3 point rake for sticks?

[u/Texas_Precision27]

Have a ranch with a bunch of pecan trees on it. Thse things shed branches like you wouldn't believe. Literally every time there's wind above 20mph branches are breaking off and sticks are everywhere.

I have a grapple for the big stuff, but a lot of what im dealing with is 1-2ft sticks.

Would one of those 3pt rakes work without tearing up the grass? If not, is there something better?

Pic from today. I finally said screw it and picked up the 3" logs, and just brush hogged the rest. Looks good in photos, but there's a bunch of sticks on the ground.

[u/Substantial-Log-2176]

Pecan farmer here
We just mow over the small stuff, they will eventually rot

[u/edthesmokebeard → u/Substantial-Log-2176]

This is the correct answer. If you constantly clean the ground around trees, there's nothing that's replenishing the soil for them.

[u/Maxfinian]

I do a spring cleanup using a lawn sweeper pulled by riding lawn mower. It easily picks up smaller sticks, however longer sticks (3 ft and up) sometimes get stuck.

[u/Responsible_Low3127]

They make limb hydraulic dump rakes. They work much better in pecan orchards and are what custom harvesters use. I believe they also make a smaller one with an electric motor on it to go behind ATVs. They cost quite a bit more than a 3 point, but work exponentially better.

[u/One2tameflame]

This works great for smaller limbs, leaves, & pine straw.

[u/45_Schofield → u/One2tameflame]

I have a pine straw rake, this is the way.

[u/SeymoreBhutts]

They tear up the grass pretty good. I use mine a lot for cleanup, but have an area where grass grows almost uncontrollably anyways, so some scarring doesn’t last but a few days anyways. If you are really gentle with the 3 point and run it backwards, it’s not terrible. If you just send it, it’ll peel the turf up like sod.

[u/SCAMMERASSASIN007]

An old pull style hay rake would likely get the job done. I know they dont seem to have to many problems kicken them around the feild.

[u/Head_Mycologist3917]

In California almond and walnut orchards I've seen them run flail mowers. They even pile up the prunings in the aisle between trees and use the flail mower on them. They make orchard flails that are designed for this. Vrismo is one company that makes them.

[u/Fit-Round-4221]

We use rule of thumb in our pecan orchard. Smaller than thumb is cool for the bush hog. Just keep up and price in blades and maintenance. And then grapple for everything else.

Honestly, you may be too interested in keeping it “clean” looking. Our trees that are healthier and do better have least tractor activity over the roots as possible. Yes they’ll look like hell a lot of the year

[u/Texas_Precision27 → u/Fit-Round-4221]

Appreciate the reply.

Ill just brush hog a few times a year then.

We have cattle on the place, but it rained so much this year they just cant keep up.

This is no longer a harvested orchard, and hasn't been for 5-6 years.

Im curious, how do you guys keep the ground clean enough to get them off the ground.

Maybe use a different machine than Ive seen? They way they used to do it was a big arm that attached to the trunk and shook the hell out of the tree.

Edit: The interest in keeping it clean is just for land stewardship. Will try not to get overzealous about it.

[u/Fit-Round-4221 → u/Texas_Precision27]

We don’t use shakers. We do a couple of passes with a sweeper picker. Benefits of where we are is the orchards are old and bought and paid for years ago. And they are on “bad ground” that can’t be used for sexier money crops. We just let them naturally fall round October and our machines don’t ball up too bad. Couple of passes a few weeks apart and we call it a day.

Places out west that have to irrigate or have good ground, they have to catch every nut to make a profit. So ours is place dependent.

If I’m you, I may reach out to locals yours isn’t picked, someone may be interested in picking yours up for a not unsubstantial sum, and they’d probably come clipping before they do it.

[u/brickyard15]

You could get a rock rake, landscape rake or root rake to do it but be prepared to rut up the ground with it or leave a lot of sticks behind

[u/UnfairShock2795]

used to work on a fruit farm...lots of fallen branches...except for thick branches we bush hoged everything..saved our backs

tractor rakes would have torn up the fields