I just picked up my new ratchet rake. Has anyone used one?
A friend has one and said it is great for clearing brush. It attaches to the bucket on the front end loader. I haven't tried it yet, too many projects going now.
I originally ordered it to spread slag on my driveway. It took 6 weeks to arrive at TSC. Already spread the slag a month ago, with a box blade. That worked real well.
Jim
Here is a link to see what it is/does.
http://www.ratchetrake.com/
Jim
My rachet rake started out like this:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/rX4VpjUWQO1ycma12
When I get my tractor back from the shop I will link a photo to the final design. My gardens were made in an area with trees 50 feet in height. I spent a lot of time digging out roots and stumps. Most of the large rocks are cleared now. Occasionally one will turn up.
Today the back yard and garden looks like this:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/L5TlCL7gihObHl0p2
I looked into that product. My terrain is too rough, hilly, steep and overgrown for it to the work I am interested in. hence the JD 450 rental for trails. I'm clearing a lot of 40-50 year old growth.
I'd like it for small jobs though.
Let us know how it works. I've been looking at them for a few years now, but haven't bought one yet...
Quote from: Acebird on November 09, 2017, 09:44:51 AM
My rachet rake started out like this:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/rX4VpjUWQO1ycma12
When I get my tractor back from the shop I will link a photo to the final design. My gardens were made in an area with trees 50 feet in height. I spent a lot of time digging out roots and stumps. Most of the large rocks are cleared now. Occasionally one will turn up.
Today the back yard and garden looks like this:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/L5TlCL7gihObHl0p2
:cheesy:
Quote from: Michael Bush on November 09, 2017, 12:43:39 PM
Let us know how it works. I've been looking at them for a few years now, but haven't bought one yet...
Will do.
Better yet, maybe you can try it out during Beefest 2018.
Jim
>Better yet, maybe you can try it out during Beefest 2018.
There you go.
Just put it in the overhead.
Psparr,
Do you mean for storage?
Jim
In the plane. Should fit.
It's not my rake...
Might work better than the way I do it. I just bash my way through and try not to get dragged off the seat by the blackberries. There's usually some blood involved and torn up clothing. :cheesy:
Kathy,
I have not tried it yet but per a buddy that has one, you drive up to the brush, drop the loader/rake down over them and back up. Then you use the rake to push the brush/vines into a pile.
Jim
I find the teeth on the skid steer bucket do a reasonable job on light scrub and small blackberries but for heavy scrub and blackberry patches that might cover a few acres and be 10-12 feet high you need more protection.
I built this for the skid steer
[attachment=0][/attachment]
That looks like it will do the job!
Looks like it cost a lot more than $400 to build and that's just material costs.
Jim
I need that and a cage. :cool:
Me too!
Quote from: sawdstmakr on November 14, 2017, 06:53:20 AM
That looks like it will do the job!
Looks like it cost a lot more than $400 to build and that's just material costs.
Jim
Depends how you cost it, had a sheet of 5/8" plate sitting around doing nothing as was the 4x4" heavy wall RHS.
Could say it cost nothing but a couple a days to put it together, either way it does do the job and the original design must have been reasonable as 18 months on we haven't had to modify or repair it.
looks like you might have burned up a lot of gas torching that plate.
It does not look like it is torch cut.
220,
What did you use to cut it? Bandsaw maybe.
Jim
Torch cut, it is surprising how clean you can cut using a set of wheels. Take the wobble out with a set of wheels or a guide and you will notice a real improvement in the cut finish.
I just started using my cutting torch this pars week. Lines are jagged as can be. I would love to be able to cut like that. What is the name of those wheels? Do you have a picture of it?
Jim
If you are doing a number of the same cuts you make a template out of sheet metal smaller then the actual piece you want. Then put a bearing on the torch. Ride the bearing against the template. This will make them all the same. Now if you are a production shop (old days) you put the torch on a pantograph that is driven by an adjustable speed motor. With the speed controlled and following a template parts come out like you sawed them. Today it is all computerized but that takes bucks.
I would assume the wheels control the height of the torch from the work piece. Is that correct?
Wheels I use are just like this
https://www.boc.com.au/shop/en/au/boc-torch-cutting-roller-guide
You set your height but it is the elimination of the side to side wobble that really improves the quality of the cut.
Only problem I see with that is it makes it tough to follow and irregular shaped guide. Great for straight cuts though. looking at the wheels again you could use just one wheel and then you could run the torch up to a guide for contoured cuts.
Like you said Acebird great for straight cuts, you can also get a radius guide, replaces one wheel with a rod that has a pin on the other end. Centre pop you material place the pin in the centre pop hole set your radius and you are cutting a perfect circles or radius.
Yes, I can see that working very nicely. Personal preference ... do you push or Pull the torch? I prefer pulling.
Brian,
I was told, this past week to angle it towards the direction of the cut. Does anyone do the reverse?
Looks like you could also use this tool to follow a pattern/template or a strait edge.
Jim
Quote from: sawdstmakr on November 16, 2017, 01:35:19 PM
Brian,
I was told, this past week to angle it towards the direction of the cut.
Maybe there is some sense to that but I don't know what it is. It could not be done when you are doing radii or contours on thick material. Any automatic rig I have seen has the torch perpendicular to the surface. What I have been told in order of importance is adjust the flame, set the height and control the speed. I would think that rate of speed would be dependent on thickness and flame. The faster you go the cleaner the cut but by hand any little wiggle and you lose the burn so basically you have to go slower so you don't lose the burn.
I prefer to pull and prefer cutting left to right going freehand.
I think your order of importance is correct, In my experience a bigger tip and flame than needed usually gives a poorer finish as you only need to reach the ignition temp to cut not the melting point.
I used my cutting torch and stick welder today, just practicing. I cut the acetylene pressure back to 4 psi and it cut beautifully. I ran several lines till they looked correct and then welded up some scrap 1/4" plate steal. By the time I got to the the last piece it was looking pretty good.
I spent a lot of time last night watching utube welding and cutting videos.
Nothing beats practice and experience Jim.
Oh, My old tractor is sick. Steering shaft is all buggered up and no one has parts. Time for some Afro engineering if I am allowed to say that.
Quote from: Acebird on November 16, 2017, 09:13:36 PM
Nothing beats practice and experience Jim.
Yep best way to improve is practice.
I spent most of the day cutting welding and grinding on the firebox for my offset build.
I'll put a few photos up in the thread I started on it.
Thanks, I plan to use some scrap steel to practice cutting and welding until I can get it every time. I have a bush hog that needs some welding. I plan to practice and then weld it up. I will have to cut out the crappy welds that I did the first time.
Jim
Quote from: sawdstmakr on November 17, 2017, 10:02:20 AM
I plan to practice and then weld it up. I will have to cut out the crappy welds that I did the first time.
Jim
Not doing it for a living I am a hack but I found some stick is a lot easier to use than others. I think what I am using is in the 70 series that I get at Tractor supply. I can get that number for you if you want it Jim.
The stick I am using is 7014 and 7018.
Brian,
I mostly using 7018. I also have 6011 and 6013 in 1/8 and 1/16.
Jim
I use what we call 12P and 16TC for just about everything around the farm, equivalent with your numbering system would be 6013 & 7016.
The other one I find very handy is 309 it is designed for welding 309 class stainless but can also be used for welding SS to mild steel.
Thanks 220. I need to get some 309 as well as more 7018. I have a lot of scrap SS laying around so I want the 309 on hand. I did see some at the Tractor Supply Store yesterday. Now that I know what I can use it for I will get it.
Jim
With SS you can just about halve the amps you use.
Thanks, good to know. What about when you are welding to steel?
Jim
Good to know I would have thought you would have to increase amps for SS.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/YGc9dQTsA9JEPQEq1 https://photos.app.goo.gl/DYtbUl0g1cdECI1z1
[attachment=0][/attachment]
Well I tried inserting photos again and no luck. Files too big. Tried to find a file editor that wouldn't fill your hard dive with cookies and crap with no avail so links is the best I can do.
I had a draft for this but somehow lost it...
Anyway. This is my cheesy creation. It is made from two wide flanges and a couple of channels plus some bed frame stock. The bed frame stock is my smoothing tool (Jim they are hard to weld because they are high carbon). It attaches with 4 pins. The two channels in the center attach with one pin each. I also have a couple of wooden angle plows that attach to the two wide flanges that I use for back filling planted rows once the seed are planted. It certainly is not pretty but it does a lot of work for the back yard farmer.
I can put as many as 4 wheel weights to make it dig deeper. That would be if you wanted to use it as a rake. Usually I use two or none.
This was a fun project because I had a need and it gave me some practice burning up rod.
The only thing I purchased for this project was the draw bar from TS and some welding rod.
Edit: trying this photo attachment...
Brian,
Nice project.
How has it held up. I suspect the angle iron will bend the first time it hits something real solid. If you have another piece of angle iron, it would help it hold stronger if you welded a second one inverted just above it or added a piece of flat stock welded to the top section of the angle iron.
Jim
Ah it won't bend Jim. There are two pieces of bedframe angle ( queen size) welded together. Maybe you can't see it in the photo. It is high carbon and hard, tough to drill. It is way stronger than 1/4 structural angle. I have been using this 6 years now. You can't see it in the field because it is smoothed over but every year I pull 5-6 inch rocks out of it. Originally they were 8-10. The bottom plow keeps turning them up. They are getting smaller though and less of them. One of the reasons I am reluctant to move to FL is because of all the work here that we have done will go to waste when we leave.
Held up? Yeah it sure has. There were three big trees in that garden area. For two or three years it was a struggle getting the stump and roots out. The last big one (3 ft dia trunk) still has some trunk below the surface and just about throws me over the steering wheel when I hit it with the plow. That is why the garden isn't wider. This rig is what I use to rip out roots. I take off the bed frame steel and the two channel forks and just use the two big wide flange forks that is the main weldment. After the forks hook a root I can use the three point hydraulics to work the root up or just loosen the dirt around them. Obviously the three point doesn't have the power to handle a 3 ft dia tree so you have to let mother nature rot the trunk over time. Then I can break off the roots from the trunk. Surprisingly they don't rot too fast because they are not exposed to the air.
You can help Mother Nature by adding nitrogen that area or directly to the exposed wood then the microbes go to work faster, it works.
Yup, that is where the chicken poop goes.
Don't own a camera anymore I use my phone. To resize photos I just email them to myself from my phone and it gives me the option to resize them.
rake looks good