The pad looks graded until you walk it. Clods. Buried rock. Machine tracks. A bucket will not finish that surface.
What is a power rake? A skid steer power rake is a hydraulically driven drum with teeth that pulverizes compacted soil, rakes debris to the side, and leaves a seedbed in one pass.
Buying the wrong series costs you twice. Once when you order it. Again when a high-flow drum sits on a standard-flow machine that cannot drive it.
What Is a Power Rake?
A power rake is a soil conditioner on a universal quick-attach plate. Hydraulic flow turns a toothed drum. Gauge wheels set how deep the teeth cut. Angle the drum and rock, sod chunks, and clods walk into a windrow instead of getting buried.
It is a finish tool. Rough-cut the pad with a bucket or blade first. Then power rake. It is not a tiller and not a box blade. If the ground is still high and low by inches, fix that before you drop the drum.
Crews also search "harley rake." On a lot of jobs, that is just the nickname for a power rake. Skid Steer Nation sells MTW power rakes in three series. It does not sell a Harley-brand rake. Match GPM, width, and teeth, not the brand name you typed.
Fits most machines with a universal quick-attach: Bobcat, CAT, Kubota, John Deere, Case, Takeuchi, and New Holland. Older proprietary couplers still need a check before you order.
What Does a Power Rake Do?
What a power rake does is three jobs in one pass: pulverize the top of the soil, rake rock and debris aside, and leave a grade you can seed, sod, or gravel.
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Seedbed prep before seeding or sodding
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Final grading on driveways and building pads
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Rock and debris cleanup after excavation
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Lawn renovation and topsoil incorporation
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Finish grading after a rough cut
The drum is built for hard-packed soil, gravel, sod, and similar terrain. Teeth cut. Rotation throws fines back down and walks oversized material to the edge of the pass. You are not just scraping. You are conditioning.
What it does not do: cut standing brush, rip deep hardpan, or move large volumes of fill. Get the volume off the pad first. Then finish with the drum.
Which Skid Steer Power Rake Matches Your Machine
Match hydraulic flow first. Then width. Then teeth and angle. Wider is not automatically better if the machine cannot power the drum or stay stable at that width.
Power Rake Series 1
Best for standard-flow machines and mini skids. Max 20 GPM. 6-inch rotor. 7ga wall. Widths: 48, 60, and 72 inches. Carbide or replaceable teeth. Manual or hydraulic angle.
Lawn renovation, small pads, and driveway finish work on compact and standard-flow machines. It does not need high flow.
Power Rake Series 2
Best for most full-size machines. This is the most popular model. Designed for 20-30 GPM. 8-inch rotor. Widths: 72, 84, and 96 inches. Weld-on carbide or replaceable teeth. Manual or hydraulic angle. Standard-flow and high-flow configs are listed on the product page.
The bigger rotor is the point. More aggressive conditioning than Series 1. If your machine sits in that 20-30 GPM band and you do site prep every week, start here.
Power Rake Series 3
Best for high-flow production. High flow up to 40 GPM. 8-inch rotor. 3/8-inch wall. Widths: 84, 96, and 120 inches. Carbide or replaceable teeth. Manual or hydraulic angle on 84 and 96. The 120-inch drum is listed as manual angle only.
Do not put Series 3 on a standard-flow machine. If you are not high flow, use Series 1 or Series 2.
All three are American-made, use a universal quick-attach, and are backed by a manufacturer warranty. Confirm hose, coupler, and any missing weight or PSI numbers with SSN before you order.
How to Power Rake Your Lawn
How to power rake your lawn from a skid steer is the same process you use on a house pad. You just run shallower, slower, and with more overlap around beds, walks, and irrigation.
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Confirm flow before you hook up. Series 1 tops out at 20 GPM. Series 2 is built for 20-30 GPM. Series 3 needs high flow, up to 40 GPM, and will not run on a standard-flow machine. Read the number in your operator's manual, not a guess from a similar model.
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Rough grade first. Knock down piles. Fill holes. Get water to drain the way you want. The drum finishes. It does not replace a first pass with a bucket.
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Set depth with the gauge wheels. Teeth should be in the soil. Too deep and you bog the motor and bring up junk you then have to rake twice. Too shallow and you polish the crust and leave clods.
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Angle the drum to windrow. Manual angle is set on the ground. Hydraulic angle changes from the cab, which matters when you keep hitting rock pockets. Walk debris to one side, pick it, then make a straighter finish pass.
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Overlap, keep a steady speed, then seed. Let the drum work. Racing it leaves ridges. Locate drip line, lighting, and shallow utilities before you drop the rotor. Seed or sod while the soil is still worked. Do not treat the drum as a deep tiller.
If a spec for depth, PSI, or weight is not on the product page, do not guess. Confirm with sales@skidsteernation.com or (309) 471-9100.
Dedicated Power Rake vs. Hydra-Bucket
Do you need a dedicated power rake, or a Hydra-Bucket?
A dedicated power rake is the specialist. Drum, gauge wheels, angle, windrow. When lawn prep and seedbed finish are the job, that is the tool.
A Hydra-Bucket is a bucket and a power rake in one. Standard flow. Widths: 66, 72, 78, and 84 inches. Built from AR400, AR200, and Grade 50 steel, with a Char-Lynn motor rated at 6,700 in/lbs. You cut, carry, and finish without swapping attachments mid-job.
Pick the dedicated drum when you already have a bucket and you want maximum raking and windrowing. Pick the Hydra-Bucket when you are tired of switching tools on the same pad. Send make and model to SSN if flow or width is unclear. Do not copy a GPM number from a different attachment.
Before You Buy: Questions to Answer
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What is your machine's rated hydraulic flow in GPM?
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Are you standard flow, high flow, or on a mini skid?
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What width can that machine carry without getting tippy?
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Carbide teeth for hard, rocky ground, or replaceable teeth you can swap when they wear?
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Manual angle, or hydraulic angle from the cab?
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Is the work mostly finish raking, or do you also need to carry material on the same pass?
Those answers pick the series. SSN picks the exact config if you send make and model.
Finance it from $199/mo. Apply from the job, not from a bank lobby.
If you want to talk it through, contact sales@skidsteernation.com or call (309) 471-9100.
Shop skid steer power rake attachments
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a power rake?
A power rake is a skid steer attachment with a hydraulically driven, toothed drum. It pulverizes soil, rakes rock and debris aside, and leaves a finished grade for seed, sod, or gravel. Harley rake is a nickname, not a brand SSN sells.
What does a power rake do?
It conditions ground a bucket cannot finish: seedbed prep, driveway and pad grading, lawn renovation, and rock cleanup after excavation. It does not cut brush, and it is not a substitute for rough grading.
What flow does a skid steer power rake need?
Series 1: max 20 GPM, standard-flow and mini-skid friendly. Series 2: 20-30 GPM, with standard-flow and high-flow configs on the product page. Series 3: high flow up to 40 GPM, not for standard-flow machines. Check your operator's manual, then match the series.
How do you power rake a lawn with a skid steer?
Rough grade first. Set the drum shallow. Angle to windrow debris. Overlap passes and keep a steady speed. Locate utilities, then seed or sod while the soil is still worked.
Do I need a dedicated power rake or a Hydra-Bucket?
Use a dedicated power rake when finish raking is the job and you already carry a bucket. Use a Hydra-Bucket when you want to cut, carry, and finish without swapping. Standard flow. Widths 66, 72, 78, and 84 inches.
