Reclaiming the side yard......

[csr0831]

Got in abut 4 hours of seat time today on the new BX. Compaired to the old GR and johnny bucket, this thing is...well...there IS no comparison. The GR was ok for what it was...aside from the transmission which left alot to be desired.

Anyway...the azaleas long the side of my yard at the end of the house was being taken over by Virginia Creeper and ground ivy. Additionally, there was still storm damage left over from the last nor easter we had. So I put the BX to work clearing out some ofteh debris and Virginia creeper and other vines. It might have worked a little better with a tooth bar (which I intend to get), but I have no complaints. Not finished yet, but got a good hunk of it done. : )

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

Got in abut 4 hours of seat time today on the new BX. Compaired to the old GR and johnny bucket, this thing is...well...there IS no comparison. The GR was ok for what it was...aside from the transmission which left alot to be desired.

Anyway...the azaleas long the side of my yard at the end of the house was being taken over by Virginia Creeper and ground ivy. Additionally, there was still storm damage left over from the last nor easter we had. So I put the BX to work clearing out some ofteh debris and Virginia creeper and other vines. It might have worked a little better with a tooth bar (which I intend to get), but I have no complaints. Not finished yet, but got a good hunk of it done. : )

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Looks good.I had a tooth bar and sold it. I have a RatchetRake and won't sell it. You may want to look at the RatchetRake before spending your money. It's perfect for the residential landscaper.
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/kubota-owning-operating/146060-ratchet-rake-ever-seen-used.html

 

[csr0831]

I did actually check into a ratchet rake, but from the looks of the thing, if I want to do anything then other then ripping vines out or back dragging to prepair for planting. I would have to remove it. With a tooth bar I can just leave it on. I am sure it wont do the job the RR will, but for the limited number of tiems I would use it (after I finish the project I am currently working on), I think an ordanay tooth bar would serve my purposes. I'll give it some more thought......

 

[vanb]

The bxpanded tooth bar looks very much like a ratchet rake, but digs also. I have one and it seems to be a great tool for both kinds of jobs

 

[swick1]

I just got a pirhana bar today and its great for ripping out vegetation. It helps the digging as well but I'm not sure if a dirt specific bar would work better. Its a good compromise so far!

 

[HeLa]

i picked up a piranha bar earlier this year. haven't removed it yet and don't plan to. it's perfect for what you're doing here in the side yard. it also works great for digging and scooping for transfer of material.

 

[csr0831]

Thinks for all the input gents. I think a RR is probably better designed for ripping out undergrowth and I have a fair amount of it to do, but once I'm done, my need for that function will drop off quite a bit aside from maintaniance. Additionally, I really don't want to have to remove it to do other things. I think the prihanna tooth bar would probably serve my needs the best and I don't have to take it off. : )

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

I hesitate to send this reply but I'm not on commission for the RR or Piraniha. I don't own a Pirinia and never have. I may one day but not now. I do have a RR and have owned one for several years with several different tractors. I'm currently offering up for sale my tiller, overseeder, plow and rotary mower because I hate taking implements off and on my tractors. Have a BH so don't want to take it off and attach the implements that I'm selling and really don't have much use for them. My point is I hate taking stuff off and putting it on. Now to the point. The RR is the easiest implement that I've ever owned to attach and unattach. There are two lips that hook over the bucket lip and a strap goes around the bucket, hooks to the upper edge with a hook thru a loop and crank down the handle that tightens it. In one to two minutes at the most and comes off quicker. I take it off and on while doing my yard landscaping work during the same work sessions. Drop the bucket, till RR on ground, loosen handle, unhook strap, pull it to the side and drive off and hooking it back up is reverse the process. Lift one end and hook the slot over the bucket lip, go to other side and lift it a couple of inches and hook that slot on the other side, hook straps and tighten them down.
Again, get which ever one you want but to pass by the RR because of putting it on or taking it off, well, not sure your understanding how easy it is. I have forks which I also put on my bucket some times and RR has to come off for that as well as when I'm scooping up dirt. I had a toothbar first and it was bolted on the edges of my bucket and the teeth didn't help with any jobs I was doing since they were so far apart and so big. The Piriniha would be my second choice if they quit making RRs and I couldn't find a used one.
You'll be happy with either one of them so place your order and start looking for other implements to help you do your jobs.:thumbsup:

 

[Jimmy Joe]

Just wanted to comment on the beautiful yard you have, the large trees with all the foliage on them. That shiny orange tractor really looks nice, looks like water in the background also, really nice! I too was considering a rachet rake, was surprised how much stuff I could rip out just backdragging the bucket cutting edge, a rachet rake would really rip it out, I would think a tooth bar would rip quite a bit also. I'm in the same boat, once done with the rachet rake I would not use it much.

 

[ultrarunner]

I have the Markham toothbar for my BX and it really improved loader digging for my projects...

I just bought a Ratchet Rake for my Deere because most of the time I want a straight edge on my loader and other times it would be ideal to have a rake that requires no tools to install and remove.

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

once done with the rachet rake I would not use it much.

I thought the same thing several years ago until I got it. I use mine more than anything other than the FEL and BH but I have F mowers for my mowing and use my tractors for home landscaping, not just mowing.

 

[csr0831]

JOHN THOMAS....I really do appreciate your insite on the RR. I do not doubt that it is probably better then a tooth bar (pryaniah or other wise) at removing unwanted undergrowth. Additionally I do understand how easy it goes on and comes off. However, looking at the design (the fact that it has a row of "teeth" pointing straight down and has straps that would get in the way, I doesn't seem to me that it would be very good at just straight digging. As you shove the bucket into the dirt that other row of "teeth" that points down would provide significant extra friction which would make it more difficult for the bucket to penetrate. What I will be doing will require that I might have to remove it a half dozen times a day. Even though that is accomplished easily, a regular tooth bar will provide enough performance to remove the undergrowth and ground ivy that I need to remove and will not prevent me from switching to digging whenever I need to. So for now, unless I find out something that changes my mind, I'll probably get a tooth bar.

Jimmy Joe...Thank you for the compliment. I do have a lot of trees...until there is a hurricane or a nor easter and God decides to rearrange things (one reason for the BX). I am indeed on the water, the Elizabeth River, a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay.

Spent the day splitting wood actually....using the BX to lift the large logs and save my back : )

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

JOHN THOMAS....I really do appreciate your insite on the RR. I do not doubt that it is probably better then a tooth bar (pryaniah or other wise) at removing unwanted undergrowth. Additionally I do understand how easy it goes on and comes off. However, looking at the design (the fact that it has a row of "teeth" pointing straight down and has straps that would get in the way, I doesn't seem to me that it would be very good at just straight digging. As you shove the bucket into the dirt that other row of "teeth" that points down would provide significant extra friction which would make it more difficult for the bucket to penetrate.
)

You are absolutely correct.:thumbsup: The bottom row of teeth is its blessing and its curse. It has to be removed for straight digging/scooping up loose material and I think the Piranha would be the better attachment for extended mixed use. I've been tempted to get one myself but my major ongoing projects are mostly over and I'm mostly into just maintaining the contour now. Even attempting to sell my Tiller, plow, Rotary mower and Overseeder for lack of use and unforseen future use.