Bulbs
Flower Basics
Flower Beds & Specialty Gardens
Flower Garden
Garden Furniture
Garden Gnomes
Garden Seeds
Garden Sheds
Garden Statues
Garden Tools & Supplies
Gardening Basics
Green & Organic
Groundcovers & Vines
Growing Annuals
Growing Basil
Growing Beans
Growing Berries
Growing Blueberries
Growing Cactus
Growing Corn
Growing Cotton
Growing Edibles
Growing Flowers
Growing Garlic
Growing Grapes
Growing Grass
Growing Herbs
Growing Jasmine
Growing Mint
Growing Mushrooms
Orchids
Growing Peanuts
Growing Perennials
Growing Plants
Growing Rosemary
Growing Roses
Growing Strawberries
Growing Sunflowers
Growing Thyme
Growing Tomatoes
Growing Tulips
Growing Vegetables
Herb Basics
Herb Garden
Indoor Growing
Landscaping Basics
Landscaping Patios
Landscaping Plants
Landscaping Shrubs
Landscaping Trees
Landscaping Walks & Pathways
Lawn Basics
Lawn Maintenance
Lawn Mowers
Lawn Ornaments
Lawn Planting
Lawn Tools
Outdoor Growing
Overall Landscape Planning
Pests, Weeds & Problems
Plant Basics
Rock Garden
Rose Garden
Shrubs
Soil
Specialty Gardens
Trees
Vegetable Garden
Yard Maintenance
How to Use a Tractor Landscape Rake
How to Use a Tractor Landscape Rake. You can level your lawn or garden with a landscape rake. Use this special type of box blade for penetrating the top layer of soil, and to smooth the area out again. The landscape rake saves a lot of time and creates a more uniform surface using a landscape rake, but it may require a little practice to become...
You can level your lawn or garden with a landscape rake. Use this special type of box blade for penetrating the top layer of soil, and to smooth the area out again. The landscape rake saves a lot of time and creates a more uniform surface using a landscape rake, but it may require a little practice to become adept at doing so.
Things You'll Need
Tractor
Heavy work gloves (optional)
1 hitch pin
3 hitch clips
Landscape rake
Attach the landscape rake to the tractor. On each side of the rake you will see a part known as a "hitch pin." The two bars on each side of the rear of the tractor fit over each of these points. You may have to manually move the landscape rake to line up these pins with the holes in the bars on the tractor. Place a hitch clip on each hitch pin.
Connect the draw bar. This bar attaches below and behind the tractor seat, and fits into an open-topped "box" on the very top of the landscape rake. Line up the holes in the bar with the holes on top of the landscape rake. Insert the loose hitch pin through the holes, and put a hitch clip on the end of the pin to prevent it from sliding out of the hole.
Adjust the setting of the hydraulic lever until you have the rake at the desired maximum depth. Tighten the locking bolt or nut that prevents the lever from being pushed lower. Some tractors will not have a locking bolt, but you can add your own by inserting any bolt with a nut through the hole immediately below the lever.
Change the angle of the landscape rake's tines by screwing the central portion of the top bar in or out. Extending the bar away from the tractor moves the tines closer to a 90-degree angle and offer more accurate soil displacement. Reducing the length will cause the tines to dig in more shallowly.
Pivot the drag blade, if desired. This blade can be swiveled on some models by rotating a crank, but other models have a pin that must be lifted out, allowing the blade to be shifted up to 30 degrees from side to side. Remember to replace the locking pin for the drag blade.
Drive the tractor to your starting location with the rake in the "up" position. Push the hydraulic lever down until it meets the locking nut or bolt. With the tractor in low gear, pull forward across the area you are working in. Remember to lift the hydraulic lever each time you want to stop raking.
Tips & Warnings
To prevent pinching your fingers, wear heavy-duty work gloves when connecting any tractor implement.
The draw bar can be extended 1/3 of it's length on either end, allowing you to make it as much as 2/3 longer than the smooth part of the bar itself.
If you do not have a locking bolt for the hydraulic lever, be very careful of your depth as you work. This lever can easily be moved by dips or hills in the terrain you drive across.
