Stone rake and ground conditioning machine

A tractor hitch mounted combination stone rake and ground conditioning machine including a frame and rotary member having mounted thereon a plurality of resilient tines in combination with a means for raising and lowering the rotary member with respect to the ground to allow a penetration of said resilient tines into the ground from about 1/8 of an inch to 3 inches to provide a resilient stone raking and ground preparing action which removes small stones, sticks and other materials that would otherwise interfere with a finished landscape for planting of lawn seed or other crop. The novel combination stone rake and ground conditioning machine not only removes stones at or near the surface of the ground, but also breaks up and aerates the soil while removing weeds and other plant growth that might otherwise interfere with planting operations.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The present invention relates to an improved combination stone rake and 
ground conditioning machine including tines which simultaneously remove 
small stones and other debris from a plowed field or lawn area while 
leveling and removing small plants and other material that would interfere 
with subsequent planting operations. More particularly, the novel machine 
of the present invention pertains to lawn landscaping operations for the 
preparation of lawn landscapes by removing stones that would otherwise 
interfere with seeding and subsequent mowing operations. The tractor hitch 
mounted combination machine is particularly adapted for residential lawn 
or landscape preparation by providing a combination resilient raking and 
ground preparation action. 
2. Description of the Prior Art 
A number of devices exist in the prior art for either removing rocks from 
prepared or unprepared fields or the subsequent conditioning or 
preparation of soil for planting of seed. Consequently, in the utilization 
of prior art devices, the landscaper has a choice of first using a rock 
mover to remove rocks from the landscape and then subsequently use a 
ground preparation device for scarifying and otherwise breaking up and 
conditioning the ground so that it is in a condition for the surface 
planting of seed for lawn or crops. In practice, however, the utilization 
of separate machines for stone raking and ground preparation is not 
economically feasible in residential landscaping nor is it desirable in 
all operations to remove deeply embedded rocks that will not interfere 
with lawn or crop operations with cumbersome machinery. As a result, in 
residential landscaping and garden operations, the removal of stones has 
been generally accomplished by hand raking with the soil thereafter being 
conditioned for planting by either a further hand operation or by 
machinery. 
In the rock removal art, various devices are available which move a variety 
of rock sizes from at or beneath the surface of the ground. The machine in 
U.S. Pat. No. 2,938,586 removes rocks and stones from plowed fields by 
utilizing a hydraulically activated rotary member. This machine, like the 
device described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,971,587, 2,924,284 and 3,117,631 and 
other such prior art devices, utilize a rotary member and a means for 
raising and lowering the rotary member for the removal of stones, rocks 
andd other materials at or beneath the surface of the ground. These prior 
art devices, unlike the present invention, do not provide the combination 
stone raking and ground conditioning action of the present invention and 
are not tractor hitch mounted to allow operation in confined and limited 
areas such as encountered in the landscaping of small residential and 
commercial lawn operations. Such devices are more applicable to large 
fields and rock removal operations where subsequent soil conditioning is 
desirable prior to planting or seeding operation. Consequently, unlike the 
present invention, these machines have limited maneuverability in confined 
areas and do not provide the combination stone raking and ground 
conditioning aspects of the present invention. 
There also exists in the prior art various machines for conditioning the 
soil prior to planting or seeding operations. Such prior art machines as 
represented in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,800,065 and 2,221,221 and other arts such 
as represented by peanut harvesters, potato pickers, and the like involve 
some aspects of soil conditioning in the preparation of the ground for 
planting or harvesting. The soil conditioner art for planting and seeding 
operations as represented by the cited patents pertaining to soil 
conditioners do not remove debris and small rocks but instead rely upon a 
prior hand raking or separate mechanical raking operations to accomplish 
this result. 
The prior art methods of removing rocks and preparing the soil have 
consequently shared the disadvantage of requiring a two-step operation, 
which first requires the removal of rocks, debris and other materials from 
a roughly plowed field or lawn area, and which then requires a separate 
soil scarifying or aerating procedure to prepare the soil for seeding, 
planting or other applications involving the growth of crops or lawns. 
The prior art machines heretofore described have not found widespread 
application to residential landscaping operations since the operation of 
such equipment is either too expensive or cumbersome to justify its 
application to residential lawn and gardening. In residential and small 
commercial landscaping sites, hand labor has been employed for raking and 
removal of stone, cans, sticks and other material and debris prior to the 
conditioning of the soil for seeding. It will be recognized by those 
skilled in the art that if such small stones and rocks were not removed, 
such small stones, rocks and other debris would not only interfere with 
planting and seeding operations, but would present a hazzard in subsequent 
mowing operations since such small stones are often caught up in a rotary 
mower to thereafter be propelled at the operator. 
It has therefore been a goal of the landscaping and ground conditioning art 
to eliminate the hand labor necessary to remove rocks, debris and small 
plants that will otherwise interfere with seeding operation and at the 
same time put the ground in a condition for seeding. It has also been a 
goal to utilize lightweight machinery to accomplish this goal for use in 
the confined areas associated with residential and small commercial real 
estate development so that a tractor or other similar small vehicle may be 
utilized to remove small stones and prepare the ground for subsequent lawn 
planting or gardening operations. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention obviates the limitations and disadvantages of the 
prior art by providing a combination stone rake and ground conditioning 
machine for use in confined and other limited areas for raking stones and 
other debris from plowed, bulldozer leveled or otherwise roughly leveled 
ground while finishing the ground by further leveling and conditioning the 
ground by the removal of small plants and the breaking up and aerating the 
soil so that it is in a condition for the planting of lawn seed or other 
crop. The combination stone rake and ground conditioning machine of the 
invention provides its advantages of a simultaneous stone raking and 
ground conditioning operation in residential applications by providing a 
tractor hitch mounted frame for direct attachment of the novel stone rake 
to the tractor hitch and in the preferred embodiment to a hydraulically 
activated tractor hitch so that the stone rake and ground conditioner may 
be vertically activated and adjusted in confronting relationship to the 
ground by the utilization of the hydraulic system of the tractor. It will 
be recognized that in this embodiment the rotary member of the combination 
stone rake and ground conditioner may be adjusted vertically with respect 
to the ground and the degree of raking and combined earth scarifying and 
ground conditioning action may thereby be controlled from the tractor by 
the hydraulic activation of the tractor hitch. Further advantages of the 
invention may be realized by utilizing a power means provided by the 
tractor such as a power take off unit for rotating the rotary member of 
the stone rake and ground conditioner. It is, of course, understood and 
contemplated that separate motors or other drive means may be employed to 
drive the rotary member having tines mounted thereon for the combined 
function of stone raking and ground conditioning operations. 
The stone rake and ground conditioning machine is constructed for direct 
attachment ot the tractor hitch and preferably utilizes a frame for 
disposing the rotary member containing tines thereon so that the rotary 
member travels directly in the path of the tractor but at a transverse 
angle of from about 90.degree. to 150.degree. to allow the use of the 
stone rake in confined areas which are limited only by the maneuverability 
of the tractor. It will be further understood that the novel stone rake 
and ground conditioning machine may be reduced in size for use with 
smaller size tractors of the type ordinarily employed in residential 
lawnmowing operations. The stone rake and ground conditioning machine of 
the present invention achieves its advantages by a combination of 
features, one such feature involving the combination of specially 
constructed resilient tines which in combination with a rotary member 
which is rotated at from about 24 to 50 revolutions per minute in a 
direction opposite to the path of travel and is disposed at a transverse 
angle to the path of travel of the tractor. The stone raking and ground 
conditioning action of the novel rake is further augmented by the 
utilization of the resilient tines in combination with a slip clutch means 
to provide a raking action and ground conditioning action. 
The specially constructed resilient teeth or tines are mounted on plates 
disposed on the rotary member. The resilient tines utilized in the 
combination stone rake and ground conditioner are composed of a tempered 
steel wire of a diameter of from about 3/16 inch to about 1/2 inch 
containing at one end a means for detachably securing the tine to the 
stone rake and at the other end, a tip for raking stones and scarifying or 
conditioning the ground for the planting of lawnseed, the tines having 
disposed therebetween a resilient means to enhance the raking and ground 
conditioning action of novel machine. Preferably, the resiliency of the 
tines is provided by the application of one or more coils formed in the 
tine wire. The novel tines may furthermore be formed flat and divided into 
a plurality of raking and ground conditioning tips. 
The novel stone rake and ground conditioning machine may further be 
equipped with a stone box for the collection of the stones raked, or the 
stones may be allowed to remain on the ground in the form of a windrow for 
subsequent removal by another machine or by hand. The uniformity of 
rotation and raking and ground conditioning action of the novel machine 
may be further enhanced by the utilization of a keyed axle or means for 
independently adjusting sections to allow the rotary member to be divided 
into a plurality of sections and allow each section to be disposed at an 
angle to the other sections to form a helical arrangement of the sections 
of tines on the rotary member. 
In another aspect of the invention, a gauge wheel may be employed to assist 
in the stone raking, ground conditioning and leveling operations for which 
the present invention may be utilized. 
Another aspect of the invention is the removal of small stones and other 
debris that would otherwise interfere with mowing operations of the lawn. 
Other such objects and advantages of the present invention will become 
apparent to those skilled in the art from the specification in conjunction 
with the appended drawings which discuss and illustrate advantages 
resulting from the construction and operation of the novel stone rake and 
soil conditioning machine.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
Referring now to FIG. 1 of the drawing and reference numerals therein, one 
embodiment of the stone rake and ground conditioning machine 10 is 
illustrated having a frame 12 adapted for direct attachment to a tractor 
hitch 14 which in the drawing is accomplished by using sleeves 16 in frame 
12 for receiving tractor hitch 14. Tractor hitch 14 in the preferred 
embodiment of the invention includes a hydraulically activated mechanism 
18 for raising and lowering the novel stone rake and ground conditioning 
machine 10. 
The tractor 20 preferably includes a power takeoff mechanism 22 to provide 
power through a conventional universal joint 24 to a gear box 26 disposed 
on the stone rake frame 12. Gear box 26 includes therein a number of gears 
(not shown) which transfer power to a drive shaft 28 maintained in 
relation to the frame by a bearing 30 disposed on frame 12. Drive shaft 28 
mounts a drive pulley 32 which in conjunction with a drive belt 34, a 
tension pulley 33 mounted on frame 12 and a driven pulley 36 provides a 
type of a slip clutch driving mechanism for driving a rotary member 38 
disposed on the stone rake frame 12. It will be recognized that the 
combination of drive ratios from tractor 20 as translated through gear box 
26 and the combination of pulley sizes 32 and 36 will effect the speed of 
rotation of the rotary member 38 and that variable speeds of the rotary 
member may be provided by utilizing a tractor with a variable power 
takeoff unit on tractor 20 or variable gear sizes in gear box 26 along 
with and means for shifting gears in gear box 26 to provide a stone rake 
which is adaptable to varying soil conditions and soil conditioning 
operations which can be modified in conjunction with the number of stones 
to be raked and the condition and desired conditioning of the ground. It 
has been found that in the preferred application that the combination 
drive ratio, gear box and power takeoff preferably provides a rate of 
rotation for the rotary member in a range of about 25 revolutions per 
minute to 50 revolutions per minute. 
Rotary member 38 is rotatably secured to frame 12 by a bearing 40. In one 
embodiment of the invention, the rotary member 38 is divided into three 
independent sections having fixed steel plates 42 secured thereon. 
Referring now to FIG. 1 in conjunction with FIGS. 3 and 4, it will be seen 
that plates 42 may either terminate in a notched strip or alternatively 
include a notched bar 44 to provide support for the attachment of the 
combination ground conditioning and raking teeth 46. It will be further 
recognized that the notched plate or portion 44 provides not only support 
for teeth 46 but allows their resiliency to be only in a direction 
substantially parallel to the direction of travel of the tines 46 during 
the rotation of rotary member 38. Tines 46 are detachably secured to plate 
42 and notched bar 44 by a bolt 48 for securing said tines 46 and notched 
bar 44 to the plate 42. Tines 46 in their combined stone raking and ground 
conditioning action are designed to penetrate the ground to a depth of 
about 1/8 inch to 3 inches depending of course on the desired ground 
condition and raking action to be achieved by the stone rake. The 
resilient tine 46 in one embodiment is composed of a tempered steel wire 
of about 3/16 inch to about 1/2 inch providing a securing loop 50 at one 
end for securing tine 46 to plate 42 as shown in FIG. 3. At the other end 
of tine 46 is a tip 52 designed for the combined stone raking and ground 
preparing action of the novel stone rake. Intermediate, the ends 52 and 
securing loop 50 is one or more loops 54 to provide resiliency to the tine 
46 and as shown in FIG. 3. Tines 46 are disposed at about 1 to 4 inches 
apart along the length of plate 42 and the resiliency provided by loops 54 
in combination with the slip clutch arrangement provided by pulleys 32 and 
36 along with belt 34 provide a resilient raking and ground preparing 
action that leaves a lawn area not only leveled but in a condition for 
subsequent seeding. In the preferred embodiment, tines 46 are disposed to 
provide a space there between of about 2 inches or less depending upon the 
size of the stones desired to be raked and the extent to which the ground 
is desired to be scarified and aerated for seeding operations. It will be 
recognized that tine 46 may be modified for closer spacing by either 
reducing the number of coils 54 or increasing the size of coil 54 or 
alternatively modifying the tip 52 of the tine 46 as is shown by tines 56 
and 58 in FIG. 3. In particular, as is shown by tine 56 in FIG. 3A, the 
tine tip is split at the end to terminate in a two-pronged digging tip 62. 
Similarly, tine 58 in FIG. 3B terminates in a three-pronged tine end 64 by 
the welding or formation of the wire to form a three-pronged tine. 
Referring now to FIG. 5 there is depicted a further embodiment of a tine 66 
in which loops 54 terminate in an end portion 68 having a tip portion 70 
which is at an angle of other than 180.degree. to the portion of the wire 
72 which provides for the attachment of loop end 50. The angle provided in 
tine 66 assists in the stone raking and ground preparation action by 
reducing the tendancy of the tine to kick stones in the operation of the 
rotary member when greater downward forces are exerted by the tractor 
hitch on frame 12 rotary member 38 and plates 42. It will be recognized 
that the angle provided by loop 54 may be utilized in tines such as 46, 56 
or 58 constructed in accordance with the invention. In this embodiment tip 
portion 70 is flattened to provide a rectangular tip portion that assists 
in the raking and ground conditioning action of the present invention. 
The precise configuration of the tine 46 employed, of course, depends upon 
the nature of stones, debris and other materials to be raked in the 
landscaping operations in conjunction with the type of soil encountered 
and the degree of ground conditioning desired in the landscaping 
operation. It will be recognized that the configuration of the tine may be 
modified in relation to its combined raking and ground conditioning action 
which of course is related to the spacing and disposition of the tines on 
plate 42. 
Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, it will be recognized that frame 12 
includes three substantially horizontal members 74 one of which includes 
the bearing 40 as heretofore discussed and a substantially vertical member 
76 which assists in the mounting of rotary member 38 at a transverse angle 
of about 91.degree. to 150.degree. to the path of tractor 20 to augment 
the ground conditioning and raking action of the novel stone rake. It will 
be recognized that the precise transverse angle resulting from the 
mounting of rotary member 38 utilizing portions 74 and 76 may be modified 
to suit particular requirements and that such modification is within the 
contemplation of the utilization of the present invention. 
The substantially vertical portion 76 has attached thereto a stabilization 
bar 78 to assist in the lifting and pivoting action of the novel stone 
rake 10 as it is raised and lowered and ultimately the depression of the 
rotary member 38 into the ground. Disposed on vertical member 76 is a 
substantially horizontal member 80 which has depending arms 82 that are 
connected to horizontal portion 74 and contain additional bearings 84 and 
86 (FIG. 1) for support and attachment of the rotary member 38. Member 80 
comprises a convenient means for attachment of an enclosing hood or guard 
to prevent accidental injury from contact with rotating tines of the stone 
rake or the tossing of stone or other debris at the operator. 
In this embodiment, rotary member 38 may be provided having disposed 
thereon three discrete sections 88, 90 and 92 for separate disposition and 
attachment to the rotary member 38. In one form of this embodiment, plates 
42 may be disposed on three separate tubular sections adapted for 
attachment to rotary member 38 to provide sections 88, 90 and 92 which are 
separately removable and mountable on rotary member 38. Referring now to 
FIG. 4, section 88 is illustrated wherein plates 42 are disposed on a 
tubular section 93 having a slot 94 and a corresponding key 96 provided in 
rotary member 38. The combination of the slot and key arrangement allows 
for the disposition of sections 88, 90 and 92 in a helical configuration 
on rotary member 38 to further augment the raking and ground preparing 
action of the novel stone rake. It will be recognized by those skilled in 
the art that other arrangements may be utilized such as pin and hole 
arrangement (not shown) wherein a pin is provided on tubular sections 93 
to be disposed through one or more correspondng holes provided in rotary 
member 38 to provide additional means for adjusting and axially disposing 
sections 88, 90 and 92 with respect to one another on rotary member 38. 
In FIG. 2 an optional stone collecting box 98 is disposed on frame 12 to 
collect stones, rocks and debris as they are raked up by the stone rake 
tines 46 into the trailing hinged flap 100 which is attached to stone 
collecting box 98 by a hinge 102. Trailing hinged flap 100 is designed to 
trail on the ground in an overlapping relationship to rotating tines 46 as 
they rotate in FIG. 2 in a clockwise direction to rake stones, debris and 
other materials into collecting box 98. Alternatively, stone and other 
debris may be formed in a row on a side of the path of travel the novel 
stone rake and ground conditioning machine to be subsequently hand raked 
or otherwise removed in further landscaping operations. 
Referring now to FIGS. 6 and 7, there is depicted a further embodiment of 
the present invention having a modified gear box 108 and drive arrangement 
of drive pulley 110 and driven pulley 112 for providing rotation of the 
rotary member 38 having three sections 88, 90 and 92. In this embodiment 
of the invention, frame 12 includes two frame members 114 and 116 that 
mount bearings 117 and 118 supporting rotary member 38. Sections 88, 90 
and 92 are mounted on rotary member 38 by the utilization of a C-shaped 
clamp 120 (FIG. 6) for bolting the two halves of C-shaped clamp 120 on 
rotating member 38 to provide greater ease of removal and adjustment of 
each section on rotary member 38. To further assist in the disposition and 
removal of the sections 88, 90 and 92 on rotary member 38, the rotary 
member and the C-shaped clamp 120 may both contain teeth 122 designed for 
a confronting locking relationship for setting the position of the tubular 
section 93 having plates 42 and tines 46 on rotary member 38. 
In the embodiment, as illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7, rotary member 38 and 
the tines 46 contained thereon are enclosed in a hood-like guard 128 to 
reduce the possibility of injury from accidental contact with the tines 46 
or plates 42 and the possibility of stones or other debris being propelled 
at the operator of the stone rake. In this embodiment, a gauge wheel 130 
is attached to frame 12 to assist in the ground leveling capability of the 
novel stone rake by providing a more uniform spaced relationship between 
the stone rake and the ground where the ground being raked is unlevel or 
otherwise contains an uneven surface. The guide wheel 130 is preferably 
attached to frame 12 by means of a cylinder 132 and a heavy gauge spring 
134 to assist in the uniform operation of the stone rake. As can be seen 
from the side view of the stone rake and ground conditioning machine in 
FIG. 6, the operation of the novel rake not only removes the stones to one 
side but also conditions the soil by breaking up the earth in such a 
manner as to provide a good surface for the planting of lawn while 
removing stones and other plant life which would otherwise interefere with 
planting operations. 
Referring now to FIG. 8, there is depicted an alternative the slot and key 
arrangement for disposing C-shaped clamp 120 of section 88 on rotary 
member 38 with additional clamps 124 and 126 for clamping sections 90 and 
92 to rotary member 38 to provide a helical disposition of the sections 
88, 90 and 92 around the rotating member 38 to further assist in the 
smoother operation of the rotating member 38 and improve upon the ground 
conditioning and stone raking action of the novel machine. In FIG. 8, 
clamps 120, 124 and 126 are designed to utilize a slot 94 and key 96 
arrangement for maintaining the sections in a fixed rotational position 
with respect to rotary member 38 in a manner as heretofore discussed. It 
will be recognized and is contemplated that additional sections or plates 
42 may be disposed on rotary member 38 at angles of other than 90.degree. 
to rotary member 38 to assist in smoother operation and reduce the 
possibility of the rotary member kicking stones at the operator. Smoother 
operation may further be achieved by the disposition of the sections 88, 
90 and 92 in a helical arrangement to assist in the resilient raking and 
ground conditioning action. 
Referring now to FIG. 9, an alternative embodiment for the disposition of 
plates 42 on rotary member 38 is depicted. In FIG. 9, six plates 42 are 
disposed on rotary member 38 at an angle of about 70.degree. toward the 
direction of rotation of rotary member 38. In disposing plate 42 at an 
angle other than 90.degree. such as between 40.degree. and 90.degree., the 
raking and ground conditioning operation of the stone rake is improved by 
providing smoother operation. 
The combination stone rake and ground conditioner provides operative 
advantages by utilizing a tractor hitch mounted frame to allow 
maneuverability of the rake to be limited primarily by the operational 
limitations of the tractor. The advantages of tractor hitch mounting is 
further apparent where the tractor hitch is hydraulically activated 
thereby utilizing the weight of the tractor to direct the force of the 
tines of the stone rake into the ground and control the degree of raking 
and ground conditioning action. In addition, as heretofore discussed, the 
power takeoff unit provided by most tractors may be conveniently utilized 
to operate the rotary member 38 in the preferred embodiment. 
In operation, the novel stone rake is lowered in confronting relationship 
to the ground to allow the tines 46 to penetrate the ground from about 1/8 
of an inch to about 3 inches depending upon the condition of the soil, and 
the degree of ground conditioning action desired. Tines 46 are composed of 
a tempered steel of about 3/16's of an inch to 1/2 inch having a loop 54 
to provide a resilient combination raking and ground preparing action. The 
tines may be modified as heretofore discussed to augment their digging and 
raking action and depending upon the precise embodiment of the tine are 
generally disposed about 2 inches apart on plate 42 attached to rotary 
member 38 and in the preferred embodiment sections 88, 90 and 92 are 
helically arranged as heretofore discussed. Rotary member 38 is mounted on 
frame 12 at a transverse angle, preferably at 110.degree. on one side to 
the path of travel of the tractor and 70.degree. on the opposite side 
although other angles may be benefically employed. Rotary member is 
rotated in a direction opposite to the direction of travel of its frame 12 
at preferably about 25 to 50 revolutions per minute with means available 
for additionally controlling the speed of the rotary member. 
The combination of the configuration of tines 46 and the spacing of the 
tines on the plates 42 on rotary member 38 along with the speed of 
rotation, the transverse angle of the rotary member and the combination of 
the resiliency provided by the slip clutch and resilient construction of 
the tines provide an elastic digging and raking implement to yield to 
large stones or obstructions beneath the ground that would not interfere 
with crop or lawn areas while utilizing the spring formed by loops 54 to 
provide a whipping action which conditions the ground for planting while 
at the same time raking small stones, sticks and other debris for 
subsequent removal. 
Modifications such as tines 46 and 56 in FIG. 3 and tine 66 in FIG. 5 may 
be utilized alone or in combination with tine 46 on plate 42 to modify the 
combined raking and ground conditioning action of the novel stone rake. 
The spacing of tines on rotary member 38 along with the transverse angle 
of the rotary member with respect to the path of tractor 20 serves not 
only to provide a side stone raking action of the combination rake but 
also serves to augment the ground conditioning action of the combined 
raking and ground preparing time. Such modifications illustrate the wide 
range of applicability of the present invention to a variety of ground 
conditions encountered and combined stone raking and ground conditioning 
desired in a particular landscaping operation. 
The invention has been illustrated and discussed with particular reference 
to the arrangement of the novel stone rake with respect to the utilization 
of farm-size tractors for mounting the combination stone rake and ground 
conditioning machine and employing the power takeoff unit and hydraulic 
raising and lowering mechanism of the tractor in describing the novel 
aspects of the present invention. It will be recognized, however, by those 
skilled in the art that the arrangement of the power supplying means and 
hydraulic raising and lowering means need not depend upon power provided 
by the tractor and that the combination stone rake and ground conditioning 
machine may be modified to include a separate engine for either supplying 
power to the rotating member or for raising or lowering the rotating 
member without departing from the spirit or scope of the present 
invention. 
It will further be appreciated and contemplated that the novel rake may be 
reduced in size for utilization on small tractors as are employed for 
residential lawn and garden operations to provide the advantages of the 
present invention is household stone raking and ground conditioning 
operations involved in residential gardening. Similarly, other 
substitutions and modifications may be made in the tines and novel stone 
rake of the present invention to suit the particular requirements of the 
landscaping and stone raking and ground conditioning operation 
encountered. Consequently, these and other modifications and substitutions 
may be made within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the 
following claims.