A tractor gravel rake is among the best implements that help in landscape management. The rake attachments are the different implements attached to the back of tractors. The attachment is via the 3-point hitch.

A typical rake is at least four feet wide for a sub-compact lawn tractor. The rake can as well be longer, up to ten feet for big and compact tractors. Among all the tractor rake types, the hay rake is wider than most of the other rakes.

The design of lawn tractors enables them to pull different attachments. A lawn tractor can pull rakes, dump carts, and scrappers. Rake attachments are different as they are to carry out heavy-duty clearing works.

Many of the landscape rakes have a width of around four feet or more. The width will depend on the tractor's brand, horsepower, size, and landscape rake. The sleeve or 3-point hitch makes it easy to attach a rake to the tractor.

Lawn tractor rake attachments are the same as rakes made for riding lawn owners, and the difference is that they are for heavier duties. Many manufacturers of lawn tractors sell tow behind rakes. The tow-behind rake designs only fit their specific tractor models.

Lawn tractor rakes have different price tags depending on brands and purpose.

The tractor rakes depending on their parts working are in two different classes.
  1. The spring teeth rakes
  2. Finger wheel rakes.
The tractor rakes can also get classified into the following categories:

1. Hay rakes or transverse tractor rakes


These rakes can arrange hay into piles perpendicular to the direction of the tractor. The hay rakes designs are different depending on the manufacturing company.

The transverse tractors differ in their widths, making the rakes to be in different sizes. For example, hay rakes made in the USSR are for the GP-14 models with a work span of 14-m.

The rakes have three hinge joint sections with curved spring teeth. The joint hinge section has automatic parts, a teeth-lifting mechanism, and support wheels.

As the machine works, its teeth rake the hay together. The hay forms a box shape. The operator then engages a new mechanism that meticulously lifts the rake's teeth. The cleaning rods then push the bundles of hay on the ground. The teeth now automatically move back to their original position.

When you use hay rakes to clear a small piece of land, the tractor's middle section piles the hay together. The middle section of the tractor is about six meters wide.

Transverse tractor rakes have two drum sections held by independent wheels. The orientation of the rake is at an angle of 45 degrees towards the machine motion direction.

The spring teeth and drum rotation starts from the drive wheels. When the machine moves, drums move hay forward then to the side. They make a loose formation of the doubled-over bale.

2. Landscape Rake

It's also the rock rake or root rake. The rake gathers stubborn roots, rocks and breaks the dirt clods up. Its main feature is the strong metal tines spaced an inch apart from one another. The setting enables this rake to gather and capture rocks, debris, and thrash. The rake can also level the soil and prepare seedbeds, and it can spread topsoil materials.

The landscape rake has a lever for easy lowering and raising of the rake to adjustable heights. A landscape rake enables a tractor to clear well debris. The landscape rake is at times called the rock rake or York rake. It has the main feature of plenty of curved C-tines pulled or pushed behind the tractor. It has spring-like actions that maintain the tines to be firmly grounded in the ground. The uses of landscape rakes are clearing rocks, sand, roots, and other debris.

3. Tractor dethatcher or dethatching rake

It's a rake type that doesn't collect any materials like the landscape rake. A dethatcher rake has another name, vertical mower. The design of this rake is to cut through decaying roots, stems, and grass clipping. Thatch clings to the soil, and they need the operator to yank or slice them away using force.

4. Mulching sweeper rake

A mulching sweeper rake usually gets attached to the tractor's moving deck and rear hitch. The rake mows small leaves, vegetable residues, and sticks into manageable small pieces. After removing the chopped materials, the powerful vacuum sucks them. It now deposits them into the container at the back of the tractor.

The rake picks up all leaves, debris types and other trashes. It's possible to manually or mechanically tilt the container to dump the debris.

Conclusion

When selecting your rake type for your specific task, check the horsepower. The ground-engaging rakes that dig in the soil need powerful tractors to pull them. Always be familiar with the rake specifications. The rakes that need a sleeve hitch mean you will have to include extra purchases.