6 Best Landscaping Rakes For Leveling Soil That Old Farmers Swear By
Achieve a perfectly level grade with these 6 landscaping rakes. We cover the time-tested tools that seasoned farmers rely on for professional results.
There’s a moment every season, after the tiller has done its work, when you stand before a lumpy, chaotic patch of earth and see the smooth, perfect seedbed it needs to become. This is where the right rake transforms a back-breaking chore into a satisfying act of creation. A good leveling rake isn’t just a tool; it’s your partner in giving seeds the best possible start.
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Why a Good Leveling Rake is a Farmer’s Best Friend
A perfectly level bed isn’t just about looks. It’s about water. On uneven ground, water pools in low spots and runs off high spots, leading to drowned seeds and thirsty seedlings all in the same row.
A level surface ensures uniform moisture and, just as important, uniform seed depth. This consistency is the foundation of a strong, even germination. It also makes future weeding, whether with a hoe or by hand, infinitely easier.
Don’t confuse a real soil rake with a flimsy fan rake meant for leaves. A proper leveling rake has a rigid head and strong tines designed to grab, pull, and push soil, gravel, and compost. It’s a tool for shaping the earth itself, built to handle resistance and weight without bending or breaking. Investing in a quality rake means you buy it once and spend your time farming, not replacing cheap tools.
Bully Tools Bow Rake: For Breaking Up Tough Soil
When you’re facing down a field of compacted clay clods, the Bully Tools Bow Rake is what you reach for. This thing is built for abuse. The tines are thick, welded steel, and the fiberglass handle feels like it could survive being run over by a tractor.
Its weight is its greatest asset. You don’t need to apply a ton of downward pressure; the tool does the work for you, shattering clods and pulling stubborn rocks to the surface. The bow shape between the head and handle acts as a spring, absorbing shock so your arms and back don’t have to.
This is your "rough-in" tool, not your finishing tool. It’s fantastic for the initial pass after tilling or breaking new ground. However, its aggressive nature and heavy build make it less ideal for the delicate, final smoothing before you plant your carrots.
Ames Steel Level Head Rake for a Perfect Finish
After the heavy work is done, you need a tool for finesse. The Ames Level Head Rake is designed specifically for that final, smooth grade. Unlike a bow rake, its tines are straight, and the head is attached directly to the handle, offering precise control.
The magic of a level head rake is the flat side. Once you’ve used the tines to pull the soil into place, you flip the rake over and use the long, flat edge to push and smooth the surface. It acts like a grader blade, erasing small ridges and filling in tiny valleys. This is how you get that beautiful, table-top finish on a seedbed.
This isn’t the rake for breaking up compacted earth. The tines are not designed for the same level of prying and impact as a bow rake. Think of it as the difference between a sledgehammer and a finishing hammer; you need both, but you have to use them for the right jobs.
Midwest Aluminum Landscape Rake for Large Areas
If you’re prepping a half-acre for a cover crop or leveling the ground for a new high tunnel, a standard 16-inch rake will wear you out before you’re a quarter of the way through. The Midwest Aluminum Landscape Rake, often called a screed rake, is the answer for large-scale work. With widths of 36 inches or more, each pass covers double or triple the ground.
The aluminum construction is key. A steel rake this wide would be impossibly heavy, but the lightweight aluminum makes it manageable for long periods. It allows you to grade large areas quickly and efficiently, creating a consistent surface with far fewer passes and less effort.
This is purely a grading and finishing tool for soil that has already been broken up. The aluminum tines are not meant for prying rocks or busting clods. Use it to spread piles of compost, level topsoil, or put the final grade on a large plot. For big jobs, it saves an incredible amount of time and energy.
True Temper Steel Bow Rake: The All-Purpose Classic
If you could only own one rake for the rest of your life, the True Temper Steel Bow Rake would be a top contender. It’s the quintessential farm rake for a reason: it strikes a perfect balance between strength and versatility. It’s the dependable tool you’ll find leaning against the wall in nearly every old barn.
It’s tough enough to break up moderate soil clods and spread heavy mulch, but it’s not so heavy that it becomes exhausting to use for general-purpose work. The forged steel head can handle prying out small rocks and roots, while the bow design provides that crucial shock absorption for all-day comfort.
Is it the best at any single task? No. A Bully rake is tougher, and a level head rake provides a better finish. But the True Temper can do 80% of all raking jobs reasonably well, from prepping garden beds to cleaning up debris. For the hobby farmer with limited space and budget, this is often the most practical choice.
Seymour S500 Industrial Rake: Built to Last
Some tools are meant to be used, and some are meant to be abused. The Seymour S500 series falls squarely in the latter category. This is an industrial-grade tool designed for professional landscapers and road crews, which is exactly why it’s so beloved by farmers who are hard on their equipment.
Everything about it is overbuilt, from the single-piece forged steel head to the thick, durable handle. There are no welds to fail and no weak points to worry about. You can put your entire body weight into prying a rock loose without a second thought. This rake is a long-term investment in pure, unadulterated reliability.
The downside is the weight and the price. It’s heavier than most other rakes, and it costs more. But if you’ve ever bent the tines on a lesser rake or snapped a handle in the middle of a big job, you understand the value of a tool that simply will not fail you.
The Groundskeeper II: A Unique, Clog-Free Rake
The Groundskeeper II looks different from every other rake on this list, and it works differently, too. Instead of rigid steel tines, it uses 28 flexible, spring-steel tines that feel more like stiff wires. This unique design is its superpower.
Its main advantage is that it almost never clogs. It pulls rocks, sticks, and clumps of sod to the surface while allowing loose soil and small debris to flow through the tines. This makes it incredible for cleaning up a tilled bed, removing thatch from a pasture, or spreading a thin layer of fine mulch without gouging the ground.
This is not a tool for heavy grading or moving large volumes of soil. The flexible tines will simply bend around heavy, compacted earth. But for cleaning, grooming, and light leveling, it is remarkably effective and frustration-free. It solves a specific problem that every other rake creates.
What to Look For: Tine Shape, Handle, and Width
The business end of the rake is all about the tines. Look for forged steel heads, where the entire head is one solid piece of metal. They are far stronger than cheaper stamped heads where the tines are welded on and can snap off under pressure.
- Bow Rake: Curved tines are for aggressive digging and breaking clods.
- Level Head Rake: Straight tines and a flat back are for fine grading and smoothing.
The handle is your connection to the tool, and it matters more than you think. A traditional wood handle has a great feel and naturally absorbs vibration, but it requires care and can break. Fiberglass handles are incredibly strong and weatherproof, but can be heavier and transfer more vibration to your hands. Choose a length that allows you to work with a straight back; a tool that’s too short is a recipe for pain.
Finally, match the rake’s width to your primary job. A standard 14- to 16-inch rake is nimble and perfect for working between rows and in established beds. A wide landscape rake (24 inches or more) is a massive time-saver for leveling large, open areas like new plots or lawn expansions. Using a wide rake in a small space is clumsy, and using a narrow rake on a big job is a lesson in futility.
Ultimately, the best rake is the one that fits the task you do most often. There is no single "do-it-all" solution, only a series of excellent tools designed for specific purposes. Start with a solid all-purpose bow rake, and then add a specialized tool like a level head or landscape rake as your needs and property evolve.
