Types of Rakes for Your Outdoor Needs

Rakes are incredibly useful pieces of equipment that make the best use in gardens. These tools can be used for a variety of different purposes in the garden. From removing fallen leaves and other types of debris from the ground to leveling up the soil by breaking up any clumps of it, turning it over, and removing stones or weeds. Accordingly, there are many different types of racks available including concrete rake, leaf rakes, lawn rakes, lake rakes, thatch rake, etc.

In this article, we’ll go through each of these distinctive types, and explain their usage. So, if you ever ever wondered which type of rack you should include in your gardening tools collection, keep reading this article to find out which one will best suit your needs.

What are the Different Kinds of Rakes?

Concrete Rake
Concrete-Rake
Source: diamondtool.net

This type of rake features a metalhead that is textured on one side of the rack and flat and slightly curved on the other side. The concrete rake is specially designed to scoop up wet concrete and move it to another area before it has dried. The flat edge of the concrete rack is used for leveling out the concrete to achieve a smooth finish look, while its textured side is used up for the scoping action. These types of racks are mostly used when building concrete paths, patios, and walkways.

Leaf Rake
leaf-rake
Source: gardeningknowhow.com

Leaf rakes feature a lightweight design and are shaped like a fan with springy tines radiating outward. This type of rake is also referred to as a lawn rake. Its special design allows you to glide over the grass without damaging it or disturbing the soil beneath. As their name suggests they are ideal for removing leaves and any other type of debris. They can be made from a wide variety of materials including polypropylene, steel, and bamboo.

Leaf Scoop Rake
Leaf-Scoop-Rake
Source: oakhillgardens.com

Leaf scop rakes can make this job a little easier. Instead of raking up the leaves and then having to bend down and literally scoop them, this rack allows you to scrape together a pile of leaves and pick them up without much effort. This specific rack has a set of jaws that open and close over the leaves, making it easy to grab a section of the pile and move it with ease. Unfortunately, they are not strong enough to lift heavier items, so they are best for use in the fall to move piles of leaves from one location to another.

Shrub Rake
shrub-rakes
Source: oakhillgardens.com

The shrub rake has a similar look to the leaf rake, with some minor differences in the design. For instance, this type of rack has shorter and fewer tines which allow it to get into smaller places where the leaf garden rake is too wide to reach. As its name suggests it’s is ideal for raking out debris from alongside fences or underneath shrubs. Shrub rakes are most often constructed from metal or plastic. 

Garden Rake
Garden-Rake
Source: thisoldhouse.com

Garden rakes are the most common type of rakes, that most homeowners possess. These types of rakes feature a long and straight handle, with a stiff, wide head at a right angle to the handle. It is typically made from sturdy metal and has many short tines attached to it, making it ideal for tougher jobs such as breaking up compacted soil. Garden rakes usually have a multipurpose function as they are designed to tackle a variety of jobs, including leveling out soil or sand, raking up flower beds, or aerating the soil.

Lake Rake
Lake-Rake
Source: whatpond.com

Lake rake, most commonly known by the name “pond rake” or “aquatic rake” is a specialized type of rake designed for removing different types of algae and weeds that grow in bodies of water. Most of them feature a long handle that makes them easy to use either from shore or in a boat. Whenever you choose to buy one you should look for a lightweight design, so you can minimize leverage working against you as you reach into the water from shore. The short lake rakes feature significantly shorter handles that come attached to a rope. This way when thrown into the lake or pond and then pulled out they can drag out weeds and algae with them.

Hand Rake
hand-rake
Source: gardeningknowhow.com

A hand rake features the same types of designs as full-sized rakes, but with a much smaller handle. Their much smaller design allows for greater precision when working in the garden. For instance, they are perfect for use on flowerbeds, or when working in garden pots and containers. This type of tool is very helpful in removing weeds or scrapping old roots away that may accumulate in the top layers of the soil. Good quality hand rakes design may feature sturdy metalheads that can be made either from wood or metal and strong tines that aren’t flexible. 

Hay Rake
Hay-Rake
Source: deere.com

A hay rake is a specialized type of rake that is used to collect cut hay or straw into windrows for later collections, or for turning the hay over and spreading it around so it can dry more effectively. These types of rakes have a similar design to the landscape rakes featuring wide heads and stiff tines, which enable it to cover a large area of ground quickly. Some of them also feature some sort of attachments that can be fixed to the back of a tractor so they can be dragged along mechanically instead of physically.



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