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EZ Rake Restoration


RayS

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Here`s my before picture of my really ruff shape rake that I found 3 or so years ago from another club member. I don`t have any pictures of the parts after they were sandblasted, but here are a few pictures with epoxy primer on it.








Suprised, I even found this when I did because TimJr (Tim Weiden) wasn`t sure what Simplicity dealer that he seen it at, but in the Lansing area. It ended up being in Holt, michigan. More pictures to come.
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Nice paint. I keep thinking it looks like if you lift the lid, there would be 88 keys. musica. sm01 I don't think I've seen one of these before. Is this anything like a revitalizer?
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Graham, The link below describes it`s function. It has a hundered springs on it and is like a Blue Bird Rake. http://www.simpletractors.com/attachments/front_end_thatcher.htm That is the primer after a 1-1/2 hours. It is not paint. The brand is Benjamin Moore Polyamide Epoxy Metal Primer DM33/DM34. It is a two part catalyst primer that you mix 1:1.


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Lookin good Ray! I'm looking forward to your hitch design...you said she's going to ride on an RBT, correct? Graham, these things work INCREDIBLY well! An operator will quickly learn that you need to be sweeping, vac'n or baggin' while running it, becuase it brings a carpet of dead stuff up.
[img]http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff512/talntedmrgreen/IMAG0365-1.jpg[/img]
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Ahah - I found it - lost in my saved dethatcher folder. I have exactly that pix. That's an amazing dethatcher. But I thought it had blades, the description says it has spring tines. THAT'S PRIMER? :O WOW. off the scale.! Also, was this a front-PTO attachment originally? @Josh I can see what you mean, dethatch and sweep all at same time - need a big sweeper tho. The "first dethatch in years" load is huge. The alternative to that would be to use the mower to process the debris and pile it into huge piles, windrows, etc., where it could be roughly thrown on a big tarp for drag-away. (high-lift blades). You wouldn't need to do this every year. Maybe every 3-5 years. A healthy thatch layer is good - a smothering insulation layer is very bad. Every 3 yrs would be a good rule of thumb guide. Especially good to combine [dethatch + aerate + overseed] for a couple of consecutive years. - enable improved soil contact/exposure/reduced compaction, allow more %seed% find soil contact. Insulating thatch will 'suspend' the seed 'off the ground'; where it will maybe germinate and die. It needs to root to survive. Alt. to dethatch is multiple passes w aerator. (spring+fall) Do they still make these things? I would SO LOVE an ezRake plus a reVitalizer. (wish list). This is all hot stuff. The absolute no compromise convenience solution. Just add good ongoing maintenance and cultivation practices. Mow tall, min H2O, ezFerts).
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I beleive Levi is running a nice RBT setup as well...EZ Rake on the front, mower deck and vac/trailer all in one. Graham, yes, the Rake and Revitalizer combo is a nice, single-pass process. The Revitalizer even has a hitch point for the sweeper to attach as well, and with a dual lift kit, everything is quite user friendly. I did this in the spring, followed by an overseeding, and the results were very positive (until the drought set in). I wish everyone could see Ray's equipment and handy work in person. It's a treat!
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quote:
Originally posted by RayS
Thanks for the compliments Josh. I like making old stuff new again.
Or even better than new. I would call it beyond restore and heavy into preserve - the high end of the club's primary purpose, if I recall correctly. Nice when it's simply a personal interest. sm01 I suppose we all have that interest; as we all pursue our immediate individual interests in our own ways. It's good to have examples shared through the many posts here.
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Nice machine Ray...I have not seen one either, Looks 100 times better than my crappy "Agri-Fart dethacher" (with its 20 spring teeth) I want one.... Very cool dOd
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I'm OO this project with particular interest. On my list: convert a junker pull type EZ Rake to front rbt mount. Lead on Ray.
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How would you compare the Easy Rake to a revitalizer? It appears as though the Easy Rake would be more beneficial in that you could be cutting and vacuuming as you go. What are the benefits to a revitalizer over the rake? I can only think that you can set it a bit deeper for overseeding and it can work similarly to a light duty shallow tiller?
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All I use my revitalizer for is over seeding. It is a good slit seeder. This rake will be nice. I have a turbo vac system with wide body cart for my Prestige and more than likely will use that to clean up the mess. I also have a turbo for my Sovereign as well. I do have the pull behind vac system for my Sovereign - 900 series but will not be using the rake with the pull behind unit. Been thinking about selling the pull behind vac unit since I have the wide body cart. The pull behind cart and Peco Vac just take up to much space. 6 or 7 years a go I passed up on a pull behind EZ Rake that needed an engine. I wish I hadn`t done that. I would now prefer the pull behind unit, I think. I am sure this one I have will work fine but, I am going to keep my eyes open for a pull behind EZ Rake or I may convert this one to pull behind since it is the same unit other than an engine and a tongue. Even thought about putting a hitch setup on it like a 36" tiller and running it off the BGB as a rear implement. Josh, what size pulley are you running on your engine?
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Looks good Ray. I'm sure it'll be another one of your excellent restores. If you used the EZ rake mounted on the front and the pull behind vac setup, how many feet of attachments and tractor would there be? Definitely need a large yard for that setup.
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Bill, I think over 14 feet. I have a 12 foot trailer and I can not close the rear gate now with the tractor and that vac system. That is my biggest complaint. It would take up to much space in the garage. The wide boty cart and turbo is probably 3 feet shorter. I really don`t want all that stuff running at once.
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yup, that's the only drawback to "the train" that Josh described. But I would happily do separate ops. Maybe the question is "turning radius". But in a tight space, the wear factor would be destructive, due to probable repetitive overlap. And that's another advantage w the "out front" type - better control, especially with lift available. Plus you could snuggle it in to tight spaces, under things, etc.. But the train would be awesome for large areas.
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It was my favorite attachment back in the day. Would like to one day find another, but first need to rebuild the collection. Getting there, slowly but surely. I don't get out here very often anymore, but this thread actually made me get my dead arse out of bed to go find my EZ Rake CD. The good news is that they still make the tines. http://youtu.be/VxQLMANiwro
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...and make sure you have the belt routed the correct way. The first time I used mine, I had it reversed and I got sandblasted!
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I like the front mount of the rake, becuase it's very easy to operate close to edges, around obstacles, etc. You dont' have to lift it, unless you're crossing a driveway, etc. It's on height adjustable casters that swivel and the rake follows the contour of the ground nicely. You can maneuver it anywere the tractor will go (but you don't want to stop for long with it running, or it will take the turf). The revitalizer doesn't like to be turned...it likes to go straight, then lifted for maneuvers. It will get into the soil, whereas the rake does not. The rake might disturb the top 1/4" or so, but cleans up all the thatch...the revitalizer more or less only kicks it loose, if there's a thick layer. I like to describe the rake as 'snowblowing in summer'. ;) Ray, I'm running a 4.5" pulley...I use that for everything front mounted.
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cool topic and nice piece Ray. I have wanted one of these for a long time and thanks to Ray tip I just picked up a ez rake yesterday locally here in WI. Looks to be in good condition and the engine runs very well and everything functions as it should only a few bad tines :) I plan to convert to run on the front, but also keep the parts for possible rear use. I will start a new topic on the conversion for those interested. http://simpletractors.com/Club2/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=122473
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