DO-IT-ALL Landscaping Rake

When he invented the Do-It-All Landscape Rake, Dennis Szatko was just trying to save time and labor expenses.

The landscaping contractor from Clarks, Neb., did just that and is now producing and marketing the equipment.

"I came up with the landscape rake idea in 1979," he said, noting that his goal was to eliminate hand-raking to make the job faster and easier.

After many hours in the shopand on the job sites getting everything perfected, he started using his prototype for seeding/sodding jobs. People now started noticing how well it worked and encouraged him to get a patent on the machine. After a lot of time and money, he recieved a patent in 2000.

Dennis Szatko of Clarks, Neb., invented the Do-It-All Landscape Rake, which is available in sizes to fit mini skid steers, utility tractors and skid steers. Szatko created the rake for his company, Do It All Landscaping.

The new machine is about half the price of comparable machines on the market, he says, explaining that he wants to sell the rakes at a good, competitive price.

The rake has three steps: front ripper teeth that rip the soil, the middle step that pulverives and packs the seedbed, and rear teeth that fluff the soil.

"It's all in one pass with no hydraulics, electronics or PTO at half the cost of hydraulic landscaping rakes," he noted.

Maintenance is easy, as there are only four grease zerks. There are no chains or gears to wear out since the ground speed of the skid steer or tractor makes it work.

Built with heavy-duty materials, the Do-It-All Landscape Rake uses replaceable ripper teeth and replaceable rubber teeth to ensure long life at a low cost.

Available in widths ranging from 36 inches to 84 inches that fit mini-skids, full-sized skids and small tractors, the machine is safe and easy to operate, he says. There is no hand raking windrows of dirt, no airborne dirt or dust.

Not only does it prepare seedbeds, the landscape rake can be used to pick up sticks, weeds or debris in lawns. By removing the the front ripper teeth (just four bolts) the machine can be used to de-thatch grass or aerate the lawn with ease.

"From cleaning out horse pens to doing ball fields to cleaning sand beaches, there are a lot of uses for this tool," said Szatko. "It's an excellent machine to stir compost and fertilizer into the soil."

One advantage the machine has over it's competition is that it can be adjusted to work soil into any depth - not just the 1-2 inch depth of a major competitor.

A universal mount bracket is used, allowing it to hook up to any mini-skid steer or small tractor.

Currently the rake is being manufactured by Herks Welding Company in nearby Central City, NE.

"They build them to specs when we get a minimum five ordered, but we always have some on inventory," said Szatko.

Szatko says he has been working during the winter months - the three months his landscaping business shuts down - to marktet the landscaping rake.

"I've been in landscaping shows from Colorado to Kansas City to Minnesota to Louisville, Kentucky," noted Szatko. "From the East Coast to West Coast, calls have been made from rental shops, landscapers and nurseries, all asking about how the rake can help them do their jobs, plus save money, labor and time to get their job done right.

Local rental centers have purchased the landscape rake, while several dealerships are also selling it. While Szatko works on the number of dealerships, customers are contacting him to order their Do-It-All Landscape Rakes.

Midwest Skid Steers, Vermillion, SD., is one of the first dealerships handling the product.

Purchasing the rake from a dealership is a better deal for the customer, he says. "I have to provide an incentive for people to buy from my dealerships."