How to Make a Lawn Leveling Rake (Step By Step)

Got a bumpy or uneven lawn? Leveling it out can seem like a pretty daunting task, but with the right approach, it doesn’t have to be too bad. Usually, people use a leveling rake or drag of some sort to spread a sand and topsoil mix across their lawn to smooth it out. All that you really need from a leveling tool is a flat bottom and a bit of weight. However, there are definitely some factors to keep in mind when choosing the tool you want to use. The size and contour of your yard, and the amount of elbow grease you want to use are probably the most important considerations.

Why Make a DIY Lawn Leveling Rake or Drag?

Making a DIY lawn leveling drag or rake is a great way to tackle your leveling project without spending a ton of money on a tool that you won’t use very often. Most lawn leveling rakes cost upwards of 100 bucks, so if you’re a homeowner just trying to fix your yard up, a DIY leveling rake for about half that price can be fun to make and should be just fine for the project at hand. I’ve been checking out a bunch of different methods people have used to build their own leveling tools, and have found one rake and one drag design that I like best.

What Will You Need for a Homemade Lawn Leveling Rake?

• Angle grinder with a standard cutting wheel
• Drill and bits for metal and wood
• Screwdriver (or allen wrench depending on your machine screws)
• Wrench (that fits the nuts)
• Gloves and eye protection
• (1) – 10ft slotted angle bar (or 2 three foot lengths, and 1 four foot length)
• (1) – 6ft slotted flat bar (or 2 three foot lengths)
• (8) – #10-24 X 3/4 inch machine screws
• (8) – #10 finishing cup washers
• (8) – #10 lock washers
• (8) – #10-24 nuts
• (1) – handle (5-6 foot wooden handles work well)
• (1) – 4 inch bolt and nut (clamp-to-base attachment)
• (1) – 2 inch bolt and nuts (handle-to-clamp attachment)
• (1) – Fence bracket clamp (to attach handle to the base)

How to Make a Lawn Leveling Rake – Step By Step

Making the homemade lawn leveling rake once you have all the parts shouldn’t give you too much trouble. Below I will describe the steps in detail that you can follow after buying all the necessary hardware.

1. Cut Slotted Angle and Flat Angle Bars to Length

Slotted Angle Bar: you will need to end up with (2) – 3-foot pieces and (4) – 10-inch pieces. There are a couple of ways to do this but in my opinion, the easiest way to do this is to buy the slotted angle in (2) three-foot lengths, and (1) 4-foot length. Trim the 4-foot length into (4) 10-inch pieces using the angle grinder. Be sure to wear protective equipment as sparks will fly and the metal will be sharp.

Flat Angle Bar: you need to cut out (2) 3-foot pieces that will eventually be trimmed and positioned diagonally to support the base of the rake. If possible, try to buy the flat angle bar in (2) three-foot lengths to save some time.

2. Bolt the Base Together

First, take (2) 3-foot pieces and (2) 10-inch pieces of the slotted angle bar and lay them out as a rectangle with the one flat side down and pointing in, and the other flat side pointing up. Once laid out, the rectangle should look sort of like the backside of an empty picture frame. Next, stick a machine screw with a finishing cup washer up through the bottom of each corner of the frame and secure them with a lock washer and nut. It’s important that the head of the screw and finishing washer are on the bottom so that it is as smooth as possible.

3. Locate Center and Bolt the Center Mounts

Measure to center on each of the 3-foot lengths on the rectangle and mark it. Then, measure 1 inch each way from the center and bolt on the other (2) 10-inch pieces facing away from each other. Make sure you secure the bolts in the same way you bolted the corners together. You should now have the frame with two cross members in the middle that the fence bracket clamp will eventually be secured to so that the handle can be attached. At this point, the frame will be a bit wobbly, but step 4 will reinforce it.

4. Reinforce the Frame with Flat Angle Pieces

Now, lay out the flat angle pieces diagonally in each of the smaller rectangles to the left and right of the center mounts. You will need to line up a hole for each of the corner bolts on the flat-angle pieces. Once the holes are lined up, go ahead and mark the corners you’ll need to trim so that the flat angle pieces fit inside the base frame. Then, undo the nuts in the corners where the flat angle will be secured, lay the flat angle pieces onto the bolts, and put the nuts back on to secure the flat angle bars. These diagonal supports should form the shape of a “W” (or “M” depending on your point of view).

5. Attach the Handle to the Bracket Clamp

With the base built, you now need to secure the handle to the clamp that will later be mounted to the base. Depending on the type of hardware and handle you buy, the steps may differ slightly but should require the same couple of processes. First, drill through the clamp where it will be mounted to the base so that the 4 inch bolt will fit through it. Then, insert the handle into the clamp above the hole you just drilled, and drill another hole through the clamp and the handle. Now, secure the clamp to the base in the middle of the center mounts using the bottom hole and the 4 inch bolt. Then, bolt the handle onto the clamp using the upper hole you drilled and the 2 inch bolt. Your  DIY lawn leveling rake should now be good to go!

Below is a great video that illustrates these steps perfectly.

How to Build a Lawn Leveling Drag

Building a DIY lawn leveling drag or pull behind lawn leveling rake is actually quite a bit simpler than building a standard leveling rake. The catch is that unless you have a lawn tractor or four-wheeler to pull it, you’re looking at a lot more work and passes over the lawn. From what I’ve seen, lawn leveling drags just require a flat bottomed surface, and a decent amount of weight. The best approach to making one at home is using materials you have at hand such as: old chain link fencing, wooden pallets, or metal shelving. But like I said, anything along those lines will work. If you have some scrap 2×4’s around you could build a wooden lawn leveling drag as well. After you have a base, add a couple of concrete blocks, bricks, or other weights on top of it. Then, attach rope, wire, or chains from the front base corners to your tractor, and start dragging! If you’re really in the mood for a workout you can certainly make a leveling drag to pull by foot too.

Here’s another good video to give you an idea of how to design one:

Things to Be Aware Of

Though I’ve given a couple of examples to follow, there are some important things to consider before you jump into this DIY project. The first would be the size of your yard. The DIY leveling rake I described is 3 feet wide making it big enough for small or medium-sized yards while being able to squeeze in tight places. For a large yard, you could consider building your rake a bit wider or using a drag and tractor if you have one available.

Also, take a look at what you have on hand first. The parts for the rake built above total about 30 bucks but could be less depending on what you’ve got lying around. For example, wood could be substituted in a clever way for the center mounts. Bottom line is that you need something light enough to push and pull for a couple of hours, but heavy-duty enough to move some earth. Before going the drag route, identify whether you mainly need to flatten the ground, or just spread new soil/sand mix in the low spots. If you pretty much just need to spread and fill, a leveling rake should be way more efficient