Preparation

• Proper preparation is essential for landscape raking. The first thing to do is to prepare the garden bed where you intend to rake. Landscape raking will only rake the top few inches of soil and cannot dig into packed soil. The best way to prepare for raking is to use a rotor machine to break up the soil. Make sure there are no large roots or rocks present in the soil as this can damage the landscape rake. Connect the rake to the tractor using the hinge pins. If you are unsure how to connect the landscape rake to the tractor, consult your rake manual. Each tractor and rake is attached a little differently. Make sure the hydraulic system is working.
  
  

Use

• Using the landscape rake is easy. Once the rake is attached to the back of the tractor, it is pulled along just like a plow. The rake can be angled for different levels of raking and for different angles of attack. Slowly pull the rake over the garden bed. At the end of each row, free the rock, roots and other debris from the rake teeth. If you are unhappy with the results, you can go back over the garden bed with the rake held at a different angle.
  
  

Tips and Tricks

• There are several tips that will help make using the landscape rake even easier. If you wet the ground before using the rake, the rake will be able to be more effective because it will pull up more soil rather than gliding over the top of the soil. This will also eliminate dust from rising and getting into your eyes and mouth. Follow a pattern when you use the rake. Rake along one side of the garden, then turn around and rake in the opposite direction. When the garden is fully raked in one direction, rake the garden in the opposite direction. When finished, the garden should have little crisscross patterns, like a basket.