I'm thinking about building a dozer rake similar to this: http://www.ransome-equip.com/lpdozerrake.html Have any of you used them? How well do they work for clearing land of brush,undergrowth, and roots? Is there anything you think should be kept in mind when building it, like teeth spacing, size of teeth, or amount which they hang below the cutting edge. Other tips? Thanks for any advice!
Ok, forget about my asking for tips on spacing and tooth size, I can worry about that later. I'd be happy just knowing how well they work.:yup
If you want a proper brush rake try find one or have a look at this one www.weldco-beales.com/default.aspx?LID=162
That's a nice one alright. I wonder what my chances are of finding a used one?(any brand) I'm gonna have to check e-bay. I've done alittle reading up how they're built, and I'm thinking maybe it'd be better to buy one than make it since they are put under alot of stress and made from harder metal. It'de all be a waste of time and money if a "homemade" one feel all apart right away.
I have used one like the one Fords link it worked Good. It was on a D6 but we also have very sandy soil where I was using it. I would build one with the teeth ~8"-1' apart, 1' od cutting depth, and put a good curve one them to get the grub rolling up out of the dirt.
get the curve to the tines as dozerboy said. the key to using a brush rake is to get the material rolling to clean out the dirt for burning. i never pile brush in under 2nd gear, 3rd if downhill or sloping ground.
Thanks Dozerboy and Big Iron, I'll keep that in mind. I'm going to look around abit at what's available before I think about building one. For $1500 I can pick up a cheap one, but I have a feeling it's just that. I'll see what some better ones go for. I like the idea of the replacable teeth, like in LT's link.
A rake. Hi JeffD. I went and had a look at the Ransomes rakes on the site that you posted. They look reasonably solid for medium weight clearing and your little JD is not about to do much damage to really heavy trees. I don't know if anything like it has hit your part of the world but here in DownUnder there are several A/M manufacturers who make a 'drive-in' rake attachment for dozers. They are mainly intended for use with straight dozer blades but I can see no reason why the same principle wouldn't work with an angle blade if the rake was designed for it. Basically, they are a heavy bottom beam with the rake teeth welded to it, side extensions to give you some reasonable raking width and a top beam to hold it all together. There are usually a couple of legs on the back of the rake to hold it in the upright position when the dozer blade isn't in there to hold it up. You drive the blade into the frame of the rake and simply pin or bolt it on. Quite a few agricultural contractors DownUnder use them for raking as they attach or remove so easily and they can take their bare dozer straight from a clearing job on to an earthworks job in literally minutes. This style also has an added plus in that it gives more protection to your radiator and front end because of the extra height above the original blade. If you are interested, I will see if I can get some photos for you. You have a wonderful day. Best wishes. Deas Plant.
Ok. If it would be alright I may give it more consideration. Yes, I am interested if you do come across some pictures. Thanks!
Use It; Don't Abuse It I've had some experience using rakes; mostly built by Rome Manufacturing. The best advice I can give is resist the temptation to put it to a use it isn't designed for. Don't try to push down trees with it; you'll eventually get one wedged between the tines and bend or crack one or both of them. Don't use it to root rocks or sort the big one from the little ones; severe damage can occur. Use it to grub roots and brush and to separate the brush from the dirt. Look for one built heavily from T-1 steel, if possible and reinforce the areas on your dozer blade where the attachments are made. It is a good tool if properly used. A little abrasion-resistant weld laid on the tines will increase their wear time considerably. Killdozer
Rakes Hi, JeffD. As requested, some photos, 2 of a 'walk-in' and one of a hinged rake. Hope they help. I can probably get some more in a few days if you want more. You have a wonderful day. Best wishes. Deas Plant.
Thanks killdozer and Deas. Deas, the third picture minus the tree pusher is what I had in mind. I like the idea of also having it raised above the blade for more frontal protection, but I don't want it any wider than the blade is now. I'll most likely be using it amongst larger trees which I'll have too remove after, and don't want to inhibit that ability. The quick attach/removal feature you mentioned on some also sounds appealing to me.
Rake width. Hi, JeffD. The 'drive-in version doesn't HAVE to be any wider than the existing blade except for maybe about a 1" to 1 1/2" flat bar up each side to connect the top and bottom beams. The extra width is for broad-acre applications and for contractors in those situations. It does help to have the outer foot or so of the rake slanted forward to help stop sticks escaping around the ends and that would be pretty easy to do too, even while keeping the rake at existing blade width. In fact, that would probably be easier than having a straight rake right across. I'll see if I can dig up some more photos of both styles. You have a wonderful day, Best wishes. Deas Plant.
This one is made by rockland Manufacturing. Might Be more of what your looking for. :bouncegri
I want one exactly like that, but smaller. That would be just perfect.:thumbsup
I went to the Rockland website, and took a look around. Their "SR" model looks like what I want. http://www.rocklandmfg.com/Images/PDFs/Rakes.pdf They've one that looks like the one above for a machine my size. I'll just have to see how much they're going for.
I purchased a Mann pin-on rake for my JD 550G that I had back in the mid 90's. It was made from T-1 steel and was built stouter than the dozer; 2 of the most important factors to consider. I've also worked with T-1 steel and I know the amount of time required to preheat all of the welds and how difficult it is to machine these parts on a Bridgeport. You would be money ahead to purchase a factory built unit. The rake was taller and wider than the blade. The taller tines helped keep the brush cleaner than one of those cheaper low rise models, in my opinion. With a 6 way, it was also easy to install and remove. Unpin the rake in front of a tree and then push the rake forward to stay parked leaning against the tree. Fast & easy one man work. Clearing trees 3-4" dbh and larger was much faster with the rake and the burn piles were much cleaner. With the hinged design of the rake, I even learned how to use it to pick up logs and cart them around the jobsite. The weight of the rake would pin the logs against the blade which made the pick up possible. The addition of hydraulics could improve this feature to pick up more if desired. The only disadvantage was the heavier nose weight with the rake installed. Had my rake been too much heavier, I would have needed to consider rear counter weights. It was just a matter of getting used to the change in balance. To me, the rake was well worth it. If you have more than one machine, you might consider a full frame blade rake for the clearing machine. Otherwise, the pin on rake allows one machine to do double duty at a minimal investment. Do your research, pick the manufacturer that uses the best materials and the best design. T-1 is hard to tear up and it can be built lighter because of its strength. Replaceable wear tips are also a good idea if you plan to use the rake a considerable amount.
Thanks for the info treemuncher. I've kinda put the rake on the back burner for a bit, but I will be fllowing up on it eventually. I'm hoping I'll stumble across a used one, somehow. I've noticed some larger used one's advertised, I think I just need to be in the right place at the right time to find one my size.
this one is cool.
Yair... Guday fellers, done a lot of raking in western Queensland, mostly 34foot rakes on oval track 8's. Never gave them much consideration, treated them like a blade. We built them similar to that first piccy posted by Deas Plant which are a pretty standard pattern for lage scale clearing here abouts. They were a complete rake though (not a clip on) and had maybe a bit more angle on the wings. Notice in the photo how each individual tooth has been profiled with a little "***" or extension that projects up the face of the rake? That is absolutely crucial with this style of construction. No matter how good your welding technique without that little *** those teeth are going to pop. Notice also how that particular rake has some 5/8 Bisalloy or what all flatbar welded along the bottom of the tynes? This is for cutting suckers off just below ground level but I never liked the concept. Depended on the country of course but just a little bit of rain and a rake set up like that would start to push a lot of dirt. Wear rates on the bottom of the teeth could be extreme and we found that used D8 track pins were the cheapest solution. I'd wear them down untill there was only about a quarter left and then tack on anothery and melt it all together with the big old Lincoln.
Rakes are WONDERFUL! Brushing SO much easier and faster, burning so much better with less dirt/mud. I'd go with the quick-detach if not a dedicated brusher. If all you do is brush, get the Dedicated rake. Good for stumps, too, easier to cut roots, get under and roll it out, etc. KY Jim
My experiance with rakes ,is that you need al the lift you can get,to enable you to roll out any dirt ,and to pile up the trash. The ones that attach to botom of blade do not lift high enough ,and of course as prev mentioned add weight to front therefore restricting backing up in steep country. However I do recognise the conveniance and lesser expence of the ''clip'' on type.and sure are better than nothing. Regards