A root rake is a toothed attachment for a dozer, excavator or loader. The teeth are spaced so that soil falls through while roots, stumps, rock and debris are caught and carried.
That single property is the whole point. Anything that grabs cleared material with a solid bucket takes the topsoil with it; a rake takes the material and leaves the soil where it belongs.
It is a finishing tool rather than a clearing tool, and it is often the difference between a site that is cleared and a site that is actually clean.
Where it excels
Cleaning up after clearing — gathering root fragments, stumps, broken stems and debris out of a site that has been opened but is not yet workable.
Recovering old fence wire, which is a specific and valuable use on reclaimed farm ground. Wire is a serious hazard for later mowing and for machinery, and a rake pulls it out of the surface.
Preparing ground for tillage or seeding, where the goal is soil with the woody material taken out of it.
Where it stops
It does not cut. Standing vegetation has to come down first — a rake follows a mulcher or a dozer, it does not replace either.
It does not remove large stumps still anchored in the ground. It gathers what is loose or can be dislodged.
And it does not grade, though it leaves ground in a far better state for grading than a bucket would.
Why it is worth asking for by name
This is the attachment most often absent from a quote and most often wanted afterward. Owners see a cleared site full of root fragments and stumps and assume that is the finished state.
Asking specifically whether raking is included, and what the surface will be like afterward, is one of the most useful questions on a clearing quote — particularly on ground destined for pasture or seeding.
Questions
Common questions on this
Do I need root raking after clearing?
If the ground is going to pasture, hay, tillage or lawn, almost certainly — root fragments and old wire left in the surface are a problem for every mower that follows. If it is being built over, it matters less. Either way, ask whether it is included rather than assuming, because it is the item most often left out of a quote and wanted afterward.
Why not just use a bucket?
Because a bucket takes soil with the material, and the soil it takes first is the topsoil. A rake's teeth are spaced so soil falls through and the wood, rock and wire are carried. On ground you intend to grow anything on, that difference is the whole reason the attachment exists.
Will a root rake get the old fence wire out?
It is one of the best tools for it, and on reclaimed farm ground it is worth asking for specifically. Wire left in the surface is a genuine hazard for mowing equipment and for stock. It will not find everything, but it recovers a great deal of what is in the top of the soil.
Keep planning
Related planning guides
- Excavators: the machine that digs and liftsThe only common clearing machine that can pull material out of the ground rather than push it across the surface.
- Dozers: pushing, piling and shapingNothing moves more material faster, and nothing removes topsoil faster if it is used carelessly.
- What happens after the machine leavesThe day the machine leaves is the beginning of the vulnerable period, not the end of the project.
- Reading an old farm field that has grown inThe ground under an old field is usually still good; what it costs to recover depends entirely on how long it has been left.
- Grapples: picking up and placing materialThe safest way to handle downed material, because it lets the machine do what a person would otherwise do by hand.
Everything else is in the planning workspace.
Get it quoted
Services this relates to
Evansville Mulching is a free matching service, not a contractor. Nothing on this page is a determination about your property — a contractor standing on the ground is the only person who can make one.
Covering 10 towns across the Evansville tri-state area, and all 14 services.