# Which fire rake?



## JDM (May 2, 2008)

Our club has a few of these fire rakes:
$36.50 (Ben Meadows)

They're great tools for roughing in and getting the first layer of duff off the tread. We're going to order a few more. I'm wondering if anyone has a preference for a different model? The two below are also available at Ben Meadows for similar prices. They both have fiberglass handles. I'm not sure what advantages or disadvantages this provides.

$39.95

$46.90


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## Summit Ridge Guy (Aug 16, 2010)

I purchased the red handled one and it works fine.


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## fmenigat (Feb 21, 2010)

One thing to note is that the wood handle one and the yellow handle one have "heads" that will pop off. This makes it nice for storage in a cramped truck tool box. The down side is you cant really push material with them, only take it towards you. That being said I own both the wood handle and yellow handle models and don't really have a preference either way.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using Tapatalk


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## Cotharyus (Jun 21, 2012)

Digging up this old thread to see if there's any updated purchasing advice. Still looks like the same three choices:

https://www.forestry-suppliers.com/...?mi=74331&itemnum=85208&title=Nupla Fire Rake

https://www.forestry-suppliers.com/...?mi=15741&itemnum=85211&title=JIM-GEM® Fyrake

https://www.forestry-suppliers.com/...i=15751&itemnum=85207&title=Council Fire Rake

I was thinking the Jim-Gem looks as good as anything else and costs a little less too. Any reason to go with anything else? Is there a less expensive fire rake elsewhere that might be as good?


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## tbmaddux (May 22, 2012)

I like the Rogue Hoe style of no-break rake. My personal one is on one side of the 70HR, kind of a small Mcleod. Between that and their "beast" Pulaski I can get a lot of work done with two tools.

Our organization also has a bunch of their no-break rakes. I'm not sure which ones, they come in a few sizes.


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## Cotharyus (Jun 21, 2012)

tbmaddux said:


> I like the Rogue Hoe style of no-break rake. My personal one is on one side of the 70HR, kind of a small Mcleod. Between that and their "beast" Pulaski I can get a lot of work done with two tools.
> 
> Our organization also has a bunch of their no-break rakes. I'm not sure which ones, they come in a few sizes.


That's on the list, but it's a separate tool, not really a fire rake. I've got a suspicion that fire rakes are pretty much six of one, half dozen of the other because they use pretty much the same materials.


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## tbmaddux (May 22, 2012)

I use it for both, but I like that I don’t have to carry it and a hoe. It’s definitely not as good of a rake as an actual rake.

We use the rakes a lot to (re)shape tread on build days and/or clear outslope in grade reversals on maintenance days. They’re also great for dragging loose rock away. Not sure I’d want the triangular blades for that.

Around here they don’t work to hack through organic layers while clearing a line, because it can be multiple feet deep in places and very matted even when it’s thin. More hacking with a hoe and tossing with a shovel.


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## Cotharyus (Jun 21, 2012)

tbmaddux said:


> I use it for both, but I like that I don't have to carry it and a hoe. It's definitely not as good of a rake as an actual rake.
> 
> We use the rakes a lot to (re)shape tread on build days and/or clear outslope in grade reversals on maintenance days. They're also great for dragging loose rock away. Not sure I'd want the triangular blades for that.
> 
> Around here they don't work to hack through organic layers while clearing a line, because it can be multiple feet deep in places and very matted even when it's thin. More hacking with a hoe and tossing with a shovel.


Yep, you're in a good place for the rogue hoe.

What I've got is about 1-3 inches of organic duff with small, mostly vine-like roots in it though. And under that? Rock. Solid freaking nothing but clank rock shelves from the top of the hill to the bottom. So I figure a real live honest to goodness fire rake is probably best...


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## 11053 (Sep 19, 2009)

I like these.
Push or pull= no problem.
Handle/head connection is bombproof. Adhesive + fixed hardware.
Very long tines= bites deep and can move a lot of dirt. Users should pay attention=easy to get a bit too ambitious/aggressive.
Both of these have plenty of weight to them so you can swing them and they will go deep and move soil.
Some other rake options have little weight and don't go deep.
There's a place for light rakes and heavy rakes.
These offer some big advantages for building, but can be overkill for maintenance, overkill for rocky soil, or do "damage" in the hands of an inexperienced user.
https://roguehoe.com/product/100cr/
https://roguehoe.com/product/115fr/


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## Cotharyus (Jun 21, 2012)

11053 said:


> I like these.
> Push or pull= no problem.
> Handle/head connection is bombproof. Adhesive + fixed hardware.
> Very long tines= bites deep and can move a lot of dirt. Users should pay attention=easy to get a bit too ambitious/aggressive.
> ...


Both great tools, but neither has bladed tines to cut all the roots out of shallow organic mat. Again, I think the fire rake has a specific use that's not really addressed by any other tool. For the record, the three Jim-Gem rakes I ordered are working well. I haven't had any problems from them yet.


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## tbmaddux (May 22, 2012)

The 115FR definitely has bladed flat tips like the 70HR or... your front teeth. Incisors? Anyway they probably do not cut as well as the triangular teeth but they do have some bite.


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## Cotharyus (Jun 21, 2012)

tbmaddux said:


> The 115FR definitely has bladed flat tips like the 70HR or... your front teeth. Incisors? Anyway they probably do not cut as well as the triangular teeth but they do have some bite.


I should hope hope they're somewhat sharp. None the less, not at all what you're looking for if what you NEED is a fire rake. It's an interesting point here that as recently as a few months ago I shunned the idea of needing a fire rake at all for building trail, but my current location has just an inch or three of dirt, depending where you are, over ...mostly limestone. So ALL of that dirt is threaded through densely with the tiny roots - no more than finger sized - and would be impossible to move without a fire rake to cut through all the roots.


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