Backhoe Ripper tooth design - need your advice

[wedge40]

I have to ask, how much does the "Stump Slayer" weigh and how easy was to install?

Wedge

 

[bluehog]

I have to ask, how much does the "Stump Slayer" weigh and how easy was to install?

Wedge

It tips the scales at 101 lbs. Loading it was not to bad as I had made a tapered pin that is 11.5" long. The pin has a 7 degree taper (per side) on the first 3.0" then it's the full pin diameter of 1.25". I extended the boom and dipper to the ground and positioned the ripper on a dolly with the point down and away. I lubed the pin bores with grease and used the taper pin to align the hole of the ripper with the dipper hole and wiggled the pin up, down & sideways until it went in full length (taper is now sticking out the opposite side. At this point I had two options... raise the dipper and boom to hang the ripper from the tapered pin and then pivot it on that pin to align the bucket open/close brackets or just lift the boom a little and align them while on the dolly. I tried the second method first and the bucket pin went right in... I got lucky I think! I rotated the pin for the locking bolt and pushed that in place. Then I used the second bucket pin to push the tapered pin out the opposite side. I did use a few taps with a dead-blow hammer to push the tapered pin out but nothing forceful. I then oriented the locking bolt hole and put that bolt in. Used the grease gun to lube the bucket pins well and tightened down the lock nuts. The tapered pin I think is the key.

 

[jcfcamaro]

So , How much did you have in it $$$$ ??? . Who made the thumb thats on your backhoe ? and what did that cost ??

 

[Coyote machine]

So , How much did you have in it $$$$ ??? . Who made the thumb thats on your backhoe ? and what did that cost ??

I think he's got a BroTek thumb:http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl...&sa=X&ei=L6RiUpbEB4ic9gSC6IEg&ved=0CDsQ9QEwAw

 

[yoann]

Your design look very nice. What kind of software are u using to drawn that nice part. For myself, I'm using Autodesk inventor. Are you open to put .stp or iges part on the forum.

Thanks and good job

 

[wedge40]

Bubble up.
Waiting to see photos of this thing in action.

Wedge

 

[bluehog]

So , How much did you have in it $$$$ ???

Total cost of materials and supplies was around $300... but the labor would be the real killer. I had help from several close work friends that offered their assistance in this project which I can not put a price on what they did for me. Having use of my employers equipment is another huge factor that cannot be overlooked!

I have to put a plug in for what MIE offers... their product has a proven record from several on this forum. Their offer is an INCREDIBLE deal to anyone that does not have the access to all the things I listed above. In fact I planned on buying from them even though I had access to this equipment. I am not sure what their current final costs is now, but it was mid-$600's delivered a couple years ago. Indeed I did mimic their (IslandTractor & MIE) design... I won't say that I copied it as that would mean I had one in front of me to touch, feel & measure. I do greatly appreciate the assistance that I received from everyone on this forum and from my coworkers & my employer.

Who made the thumb thats on your backhoe ? and what did that cost ??

Coyote Machine is correct... it is/was a Bro-Tek. What I mean is I had to modify it... not so much the design but the hardware. The supplied support top-link was a thinwall design that collapsed on me when I put a little more bucket pressure on in that I probably should have. This caused much grief for me as I was 100 miles from a real hardware store and then they probably would not have had the parts I needed anyway. I had to make-shift a brace support with a large crescent wrench. I ordered from www.agrisupply.com the following which has held up great 11911 TOP LINK 15" LNG (381MM) H. DUTY CAT 2 = $25 got a spare as well.

Then a few trips later, one of the 4 bolts that hold the frame brackets to the dipper broke. Once again I was a long ways away from a hardware store so I used a long 3/8 socket extension to support the braces where the bolt broke. It of course bent as well but I was able to finish my trip without further time loss. The bolts provided were 1/2" grade 8 (quality stuff) but I choose to upgrade those to 5/8" size with a softer grade 5 bolt to flex a little if I got a little aggressive with it. The Bro-Tek design works well but you do have to remove the support top-link and a spacer when you want the thumb in the collapsed position. I just carry the removed parts behind my tractor seat... but it something that I wish could just be mounted somewhere on the thumb. I liked the narrow width of the thumb support with the "hardfacing" already applied rather than the wider styles that are more readily available online. It has worked very well for me since the upgrade to a heavy-duty top-link and the 5/8" bolts. Cost was a bit over $400 delivered from Canada a couple years ago. http://www.bro-tek.biz/

 

[bluehog]

Your design look very nice. What kind of software are u using to drawn that nice part. For myself, I'm using Autodesk inventor. Are you open to put .stp or iges part on the forum.

Thanks and good job

The software I used was Google SketchUp V7 this was recommended to me for ease of use. Indeed it was nice to model with but it does not have converters for the .iges file type , at ;east the free version that I was using. I did find a converter for the .dxf and used that to import my model for the waterjet machine to cut the parts out of plate stock. If this is of help I will post it.

 

[bluehog]

Just to let you all know I am back from my trial week with the "Stump Slayer"... all went well and accomplished my goals. :cool2: I will get some pics up in a couple days, I haven't even had time to look at them myself! Here are a few previews

 

[wedge40]

Thanks for the update BH.

Wedge

 

[bluehog]

:jack-o-lantern: Happy Halloween from "Stump Slayer" .:jack-o-lantern:



(this was prior to or our last week trip and was a suggestion from a co-worker... made the 300 mile drive a little more interesting when people passed us :shocked: )

 

[Poopdeck Pappy]

That's greatness! Well done.

 

[IslandTractor]

:jack-o-lantern: Happy Halloween from "Stump Slayer" .:jack-o-lantern: <img src="http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=343938"/> <img src="http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=343939"/> <img src="http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=343940"/> (this was prior to or our last week trip and was a suggestion from a co-worker... made the 300 mile drive a little more interesting when people passed us :shocked: )

I thought stumps and trees bled JD green. What exactly have you been ripping with that thing???

 

[bluehog]

I thought stumps and trees bled JD green. What exactly have you been ripping with that thing???

Was just for fun since Halloween was close to the trip. All the paint didn't last long... as was mentioned by you and CM, but it looked good for the first few pics.

 

[bluehog]

Here are a few more pics from the working vacation... got some video (but have to figure out how to upload )


These are from the first load = 26 total


These are from the second load = 20 or so ( lost count )

 

[IslandTractor]

Looks like the stump slayer is living up to its name.

 

[wedge40]

What was the largest diameter of the stumps? About how long (average) did it take to remove each stump.?

Wedge

 

[Coyote machine]

Way to slay, blue!
Now you just need a FEL grapple like mine, (see my avatar). Nice trailer rig too! Man I wish I had a truck and trailer like yours, then I could conquer the rest of the world :licking:
Here's what I found out from a LOT of recent stump extrication. I found if I get up pretty close to a stump and picture dead ahead of the hoe as noon, and the right swing maximum as 4 o'clock and left max swing as 8 o'clock then if I go in close to the stump with the ripper and see what I can pull toward me, and keep moving out away from the stump on any axis until I can begin to rip a root or a cluster of roots, then I can keep doing this until I've got most all the roots ripped and then dig the ripper in and push down and away against the grade under the stump, while pulling up and usually snap the stump loose. The most difficult positions are at high noon and at beyond max swing of the boom on either side.
I find that around 1800-2100 RPMs is the best range to be able to control the hoe/ripper and still have enough strength to do the job without going too fast or too slow.
I have also found that for the most part it isn't so much about using the serrated edges for cutting as it is about using them to gain grip/traction on a root(s). By using the curl strength positioning the ripper is the most key tactic in successfully gaining on the stump.
My objective is to only position the hoe/tractor once and get the stump out without having to come at it from another angle, if possible. Sometimes when i have a stump that has a large stalk left i can stop ripping/digging with the hoe, turn around and use the bucket in low with the diff locked and push the edge of the bucket against the top of the stump and force it into submission. This can entail riding the front tires off the ground and the full force of the bucket/tractor and weight of the hoe at around 2K RPMs.
I would like to hear about your and others experience so we can compare notes and gain ground over stumpy.

 

[bluehog]

Way to slay, blue!
Now you just need a FEL grapple like mine, (see my avatar). Nice trailer rig too! Man I wish I had a truck and trailer like yours, then I could conquer the rest of the world :licking:
Here's what I found out from a LOT of recent stump extrication. I found if I get up pretty close to a stump and picture dead ahead of the hoe as noon, and the right swing maximum as 4 o'clock and left max swing as 8 o'clock then if I go in close to the stump with the ripper and see what I can pull toward me, and keep moving out away from the stump on any axis until I can begin to rip a root or a cluster of roots, then I can keep doing this until I've got most all the roots ripped and then dig the ripper in and push down and away against the grade under the stump, while pulling up and usually snap the stump loose. The most difficult positions are at high noon and at beyond max swing of the boom on either side.
I find that around 1800-2100 RPMs is the best range to be able to control the hoe/ripper and still have enough strength to do the job without going too fast or too slow.
I have also found that for the most part it isn't so much about using the serrated edges for cutting as it is about using them to gain grip/traction on a root(s). By using the curl strength positioning the ripper is the most key tactic in successfully gaining on the stump.
My objective is to only position the hoe/tractor once and get the stump out without having to come at it from another angle, if possible. Sometimes when i have a stump that has a large stalk left i can stop ripping/digging with the hoe, turn around and use the bucket in low with the diff locked and push the edge of the bucket against the top of the stump and force it into submission. This can entail riding the front tires off the ground and the full force of the bucket/tractor and weight of the hoe at around 2K RPMs.
I would like to hear about your and others experience so we can compare notes and gain ground over stumpy.

CM you do a heck of a job creating a visual using verbiage can't say I will do as well, but here goes.

The learning curve was not as bad as I had thought, but I was pretty comfortable with the controls from past use. I did make a few silly beginner errors like forgetting to put the stabilizers down, on the first insertion pivoting on the rear tires and "teeter tottered" me in the seat toward the ground and the front wheels went up. :loser: Another was not having the engine rpm sufficient causing lack of power, my backhoe is driven by its own pump off the PTO. Optimum RPM seemed to be 2200 - 2400 it was very noisy but I used my forester helmet ear muffs to quiet things down... as well as the helmet face shield for the flying dirt.

Initially I found myself positioning to far from the stump, where I had to extend the boom & dipper about half their travel to reach. Although this worked on the very dead and smaller stumps which I started with. It did cause me to lose leverage when I got the inside arc of the ripper under a strong root. Learning from this, I approached things differently on the big stump I knew I would have a difficult time with. Those I planned on attacking from multiple sides, usually only moving once at 90 degrees from the initial position. I found it best to position the boom, dipper & ripper in full closed position and backed up square and just in front of the stump. This was the point at which I felt I could get the maximum leverage from the hydraulics. Although it looked too close initially, after the stabilizer were down it gave me good position and I could see real well what I was doing from my perch. I never found I had to readjust my position farther back and typically completed the stump removal on the my re-position at 90 degrees. I did however after the stump was loose, move tractor further away to clean the debris from the root ball as I was too close to pick the roots clean.

My wife didn't get any good pics of the approach... but these kind of show what is too far away (first one) and the about right position (second one)


As for the technique used to sever the roots, this was a complete combination of using all controls to get a grip on the root. The control that did the most work was the bucket curl. When I had a good hold under the root, the curl was the driving force that allowed me utilize the teeth in a slight sawing motion and then pop that root in half... it was very impressive. I had many roots that I lost grip on as the ripper violently squirted out from under it. Those I would just try to slightly re-position the boom radially from the stump axis to get a new grip in a weaker area (roots get smaller and easier to break further from the stump axis). This however causes you to get some quite large craters when you finally get the stump out!

You and IslandTractor both warned me about those slippery roots. One of the suggestions that IT had was to add a "reversed raised barb" just after the point and before the first tooth to help catch & hold the root. This would have definitely helped in these instances, but it might also have aided in getting it stuck as well. The wedge shape of the ripper allows it to go down, in & under easily and if stuck doesn't always come out easily. I found myself dealing with a lot more rock than anticipated and I got completely stuck a couple times which left me helpless for a few moments. I got the ripper deeply buried under a root with the back of it against a non-visible large rock. This situation allowed me no travel with any controls, after trying for a few seconds with no luck except the entire tractor shifting on the stabilizers. :scratchchin: I finally figured out the only adjustment I had was the stabilizers. Using these allowed me the wiggle room to get the ripper out. I really thought I was in deep ca-ca!

I did try the approach using the FEL with tractor in low gear to dislodge the stump after severing the roots. Although this worked well IT WAS NO WHERE NEAR AS FUN as completing the entire removal with the ripper! There was complete satisfaction behind the controls of the backhoe when that big *** stump wiggled and twisted out of its spot! I found myself having WAY too much fun doing this. The FEL approach would be your best option if your trees have a main center core or stem root, like a carrot has. The pines I was dealing with have numerous axial roots running away from the tree axis, making the "ripper only" use desirable. Although I did bring my sawzall with me (as recommended by some) I did not use it due to the rocks and as I was insistent on accomplishing this with my new toy! I also really enjoyed clearing out the debris (rock & dirt) from the root ball as it really taught me finesse of the backhoe controls.

 

[bluehog]

What was the largest diameter of the stumps? About how long (average) did it take to remove each stump.?

Wedge

The largest was about 32" diameter... that and a couple others in the 24-28" range took me about 20 minutes to get loose. They were so loaded up with dirt & rock (actually some boulders) in the root-ball that they took another 10 minutes to clear out the debris. These were also quite the challenge to get up the incline to the trailer... they were heavy! They were even more of challenge to get off my trailer at the slash pit as I was without the tractor at that point. The stumps that were in the 12"-18" range took about 10 minutes or so. Some of those were done without re-positioning the tractor at all, others were still a challenge. Smaller stumps were only a few minutes... probably longer to position myself than the actual digging. All and all if went a lot quicker than I had initially thought... that doesn't happen to me very often! Highly recommend having this implement... have no regrets and plan on using it to assist in boulder unearthing and future assistance for the neighbors. In fact I think I'll use this more than the 12" bucket.