rake
A garden tool with a row of pointed teeth fixed to a long handle, used for collecting debris, grass, etc., for flattening the ground, or for loosening soil; also, a similar wheel-mounted tool drawn by a horse or a tractor.
rake: toothed implement for soil work and debris clearing
A rake is a long-handled tool with a head carrying multiple teeth or tines, designed to scrape, comb, and level surfaces. Hand rakes typically have 8 to 16 teeth set into a rectangular frame, while mounted versions drawn by horses or tractors may span 6 to 12 feet and carry 20 or more tines. The tool moves soil, collects loose material, breaks up compacted ground, and prepares seedbeds.
Hand rakes fall into distinct types. The garden rake has curved or straight teeth set at shallow angles, ideal for leveling and gathering light debris. The bow rake, with a springy head, absorbs impact and is gentler on soil structure. The thatching rake has short, closely spaced teeth for removing dead grass and moss from turf. Specialized versions include the Italian rake, with long flexible teeth for hay work, and the landscape rake with wide spacing for heavy stone and mulch.
Mechanical rakes and field use
Field rakes, towed behind tractors, operate on hydraulic or ground-driven mechanisms. Wheel rakes rotate as they move forward, flinging hay into windrows for drying. Side-delivery rakes use a rotating drum to sweep cut forage toward one flank. These machines improve efficiency in hay and forage operations, covering 8 to 15 acres per hour depending on width and ground speed. Tooth material varies: hand rakes often use steel or hardened alloy, while mechanical rakes use replaceable steel tines that wear and must be resharpened or changed seasonally.
Common failures occur when teeth bend under rock or frozen soil, or when the frame twists if caught on obstacles. The handle attachment joint is a stress point; loose wedges or corroded fasteners cause the head to wobble or detach mid-stroke. Operators must clear stones and debris before raking hard ground to avoid expensive tooth breakage and frame damage.
The word "rake" derives from Old Norse reifa, meaning to scratch or scrape. Industrial supply houses stock rakes in standardized sizes: 2-inch tooth spacing for fine work, 3 to 4 inches for general purpose, and wider spacing for coarse debris. Choice depends on soil type, crop residue volume, and intended seedbed finish.