3 Point Root & Rock Rake

[Eagle_view]

We recently needed to expand our usable land so opened up ab0out 3000 Sq Feet of weed space to convert it to a Buck Wheat field for our honey bees to benefit from. Earlier this spring I found a 1948 Ferguson AO 14" 2 bottom plow that needed very little work to put it back into production. After plowing the field, we needed to break down the furrows and to clean the roots and rocks out. After thinking on it for a couple of days I decided to build my version of a simple rock and root rake that would fit on the tractor's 3 point hitch system.

I built the 3 point hitch for the rake in a way that it can be used on other tools that I might need, just by unbolting from the rake.

The 3 point hitch is built from 3" and 2" steel tubing. The rake backbone is a piece of 6"x1/4" I-beam that is 73" long. The rake teeth are made from 1/2" and 5/8" rebar. When I have time I will replace all the teeth with 5/8 " rebar and may teat treat and temper them so they will spring back instead of bending. I first made the teeth 18" long but then cut them down to 10" to keep the bending down.


Plowing new ground with 2 bottom plow.


Three point portion of the rake took longest to build. The only parts I bought for this were the two lower attachment pins which I bought at ACE Hardware.


Starting to weld the rebar teeth on the I-Beam backbone


Good view of the backbone, teeth and 3 point hitch


I had to open the top attachment point a little so the top adjustment arm would fit.


Rake attached to the tractor the first time.


First time in the dirt for the rake.


Busting down the furrows while cleaning them of rock and roots.


Pretty well cleaned up and smoothed out.