# DIY Leveling rake



## Gilley11

Start with one of these. They're only $40-$50 new and you can find them on CL or FB for $20-$30. This is almost EXACTLY like one of the leveling rakes, just with legs and more cross pieces.



Drill out rivets, remove the legs and take out every other cross piece, or however you want to set it up.



Assemble and you'll come up with something like this:



Here's the finished product. I used an extra push broom that I had and some angle brackets to attach it. Just messing around with it, if works great! I'm in this for a total of $0.00, but if you had to buy things and depending on your creativity, you could get it done for less than $40 no problem.


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## Ware

Nice write-up! Thanks! :thumbup:


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## tommyboy

Nice. May have to try this myself. Any chance of getting more detailed photos of the handle bracket?


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## Gilley11

tommyboy said:


> Nice. May have to try this myself. Any chance of getting more detailed photos of the handle bracket?


I'll try to get a couple close ups tonight. It's really simple, just a couple of L brackets and bolts.


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## Gilley11

Here's a zoon in of the original image:



I originally had it fabbed up with an aluminum setup, but I personally liked the added weight of the steel.


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## Jsnow385

That is amazing I know what I am doing this weekend. Thanks for the write up.


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## Teej

Bookmarked for a few months from now. Thanks for this!


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## Chris1

genius


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## Mister Bill

For those of you who live in Menards country and can utilize the in-store rebate, $17.78.

https://www.menards.com/main/paint/ladders-scaffolding/scaffolding/maxload-reg-portable-aluminum-work-platform/89256/p-1522909770164.htm


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## Gilley11

^^^^ That's a great price!


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## Gilley11

There's another thread going around with guys making them from wood. You might be able to use the push broom bracket from that on this as well.


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## jeff2002

This looks awesome and I am going to try to build one myself. Originally, I was going to buy either a 36" or 48" from R&R products.


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## TNTurf

Yea when I first looked I was wondering why not buy the 48 from R&R, thats what I did and it works great. Well, I guess I forgot what I paid because looking just now this is a smoking deal for a tool that will work just as well. Good deal you got there.


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## JasonRMorrow

Thanks for the idea, I've had a step up in the rafters for years. Mine doesn't have as many slats so I can't remove them. I'll cut out the tread if I need to, so far it has worked great with some top soil spot tests.

This was $0 for me. Thatch rake handle will get swapped back and forth. The black angled pieces are cord channel that I use at work. Thrilled with how it turned out.


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## quackamole

new user that found the site after looking for a leveling rake. Hi everyone!

I was able to score a 40" from menards, but trying to figure out how to attach a handle. Anyone know the name of the bracket that the official rakes use (attached to the post)? I can't come up with a name or description for the life of me.

I was thinking about using the snap on handles that dry dusters / mops use, but I'm not sure if it's a beefy enough solution.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Rubbermaid-Commercial-Products-60-in-Hardwood-Snap-On-Dust-Mop-Handle-M116/100657971


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## gkaneko

This is amazing. I wish I saw this before I bought the leveling rake.


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## AZChemist

:evil:


quackamole said:


> new user that found the site after looking for a leveling rake. Hi everyone!
> 
> I was able to score a 40" from menards, but trying to figure out how to attach a handle. Anyone know the name of the bracket that the official rakes use (attached to the post)? I can't come up with a name or description for the life of me.
> 
> I was thinking about using the snap on handles that dry dusters / mops use, but I'm not sure if it's a beefy enough solution.
> 
> https://www.homedepot.com/p/Rubbermaid-Commercial-Products-60-in-Hardwood-Snap-On-Dust-Mop-Handle-M116/100657971


Also interested in the name of this bracket or what it was originally intended for if anyone know.


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## Thick n Dense

slick !!!

Good job.


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## jhhoffma

JasonRMorrow said:


> Thanks for the idea, I've had a step up in the rafters for years. Mine doesn't have as many slats so I can't remove them. I'll cut out the tread if I need to, so far it has worked great with some top soil spot tests.
> 
> This was $0 for me. Thatch rake handle will get swapped back and forth. The black angled pieces are cord channel that I use at work. Thrilled with how it turned out.


My HF had one that looked like this, so I didn't bother to pick it up as it didn't look like it would work as well. How did your's end up working for you?


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## Gilley11

You've got to remove the cross pieces and fasten then back down. That one I would only put 2 back and it would work great.

I use mine so much more than I thought I ever would. It's an indispensable tool for me now.


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## ColeLawn

Home Depot has a 47" Gorilla Ladders work platform for $23 that looks like it should do the job. Not sure if 47" is too large for some (I know it would be for my yard) but thought I'd share.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Gorilla-Ladders-47-25-in-x-12-in-x-20-in-Aluminum-Slim-Fold-Work-Platform-300-lbs-Load-Capacity-GLWP-47/305590237

I plan to DIY my leveling rake this spring out of reused 4x4's and a cinder block. This thread has been very intriguing and helpful.


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