been over this ground about 4-5 times and you can still rocks where the RR went over and over. You can also see the pile of dirt, debris and rocks that it did pick up and make a pile of.

Am I using it wrong? Is it not designed to collect rocks so you get them to one place or at least in one row or whatever. Do I have it set too high or too low? Maybe it doesn't weigh enough or the tension bar (or whatever it is) needs to be moved down further or.......?

Pics below,

Thanks for any suggestions and tips.

 

[Creamer]

I love my landscape rake but I have never found it too useful with a lot of loose plant residue. I have used ti to level a mature lawn that had a few bumps and a little roughness in making it take the tops off but mostly I have used it on my driveway and garden areas to do leveling. I have also used it when I regraded an area to smooth it out and clean up all the stuff so I have a nice smooth clean planting area.

I have seen guys put a little weight on the rake itself to hold it down better. Don't go crazy - 200 lbs would be fine but I certainly would not go 500.

If you could get the area mowed down and play with the vertical angle by adjusting the toplink on your 3 pt you should get to round up the rock that are on top very well.

 

[FTG-05]

I bushhogged the field today, so that's done.

Didn't think about the top link. Should it be shorter (less angle) or longer (steeper angle)?

Thanks!

 

[whis]

you have to keep going over it, shorter runs will help. only draw back is sometimes more you go over it the more it pulls up

 

[Coyote machine]

That rake's a couple of months old?! You MUST be kidding? A box blade would do a much better job of leveling that land. A rock rake is good for some things, mostly driveways that need maintaining. You've got a mix match of stuff there. Level it first than clear of rocks. Lots of work to be done....

 

[jenkinsph]

I don't think a landscape rake will work well for this job with the grass kept in place. Picking up the rocks and throwing in a fel bucket will, lots of work though. Not too bad if you have two people walking ahead throwing the rocks in with one person driving. Drive up and down in lanes 20 feet wide or so and pick them up.

Otherwise you can till and or disc it up, probably will find even more rocks and you can windrow these with a rake. When you finish the field the smaller rocks can be pressed down below the surface.

Picking them up might go faster than most people think, I have done this several times on small fields. Hardest part is convincing people to do it, most think that everything needs to be done with a machine.

 

[FTG-05]

That rake's a couple of months old?! You MUST be kidding? A box blade would do a much better job of leveling that land. A rock rake is good for some things, mostly driveways that need maintaining. You've got a mix match of stuff there. Level it first than clear of rocks. Lots of work to be done....

I got it a couple months ago via a Craigslist ad in a package deal along with a 25 gallon sprayer set up. I have no idea how old it is, although I did find a model and serial number on it a couple days ago.

I'm not trying to level the ground; I'm trying to pick the rocks up e.g. a "rock" rake, that's what I got it for. Having said that, I leveled the field next to my shop a couple days ago, starting with the box blade and the rippers down one hole, then rock raked it. I was quite impressed with how well the RR leveled the ground. Not so much with how it picked up and moved the rocks.

I'm over 60: picking up rocks got old fast when I first started trying to get the rocks out of the field when I bought this place a couple years ago. Hence, why I bought a "rock" rake. It's sole purpose (at the time) was to collect and move the rocks to one place for easier disposal or pickup or whatever. If I have to go over 4-6-10 times, that's not gonna work out too well; way too much time and too much gas.

Since I bushhogged the field yesterday, I should go out and take another pic to show the remaining rocks.

Thanks,

 

[jenkinsph]

You might try raking the rocks into windrows spaced about 50 to 75 feet apart, then use a backpack leaf blower to get the grass out. Pick up the rocks with your bucket to dispose of them.

 

[Creamer]

I bushhogged the field today, so that's done.

Didn't think about the top link. Should it be shorter (less angle) or longer (steeper angle)?

Thanks!

Shortening the toplink disengages the teeth, lengthening it engages the teeth, i.e. makes them dig in more. You will find a balance where the rocks will not just slide under the rake but it is not just digging and bouncing.

Somebody suggester windrows of rocks which is entirely possible and can be done two ways - 1) trying to drag them and dump them in a line or 2) by angling the rake side-to-side and allowing them to all roll to one side. I like the #2 option better because trying to drag them will let the rocks roll out one side of the rake or the other but angling it to one side makes them all move to one side and then you can do another pass the next rake width over to move them again. When you get a row big enough you can pile them with your scoop.

Make sure your three point is level and if you angle your rake make sure it is level fore-aft with the top link so that one end is not digging and the other is up in the air.

Good Luck!

 

[jenkinsph]

I got it a couple months ago via a Craigslist ad in a package deal along with a 25 gallon sprayer set up. I have no idea how old it is, although I did find a model and serial number on it a couple days ago.

I'm not trying to level the ground; I'm trying to pick the rocks up e.g. a "rock" rake, that's what I got it for. Having said that, I leveled the field next to my shop a couple days ago, starting with the box blade and the rippers down one hole, then rock raked it. I was quite impressed with how well the RR leveled the ground. Not so much with how it picked up and moved the rocks.

I'm over 60: picking up rocks got old fast when I first started trying to get the rocks out of the field when I bought this place a couple years ago. Hence, why I bought a "rock" rake. It's sole purpose (at the time) was to collect and move the rocks to one place for easier disposal or pickup or whatever. If I have to go over 4-6-10 times, that's not gonna work out too well; way too much time and too much gas.

Since I bushhogged the field yesterday, I should go out and take another pic to show the remaining rocks.

Thanks,

What you are calling a rock rake most of us call it a landscape rake. There are many of us over 60 on this forum nothing unusual about that. A picture and a rough idea of the size of the area to be cleared would help. If the rocks aren't too plentiful a three person team can clear an acre / 1.5 hours that how it has averaged out for me. I have a rock bucket and two landscape rakes which work much better on tilled ground but not with vegetation growing as in your pictures. Your expectations may be too high as you mentioned.

Another method I use with a rake is to work up a windrow of rocks by driving forward about 50 to 75 ft and dump the rake then drive forward another 50 to 75 ft and dump the rake. Making successive passes I wind up with windrows of rocks and grassy debris, I then use a backpack leaf blower and blow the grass off the windrow. I pick up the windrows with a rock bucket or standard bucket to dispose of them.

To get a decent grade on a field as pictured below requires rock removal, my experience has been that rocks don't grade well. I have to remove them to get good results. I have found that picking them up is the cheapest way to do it. No shortage of rocks here in the Rocky Mountains.