After getting our hands on a D6D (See my dad's topic " Cat D6D--a decent farm cat? ") We successfully traded for a c-frame and brush rake and I just finished bolting it on. Last year I used a 2U D8 with a homemade brush rake to clear a small area for storage but there was a lot of dirt being mixed into the slash. So I am just wondering if there are any tips and tricks for using a root/brush rake. this will be used both to clear brush, uproot stumps (Both green and dead, and relatively small ones - absolute largest being pine trees with 10" trunks) and to clean up slash piles that have been accumulating for the past 40 years. (My dad calls it a Stump Ranch for a reason :tong )
Best used when the ground conditions are dry, dirt falls off easier, and lift and roll the blade full to keep it turning over to allow dirt to drop out rather than push it as a straight push and push dirt in front or the timber.
Thanks for that tip, i'll try it with my little ctl and root rake. I've been trying to figure out how to make it work better. puffie, how heavy is that 6? ken
Thanks for the tip. Ken, the D6D is 20,000lbs (10 tons) and the D8 is 38,000lbs (19 tons)
I would think a D6D with a canopy/ stick rake etc would be more like the 15/16 ton mark.
Our stick rakes are angled to lay back a bit to encourage the material to roll. My rakes are a walk-in design. I will attempt to attach some photos. Plus I will include a photo of a tree spear. this enable you to tackle larger trees and be further away from them when the root ball comes up.
Thats a wild setup. It reminds me of the old pictures of the CATS they used on the King Ranch in Texas.
I like that pin-on tree pusher and rake, although I'm not sure the soils/trees we have would allow a rake that wide. I'l like a rake about like the one in the 1st photo.
Bullpuncher/D6c10K Our rakes are stick rakes not rootrakes. Generally we pulled our timber with two tractors joined together with heavy chain(ships anchor chain from 1.5" to 3" dia link material) 200 to 300' long. Using tractors from D6 up to D9(and equivalent Allis, Inter and Komatsu). Then move in with the stickrakes. My unit is a D5N fitted with 16' rake. Rake lies on the ground and you just walk up to it and push it with the blade and it stands up and then you attach it with 4 bolts - whole process takes max 15mins. Hundreds and hundreds of thousands of hectares of land has been cleared up in Australia by this method. I am sure Deas would have participated in this in his day. I would hate to saddle up to a 100acre paddock with either of the first rakes. you would want to take a big water bottle as you'd be there for awhile. D6 would be fitted with 18/20', D7 20/22', D8 25'+ and D9 30'. You need flatter country with the larger rakes. Large loaders were also commonly fitted with rakes especially in the western plains of Queensland. I may have photos of dozers scrub pulling with chains - if so I'll post them on here.