Clearing the way... Dozer Root Rakes

Sometimes all you need is a standard rake to clear the land before brush control or primary tillage, but, for new farming and new housing development operations especially, a root rake helps to get rid of the roots as well as the surface growth. The terrain at your jobsite (whether it’s a farm or a housing development) will be made more truly level if the roots have been removed. The easiest way to do this is with a root rake on the front of a dozer. To be efficient and effective, the rake should match the dozer. USA Attachments (800.870.3610) has a dozen models to suit different dozers; they have tooth thickness from 1¼” ” to 2”, a teeth count from 8 to 11, and weights from 970 lbs to almost two tons. It is critical to good performance that you use the right size and configuration of root rake. When you purchase the rake you will probably be asked for the dozer model you intend to use, the height of its blade, and the width of the blade at the bottom, so jot down that information before you call.

My neighbor had five diseased elm trees in his yard and they still give trouble from their unseen roots, even though they were cut to ground level more than five years ago. Get rid of those roots if you can! The most obvious advantage of a root rake is that it clears away the unwanted roots, branches and brushwood but leaves the good soil behind. That means not only better ground for the next step of your operation but also you don’t have to haul away good soil with the branches and roots. That soil is usually expensive to haul and too valuable to waste at a landfill. How valuable? An acre of topsoil one inch thick represents approximately 150 tons.) Whether you are going to use the good soil agriculturally or whether you need even terrain for your construction project, using a root rake on a dozer will quickly remove the obstacles from below the surface and give you the foundation you want.