Q&A: Tree Work Cleanup & Zero Turn Gravel Grading
Matt Answers the Internet’s Questions on specific ABI Equipment
Matt answers the internet’s burning questions about zero point turn equipment, cleaning up after tree work, and if the TR3 is really as great as we claim it is (Spoiler Alert: it is).
TR3 Rake
- For Compact & Utility Tractors
- 6.5', 7.5', 8.5', 10' Widths - Commercial-Duty
- Starting At: $116/mo.*
Mini SR Grading Rake
- For Mini Skid-Steer Loaders & Mini Track Loaders
- 4.5' Width - Commercial-Duty
- Starting At: $105/mo.*
TR3 Grading Rake
- Commercial Contractor Landscape Rake
- 7.5' Width - Commercial-Duty
- Starting At: $184/mo.*
Transcript
Hi, everyone. Matt here with ABI Attachments. Welcome back to another episode of the ABI Dirt. This is one of my favorite kind of episodes here in the dirt. It’s a time where we stop, we pause, we freeze, and we answer some of your questions. You know that every single week I ask, I said, “Hey give this a call.” “Talk to a product specialist.” “Leave some comments online.” That’s because we like to hear from you. We like to give you information that could potentially make your life easier. So we’ve got three questions today that you all, some of you, three of you actually left online on our socials, and we’d like to tackle them for your benefit. Let’s dive in.
Gravel Grader for Zero Turn Mower
Question number one, right out the gate. Here we go:
Like a zero turn, zero point. Great question. Glad you asked. This is a fun one. It’s a little bit of a tricky one. The answer is maybe. Sorry. Let me explain. If you look back a couple videos ago. About a year ago, we dropped a video on how to help tackle hardpan using your ATV or UTV and pulling a tow-behind drag. Gravel Rascal Pro tow-behind drag intended to be used behind an ATV/UTV. That’s four wheeler, side by side. Can it be pulled behind a zero turn lawnmower? Here’s the thing. And this is why we ask you to give us a call and talk with our products specialists. Zero turn lawnmowers, the big ones. I’m not talking about the dinky little guys. I’m talking the big zero turn lawnmowers. They’ve got the horsepower. They’ve the weight. They’re typically lacking the traction. Now, does that mean that it’s impossible? No, it doesn’t mean that it’s impossible but you gotta think you’ve got a couple hundred pounds of drag behind you there on that Gravel Rascal Pro, you’ve got points of contact, anything from 5 up to 11 points of contact on that Gravel Rascal Pro, and you’re digging into hardpan gravel, potentially some roots.
What you’re going to miss out on is actually traction. Eventually, if you get deep enough, you get into something hard enough. and your back tires are gonna spin, or what’s more dangerous, for you, is that those front tires, because there’s not a whole lot of weight on the front of that zero turn lawnmower. You could get those front tires popping off the ground, And that’s not really a safe situation. So in summary there, when we were talking Gravel Rascal Pro we’re looking for a tow vehicle that has weight, you’re looking for a tow vehicle has the right horsepower, and also the traction. And that typically means a four wheel drive scenario. Am I saying that a really beefy commercial grade zero turn lawnmower can’t handle it? No, it’s not gonna be your best tow vehicle option there. Side note, take a look at the Gravel Grader. Cause the Gravel Grader was designed for lawnmowers in mind.
Soil Leveling Rake for Tree Work
Question number two:
Fantastic question, because there is a lot to be done once the tree is cleared. God forbid a storm knocked a tree down, or maybe you took it down intentionally. Let’s say the tree’s outta the way. What do you have left over? Could be some brush, could be a pretty good size hole in the ground where that tree root system was, and you’ve got all kinds of holes and chunks all over the yard. You’re probably gonna wanna get that back to seedbed. This is the kind of work that the Mini SR was born for. Right? So first step, take a look at that finish rake at the front of the tool as you’re moving forward. That’s kind of your ideal ground engaged component for taking care of big chunks of soil movement. If you’re trying to fill in holes, if you’ve got some soil that’s been mounded up, you can level that back up by moving forward with that Mini SR. So you can push soil back into some of your major holes and trenches that have been left by the tree being removed, then operating in reverse. You’ve got those scarifiers, which are your primary kind of decompaction component.
So you’ve got a row of scarifiers there that remember you can drop to about four inches deep, which is crucial, because if you’re going to put that soil back to turf, back to lawn you wanna get a nice deep three to four inch rip with those scarifiers so that you’ve got that ideal root bed. So again, steps. Push that finish rake forward, level things out on a kind a rough grade scenario, following the contour of your ground that you want, decompact those scarifiers. That level blade is in play as you’re ripping up with those scarifiers. So you can level things out. Getting that level surface that you want. And then that finish rake is right there as well, to smooth out all the clads and to smooth out, give you a nice finish. That way, once you throw the seed down and your grass starts to grow, it’s like the tree was never there. So Mini SR, fantastic application, in small context. If your yard size is such that you can’t really get a big skid steer, get a big tractor back there. The Mini SR is perfect for it.
The TR3: a Land Preparation Tool
Third question. Last question of the day:
Totally fair comment, depending on which of our videos you watch. You can see our tools used in lots of applications. And because we specialize in multifunction attachments, we’d like to provide you solutions that work all over your property, not just in one specific application. The TR3, being a great example of that. The TR3 has been used in arenas, equine arenas, for decades now. It’s actually trusted by some major facilities across the country as well as some top performers. But the TR3 actually had its roots and the founder of ABI Attachments started out in the contractor and landscape and lawn prep space. So I’m going to let the B roll speak for itself on this one. Doug run that tape.
That’s all I’ve got today everyone. I love fielding these kind of questions. Leave your own questions about your own application. Maybe you’ve got something going on in your property. You’ve got a summer project that you’re trying to tackle and you’re curious to see if any attachment made by API Attachments could be helpful. Drop your questions in the comments below, leave ’em online. We would love to hear from you. Until next time, take care.