What are the different types of rakes? March 2023 Review and Guide

Common Types of Rakes

Any homeowner knows how important it is in the arsenal of garden tools to have a strong, high-quality rake. This tool greatly facilitates the process of soil cultivation and helps to keep the area clean. For large plots of land, there is a landscaping rake for the tractor, which simplifies the care of the land.What kinds of garden rakes are there, what are they designed for and what should be taken into account when choosing a tool? Let’s try to figure it out.

Garden Rake

A straight garden rake is considered the most versatile as it is suitable for a whole range of garden and vegetable work, namely:

raking of fallen leaves, debris;
loosening beds;
soil tillage;
breaking down the lumps of land that have remained after the digging of the plot;
extracting the remaining plant roots from the ground.

Landscape Rake

Special landscape rakes have a wide working part (not less than 60 cm). Their design allows for quick, easy and efficient removal of cuttings. When working, the tines are close to the lawn, and the grass collected during combing is collected under a special rake bars, which are installed on top of the working base.

Thatch Rake

They have sickle-shaped sharp tines that effectively cut through the soil, as well as comb through the thick grass. Thatch rake perfectly rid the surface of the lawn of moss and straw, thereby allowing air to penetrate into the ground and saturate the plants with essential vitamins. Horizontal cuttings 1-3 mm deep will help get rid of a little pollution, but you should understand that the submergence of the teeth depends on the effort applied.Distinctive features:

Endurance;
Versatility;
Low cost;
Availability;
Ease of repair;
Anticorrosion;
Ease of use.

Lawn Rake

To clean the territory you should use a lawn rake with flat teeth, which do not hurt young shoots, grass cover. It is desirable that such equipment should be made of plastic or soft metal.Smooth surface of the area, as well as the corners and edges of fences, beds more effectively “scrubbed” fan rake triangular design.Many fan rakes have the ability to adjust the working width. This is very convenient and allows you to control the pressure force and size of the working surface as needed.
The standard width of the fan rake is 50 cm (adjustment allows narrowing down to 30 cm), the height of the handle is 130 cm. Longer handles (up to 180 cm) are available, which can be attached to the working base – this option is suitable for tall people. As an alternative, you can buy a fan rake with a telescopic handle, the length of which can be changed by yourself.

Lawn rakes are not suitable for soil cultivation. It is mainly used for the following garden works:

small debris removal (it is convenient to use plastic rakes, as their tines are more elastic – this allows you to clean uneven surfaces faster);
raking out leaves, including from under bushes;
scrubbing the lawn before mowing it;
shallow aeration of the lawn;
thinning the lawn (metal fan rakes can do this work).

Leaf Rake

Leaf rake – cleaning equipment, familiar to every gardener. Simple, convenient and effective rakes of various designs are widely used to clean the territory from plant debris, soil treatment, care for lawns, flower beds and other elements of the surrounding landscape.Selection CriteriaLightweight, comfortable and easy to use leaf rakes, however, require careful selection. A correctly chosen tool will serve for many decades, being an indispensable assistant in cleaning the territory.

To ensure that the cleaning equipment meets the requirements of convenience and practicality, the following criteria are used in its selection:

the nature of the area (overgrown garden, garden, park);
type of garbage (fallen leaves, household garbage);
scope of work and level of load (often, daily, seasonally).

Simple plastic models are indispensable for simple garden works, for medium-weight garbage and regular cleaning, models with metal teeth and reliable cuttings will be more reliable.

Shrub Rake

Shrub rakes are similar to leaf rakes, but their teeth are shorter and smaller. Because the number and size of teeth are smaller, the working surface of the rake also decreases. This means that a rake of this type can penetrate into smaller spaces where the leaf rake or garden rake is too wide to reach. They are ideal for raking debris located near a fence or between and under shrubs, hence the name “rake for shrubs”. The Shrub Rake can be made of metal or plastic and is perfect for cleaning small areas in a short time.

Stone Rake

The stone rake has special features that allow it to remove stones, gravel or other heavy objects from different surfaces. Usually they have short, sturdy wide tines that prevent them from digging into the soil or gravel, thus achieving a smooth, even surface.When choosing rakes for stones, consider the material they are made of. The best choice is the head made of aluminum. Carbon steel or powder-coated steel is a good anticorrosion choice. Strong metal teeth or teeth are necessary, so you will not have problems with bending, breaking or wear.The handle you need will depend on your height, so make sure that the handle you choose is comfortable to use. Make sure the head is securely attached to the handle so that it does not loosen.

Hand Rake

Narrow (with the width of the working part not more than 20 cm), on a short handle, the mini hand rake is designed to work the most inaccessible corners of the garden. In autumn, they are excellent to rake out leaves from under the ornamental bushes, clean the soil at the base of hedges from weeds or loosen the flower bed. Of course, it is not possible to break the large bumps of earth with this tool, but for “dotted” gardening it is best suited to others.

Lake Rake

Such a rake is also called a pond rake or algae rake. This is a special rake, which is used on bodies of water, such as a lake or pond (possible use for swimming pools). To use this rake you should stand at the edge of the water and collect fallen leaves, algae or other debris from the surface of a pond. Often a lake rake has a telescopic handle for easy work on large ponds. This rake is a key part of maintenance to keep your water healthy and clean if you have a pond or lake in your cottage yard. You can also purchase lake rake versions that have extended handles to attach to the rear of the boat, or so that the user can hold the rake from the boat.

Roof Rake

Cleaning snow from the roofs of the house and farm buildings is rarely done after every snowfall. Gradually, the snow accumulates and thickens.Rake for snow removal from the roofs often have a telescopic handle. The handle can be extended up to a height of 6.3 meters.Rake is designed for snow removal from roofs to protect the roof from leaks and destruction. Durable cloth rake is made of plastic, reinforced with additional ribs of stiffness. The lightweight telescopic handle is made of aluminum. It is more convenient to remove snow from the roof of the rake than using a shovel. Rake for snow removal from the roof, in winter is indispensable.

How to choose a rake?

A rake is a simple tool in terms of design and operation.There are usually no problems with its choice, however, a few simple tips will help you choose a rake that will last you long and well.Steel and galvanized tools are considered the strongest, while plastic and wooden models are considered the most durable.
For the collection of large debris, it is better to buy a tool with large, powerful teeth, and for the small one with densely planted small teeth.
For work on a large area it is more effective to use wide models, and for flower beds, the advantage of a narrow grip.
The telescopic handle allows you to set the optimal length of the tool for the growth of each member of the family.

It is believed that the optimal length is for models which, if placed vertically, the stem reaches just under the armpits.

A wooden stalk should not have any visible damage such as chips, twigs, burrs.

The handle should have a solid fit, and the tool itself, even when assembled from individual parts, feel monolithic.

What are the different types of rakes?