Surf Rake:
Sargassum Removal for Beaches
A tractor-towed, purpose-built solution for removing sargassum seaweed from beaches, keeping coastlines clean and accessible.
If you manage a coastal property, resort, or municipal beach, you already know that sargassum doesn’t stay offshore. The brown seaweed washes ashore in massive quantities—piling up along the waterline, releasing hydrogen sulfide gas, and driving away visitors and wildlife. Manual crews struggle to keep up with the volume, especially during peak season.
That’s why beach managers turn to the Barber Surf Rake—a tractor-towed, mechanical beach cleaning solution designed specifically for removing sargassum and other debris from sand beaches. It provides consistent daily cleanup, handles large volumes efficiently, and helps your team stay ahead of each new wave of seaweed.
Case Study: Grand Bahama Island Resort
See the Surf Rake Tackle Sargassum in Real Beach Conditions
Facing seasonal sargassum invasions, the Grand Bahama Island Resort turned to the Barber Surf Rake to keep their beach pristine for guests year-round. Learn about how the Surf Rake helped them maintain a clean, welcoming beach even during peak sargassum season.
Key Benefits For Beach Operations
Fast Sargassum Removal
Clear entire beach sections in a single pass, handling high volumes of sargassum efficiently.
Consistent Daily Results
Reliably screens and removes seaweed with each daily pass, regardless of volume or tide conditions.
Keep Beaches Open & Welcoming
Prevent closures, protect guest experience, and maintain your beach's reputation year-round.
Supports Manual Crews
Reduce the workload on your beach team, letting them focus on guest services instead of heavy seaweed removal.
Why The Surf Rake Works For Sargassum Removal on Beaches
1. Designed For Beach Terrain
The Surf Rake operates on dry sand, wet sand, and compacted beach surfaces without digging into the beach or disturbing the sand structure. Its flexible tines and floating headrail adjust to the beach contour—ensuring thorough sargassum pickup in a single pass even on uneven or sloped areas.
2. Collects Sargassum & Beach Debris
The Surf Rake’s tine system effectively collects fresh and dried sargassum, mixed seaweed, and general beach litter in a single pass. It deposits collected material into a trailing bin for easy off-beach disposal, minimizing sand displacement.
3. Fast, Repeatable Daily Passes
Crews don’t need to chase litter across large areas. The operator simply drives the tractor and clears each section in a single pass—making cleanup more consistent, especially on windy days.
4. Simple Operation + Minimal Maintenance
No constant adjustments. No complicated electronics.
No special operator license required. Most maintenance is basic greasing, with all points easily accessible.
See If The Surf Rake Is The Right Fit For Your Beach
FAQ: Surf Rake for Sargassum & Beach Cleaning
Below are common questions beach operators ask when evaluating sargassum removal equipment for their site.
Yes. The Surf Rake is designed to work on dry sand, wet sand, packed beach surfaces, and gentle slopes. It’s commonly used on resort beaches, municipal beaches, and coastal public areas where sargassum and debris accumulate.
The Surf Rake is effective at collecting sargassum (both fresh and dried), general seaweed, jellyfish, plastic debris, bottles, paper, and other lightweight materials that wash up on the beach. It screens out material while returning clean sand.
The Surf Rake is tractor-mounted and operated hydraulically from the tractor cab. The operator drives along the beach while the rake’s tines comb the sand, collecting debris into a trailing bin. Training is minimal, and most operators are productive on day one. If your operator can drive a tractor, they can easily operate the Surf Rake.
Training is minimal. Each rental includes on-site setup and operator training by a Barber technician. Most tractor operators are comfortable and productive with the Surf Rake within a few hours. No special license or certification is required.
Dumping is quick and straightforward. The collection bin hydraulically tips to offload at a designated disposal area. The entire dump cycle typically takes around 30 seconds, allowing operators to continue cleaning without lengthy interruptions.
Yes. The Surf Rake can be used along the waterline, the dry sand area, and close to beach structures like walls and retaining barriers. Many operators use it specifically along the seaweed line where sargassum accumulates most heavily after tide changes.
Beach teams use the Surf Rake in different ways depending on their priorities. For smaller operations, it can handle most of the sargassum removal that would otherwise take a full manual crew. For larger resorts, it works alongside existing crews—handling the heavy seaweed volume while staff focus on detail work and guest services. We recommend speaking with our team to help determine the best approach for your specific beach.
Absolutely. Rentals are a common starting point. They allow your team to evaluate performance on your specific terrain, litter conditions, and workflow before deciding whether to continue renting or purchase. In many cases, the rental fees can be contributed towards to purchase of a machine.
The Surf Rake requires a tractor to operate—typically 40-100 HP. If you already have a tractor on-site, the Surf Rake can be attached using a standard 3-point hitch. You’ll also need a designated disposal area for the collected sargassum and debris. No additional machinery is required.
The Litter Picker is compatible with a range of tractor sizes commonly used at landfills. Typically, we recommend a 50 to 60 HP rubber-tired tractor with 540 PTO, 3-point hitch and two auxiliary hydraulic outlets.
Delivery timelines vary by location and if we have units currently in stock, but rentals are typically arranged quickly, as all our operations are in one location at our factory in Connecticut. Contacting us early allows us to confirm availability and logistics for your site.
Routine maintenance is minimal and consists mainly of standard inspections and basic upkeep. We recommend greasing several easy-to-access grease points every couple weeks. Other than that, the only other real up-keep we’ve found landfill teams need to do on occasion is to pick plastic bags off the tines, which only takes a couple minutes after a cleaning is complete, if needed at all.
Yes. Our team is available to answer questions, provide operational guidance, and help ensure you’re getting the most out of the rental during your evaluation period.