Born out of the frustration from too many tools bending and breaking, Adelaide trail design and construction company founder Garry Patterson set to make the toughest and versatile tools that they could rely on. Specifically aimed at building mountain bike trails, these are not your average rake hoe.

“We could not accept that the current rakes were bending and breaking with their first use and that having to repair the tools after each work day was normal.”

The fire rake or rake hoe, is the number one tool for any trail builder and there’s no doubt it gets a workout, especially in rocky terrain so it didn’t make much sense that it was made from average quality steel. So after a few beers, the Rake N Bake and Half Baked were born on a scrap piece of paper.

The aim was to design two tools:

  1. An incredibly versatile smaller tool that was easy to carry and suited for a range of tasks: Like doing the back cut, raking vegetation, chopping small roots, compacting, etc. It would end up being called the Half Baked and is the weapon of choice for trail maintenance.

  2. The toughest, ultimate trail building hand tool, perfect for cutting fresh trail, and shaping and compacting. This one has become the number one seller – the Rake N Bake.

They’re supplied to some of the best professional trail building companies and trail builders around the world, volunteer groups, and anyone who likes to dig trails. They’ve also been popular with fire crews, landscapers and four-wheel drive enthusiasts.

[divider]Manufacturing Details[/divider]

We are very proud of the fact that our tools are entirely made in Australia of Australian materials.

The head is made of mining and military spec bisalloy steel (high strength steel) and the handle of Australian hardwood spotted gum.

Manufacturing anything in our country competitively is challenging but the belief that doing it any other way would compromise product quality. So here’s how these babies are made.

First, we buy the steel and have it laser-cut by the southern hemisphere’s biggest laser-cutter which is conveniently located in South Australia. 

Then it goes to the machinist, also in South Australia, who bevels the edges and who also happens to manufacture parts for some of the world’s leading motorsport teams despite operating out of an unsuspecting rusty tin shed. 

The rake heads then travel to in-house welder and Australian free-riding legend Dean Modridge who does all the final welding and jigging.

The custom handles are made in Queensland of Australian hardwood spotted gum.

If shipping is required, quick assembly is all you need. Put the handle in the rake head and tighten the nut and supplied bolt.

The result, after 7 different versions of the Rake N Bake and 6 versions of the Half Baked; the toughest and best trail building tools the Trailscapes team had ever used. And it turns out they weren’t the only ones to think so, the word got out and are now shipping them all over the world, from Australia to Norway, Belgium, Bulgaria, Switzerland and Indonesia.

Both have an ‘in-built’ bottle opener too, perhaps this attribute is the main reason people buy them.