Polishing the Pile

[tree md]

I hate the plastic rakes. They may be OK for leaf raking but for twigs they suck. Plus they wear down from use on the street and concrete. I gotta have the metal tines. Much more articulation for flicking and going over heavier obstacles.

 

[sgreanbeans]

If ya get a bunch of guys, ALL polishing the pile, you'll never worry about your rakes breaking! We go threw them like candy, I bought the metal ones before, they get lost/broken just the same, I prefer the cheap ones, kinda expect that they wont last long, I watch the hardware store for sales, I got deal recently that had rakes down from 15 to 5, got them all. The blower guys are the same as pile polishers, all fit in the same category, the worthless ones. Had a guy named Kyle, was the best at polishing, we now refer to guys that I have canned for it, "they are in the kyle file"!

 

[Tree Machine]

The pile polisher is just as comfortable "Hiding behind the Blower".

Yes, this is a machine that can be used as a pile polishing substitute.
It can seem like a video game to a polisher, a few versions of that game, one called 'Blowing and blowing and blowing a stick that won't move' another one called 'blowing the same pile of sticks over and over all the way across the yard', then there's 'start blowing from the center of the mess rather than from the outer periphery-inward'
and my two personal favorites to witness, 'blow a mess across an area you just got cleaned' and 'now that you're in the gravel area, run that sucker at full throttle so we make certain there's plenty of gravel and grit mixed in'.



Yea, LOL.

 

[Bermie]

I have no choice but to take pride raking. It comes from being a one man crew.
Is that the rake with the curved metal spring-wire tines?

Sounds like me half the time! I get annoyed watching bad raking when still up in the tree, makes me want to throw things down on them.

I don't use anything but a metal spring tine rake...the ones with like 1/4" flat tines...

The other skill is getting the rakings either into a container or onto a tarp to chuck in the truck, ever seen guys rake up to a tarp and most of it end up UNDER the tarp not ON it!!!!
Flat sided trash cans make the best pick up containers, easy to rake into and easy to lift and dump.

 

[Tree Machine]

Hi Bermie,
The metal rake you're describing is the one we've all used from the beginning of time. These new ones are remarkably different, very durable, and somehow faster & easier .

Because of the gentle, even curve you can scoop under a small pile and lift it without bending over. I got mine at an ISA chapter show in January, it is July and I still have the same rake, which is remarkable, and other than modifying the tines with a little de-curving, it is in the same condition as the day of purchase.

I can't remember the name of the Arb supply from where I got it, but if I come across it, I'll post it. Here's a link to what looks like the same thing, I can't remember what I paid for it, but it was definitely worth it.

 

[treevet]

I have one. I got it last Winter as my heavy-handed ground man kept breaking with wide, plastic rakes.

I had to lessen the curve of each of the tines, they had too much 'hook', it got really grabby with the lawn. One tine at a time, mini vise-grips, gentle partial un-bending.

Now I absolutely love it, much improved, and that's great because I sorta hate raking, but as you say, TreeVet, ya still gotta take pride in it, and as Lawn Shark says, ya gotta keep the gravel out of the mix, and as
Bermie says, flick it ya freakin moron or I'm comin after your sorry a$z with this MACHETE!

I don't remember Bermie saying that! :hmm3grin2orange:

 

[ozzy42]

Hey guys and gals,just got back from 2 1/2 weeks in Ar.
One of my cousins groundies did a classic, useless groundie move at least once every day that is just as bad as pile polishing ,or hiding behind the blower.
He would leave a backyard that was full of brush needing to be dragged,completely empty handed because someone yelled for a scrench or any other thing on the truck out front that was needed.Drove me crazy :bang:

My toting expertise were not needed or required,as there was 4 or 5 groundies every day,but if I am walking to the truck ,I will at least grab a small branch or throw a log on my shoulder.

I don't know if the one guy was stupid ,lazy ,or a bit of both.

 

[treevet]

what a nostalgic thread lol

 

[sgreanbeans]

I need to look into these rakes, maybe that is the problem, I havnt bought them good enough rakes! I am interested in those, Im not sure of a place that sells them around here, i suppose i could order them.................nah, not gonna mail order rakes!
I believe that all the things, your guys do, such as we have spoken about here, all could be described as polishing, these polishers are turds, and you cant polish one of those!

Found out today, one of them was doing a storm job, all the stuff was on the ground, " go cut it up, get it ready for me" is the instructions i gave, not "cut up the brush so small on the hickory, that there is no cut end for the feed roller, then spend all day doing it and selling it while your on the clock for me to a local restaurant, then because I know you want the hickory log for your self, so you can sell it for firewood ,wait so you can do that on the clock, don't do it on your own time, how silly"

 

[jefflovstrom]

Wow! , Coo-Coo for rakes! Are we that bored?
Jeff

 

[sgreanbeans]

personally, just between us, I like silage forks.

 

[treemandan]

Wow! , Coo-Coo for rakes! Are we that bored?
Jeff

You need really good rakes in this business.

 

[jefflovstrom]

You need really good rakes in this business.

So are these "Rake's" better than "Swede's". Because you really need good Swede's in this business!
Jeff

 

[Blakesmaster]

Wow! , Coo-Coo for rakes! Are we that bored?
Jeff

What type of rakes do you like, Jeffy? The ones with a cd player and nav system? I like the cheapo, and I #### you not, "Homeowner" is the brand name you can buy at Lowes. Anywhere from 7 to 12 bucks per plastic rake. I used to drop some dough on the big, wide ones but found the medium size tends to break less and you can move them faster and end up collecting more debris. As far as raking goes, there's an art to it. It's kind of hard to explain though. You either get it or you don't.

 

[jefflovstrom]

What type of rakes do you like, Jeffy? The ones with a cd player and nav system? I like the cheapo, and I #### you not, "Homeowner" is the brand name you can buy at Lowes. Anywhere from 7 to 12 bucks per plastic rake. I used to drop some dough on the big, wide ones but found the medium size tends to break less and you can move them faster and end up collecting more debris. As far as raking goes, there's an art to it. It's kind of hard to explain though. You either get it or you don't.

Easy Blakester! After 33 years, rakes seems like a boring topic. Yeah, it's an art, sorta, besides, the CD player sucks since the spriklers came on at a bad time, and the Navigation got a little water damage.
Jeff

 

[Blakesmaster]

Easy Blakester! After 33 years, rakes seems like a boring topic. Yeah, it's an art, sorta, besides, the CD player sucks since the spriklers came on at a bad time, and the Navigation got a little water damage.
Jeff

What happened to the guatemalan kid that was supposed to hold your umbrella? You didn't havta fire him did you? Man, times are tough all over, I guess.

 

[jefflovstrom]

What happened to the guatemalan kid that was supposed to hold your umbrella? You didn't havta fire him did you? Man, times are tough all over, I guess.

I let him stay in my carport under a tarp. He really likes it as long as I don't turn off the TV before 11pm! He did see an episode of Jay Leno at 11:35pm, so I think he may be wanting to negotiate! I think I can get him to mow the yard if I give him the "Food Netwok". Hey, it's a shot!
Jeff

 

[BC WetCoast]

For us it's rake handles. New groundies seem to think that the rake handles are like carbon fibre hockey sticks, if you put more bend in it, the job'll go faster. Now we have about 20 rake heads sitting around. Need a rake, you have to beg for a handle and go put it together.

 

[Bigus Termitius]

For us it's rake handles. New groundies seem to think that the rake handles are like carbon fibre hockey sticks, if you put more bend in it, the job'll go faster. Now we have about 20 rake heads sitting around. Need a rake, you have to beg for a handle and go put it together.

I had a new guy break a handle on a new rake first day I put it out. I thought: great, here we go. He was a horse and I wondered what I was going to have to make a rake out of that he couldn't break.

But he did keep one running for two years after that. He might not have been the hardest worker, but you knew what you'd get out of him in a days time, which was plenty, and he took care of himself and equipment. That pays dividends.

 

[treevet]

16$ and lifetime warranty at Sherrill? Man they are asking for it.

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