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Home-Built Rock Rake Doubles As Rototiller
Gerald Johnston wanted a small rock rake to do yard work. He ended up building a 3-pt. mounted, pto-operated machine that doubles as a rototiller.
    “I used to own a company that manufactured field-size rock rakes. When I retired there was nothing on the market sized for small acreages, so I built this scaled-down version,” says Johnston. “It works good for doing landscaping work and for establishing lawns. I’ve used it on my own yard and to do work for neighbors. I pull it with a Yanmar 16 hp, 4-WD tractor.”
    The machine is equipped with a 4-ft. long, 4-in. dia. steel drum equipped with 3 rows of 7-in. long fingers. The fingers are spaced 3 in. apart and measure 2 1/2 in. wide at the base, tapering down to 1 1/2 in. The rig is supported on back by a large gauge wheel that’s free to swivel on a home-built coupler.
    There are a series of holes where the machine attaches to one of the 3-pt.’s lower lift arms. By changing the position of a pin, Johnston can set the drum at an angle and use the unit as a rock rake. To use it as a rototiller, he positions it straight across the drum perpendicular to the tractor.
    “Whether it’s used as a rototiller or a rock rake, it leaves the soil level for seeding grass. It digs about 4 in. deep. When I use it as a rock rake there won’t be any debris left on top of the soil,” says Johnston.
    The rig’s pto shaft drives a right angle gearbox that connects to another shaft, which chain-drives the drum. The gearbox is protected by a clutch. “The clutch came from a hay conditioner, the gearbox from a potato harvester, and the gauge wheel is off a cultivator so the machine didn’t cost much to build,” notes Johnston.
    Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Gerald Johnston, 5821 Crystal Rd., Vestaburg, Mich. 48891 (ph 989 268-5650; lavona@cmsinter.net).



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2013 - Volume #37, Issue #1