Rake What's The Benefit of Wheels on a Landscape Rake?

[dshulsey]

I'm thinking of buying a landscape rake for seed prep and maintenance on my gravel driveway. My local dealer has a land pride LR15 without wheels...do I need to add them? Do they really make that much of a difference?

Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[M_Brown]

I have the wheels on mine and use it to maintain a gravel drive. The wheels allow me to put the rake all the way down and use the toplink to adjust the amount the tines contact the ground without having to raise and lower the whole rake and it seems to make a more precise adjustment. I am no expert by any means. I use the toplink adj to put more or less weight on the wheels which brings the tines in more or less contact with the road. In other words i use the wheels as a piviot to raise or lower the tine height. Without the wheels it will change height as the tractor moves over bumps and make it more difficult to make the road smooth. they also have spacers on them to raise or lower the rake above the ground. I can fill holes and make the road very smooth and it also brings up the gravel that is all packed in and makes it appear that gravel was added to the road bed. Works better in my opinion than a box scraper.

 

[sawduster98]

Ditto what M Brown said. One thing I'd add is to see if the wheels can be located on the front side of the rake as well as the normal backside position. I've seen some that do and some that don't have that feature. With wheels on the front you'll cover your tracks. You still use the wheels as a pivot point but now the rake can be a little more aggressive with a couple turns of the top link. Just my .02

 

[kebo]

They are generally known as gauge wheels. They are usually (but not always) adjustable which allows you to "gauge" the height of the tines above the grade that you are working.

 

[greg_g]

Mine are height adjustable and mount behind the tines. But about 95% of the time they're raised up and out of the way. They don't permit the kind of aggressive work I need out of the rake. So given the purposes for which I use the rake, they turned out to be a waste of money. Once I got more adept with the hydraulic position and draft controls, gauge wheels became redundant. The 5% of the I have used them in the past was either to level fresh gravel, or to wind-row cut weeds for burning. But it's been several years since they've been lowered. I've even given thought to simply taking them off and putting them on a shelf.

//greg//

 

[Rob-D]

I don't have them on my 6' Everything Attachments rake. I had them on my old York rake and never used them. If you have a tractor with an adjustable rock shaft hight I think you can get around the wheels.

Rob

 

[Army grunt]

Use it a few times an see. I take is youll get to know how to grade your drive an mostly everything else withought them. If it dosent work get them . What is the cost? $150.or so?
Army Grunt

 

[greg_g]

. If it dosent work get them . What is the cost? $150.or so?

I guess you don't own one. Gauge wheels can in some cases nearly double the price of the rake. That's why I consider mine to have been a waste of money

//greg//

 

[foggy1111]

I have an old Ford Landscape Rake. I have read about folks that like guage wheels on rakes.....but I have never had the need for them....and to me they would just be in the way.

I think how you set up the top-link can make a huge difference on rake operation. I'd try without wheels first. :thumbsup:

 

[dmay]

I'm thinking of buying a landscape rake for seed prep and maintenance on my gravel driveway. My local dealer has a land pride LR15 without wheels...do I need to add them? Do they really make that much of a difference?

Thanks in advance for your help!

Makes a difference if your tractor 3pt has no position control. I personally have never used guage wheels. If I want a light grading action I just turn the rake completely around so it floats on the tines. In this position you can add down force as well to increase grading action and not chew the ground up badly.