Rake attachment for skid steer loaders and front end loaders and method for converting a loader bucket into a lawn preparation tool

The present invention relates generally to skid steer loaders and front end loaders, and more particularly relates to ground preparation attachments for such loaders. A rake attachment and a bucket attachment incorporating the same, the rake attachment generally comprising a plate, a plurality of apertures in the plate and a plurality of teeth. The elongate plate has a plurality of mounting holes extending therethrough and a plurality of integrally formed teeth projecting therefrom. The entire rake attachment is formed from a unitary plate of material to provide strength and durability. The rake attachment is designed to be fixed to the bucket attachment of a loader. Different bucket attachments are produced by various manufacturers and each have differently spaced apertures extending through a lower lip of the bucket. The rake attachment features a plurality of holes that can be combined into many different sets, each set corresponding with the spaced apertures of a specific manufacturer's bucket attachment. As such, one rake attachment can be used with a variety of different bucket attachments for loaders. A method of converting a bucket into a rake attachment is provided that greatly increases the versatility of the bucket without being cost prohibitive.