History of the Tractor Rake

The Ratchet Rake

Back in the 1800s, horse drawn spring tine rakes were commonly built by blacksmiths and used to gather hay in the United States. By the 1920's, factories were producing heavier duty spring tine rakes to perform agriculture and grading tasks. As tractors replaced horses, the spring tine rake eventually became a standard 3 point attachment. In 2009, Ratchet Rake LLC introduced a patented loader bucket attachment that represented the largest step forward in tractor rake design in nearly a century. This revolutionary implement quickly attaches to a loader bucket without tools and utilizes two rows of rigid tines. A row of longer tines is positioned parallel with the bottom of the bucket and a row of shorter tines projects downward at 90 degrees. The tilting function of the loader bucket enables either row of tines or a combination of both to engage the soil or vegetation simultaneously.

The Ratchet Rake's advantages over modern 3 point spring tine tractor rakes:

• It can be operated with the machine moving forward or in reverse.
• It's tapered rigid tines resist clogging compared to parallel spring tines.
• The loader's hydraulics can be used to add downforce to the rake when required.
• The implement is mounted in front of the operator opposed to behind.