Racket Rake or Piranha bar?

[Kenneth in Texas]

Im considering one or the other but leaning towards the Piranha currently because I do a lot of back dragging at times. Can any of you tell me your opinions on each. I like the idea of the Piranha staying attached all thetime but I also like the way the RR looks and how it looks like it might be better for tearing out small brush but Im still open to one or the other at this time.

 

[bcp]

My comparison:



Bruce

 

[Happy Gilmore]

My comparison: <img src="http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/files/attachments/405309-racket-rake-piranha-bar-ratchetpiranhatooth-jpg"/> Bruce

That's an excellent comparison. I vote the PTB, great tool!

 

[Kenneth in Texas]

good comparision, is there really anything that the RR can do that the PTB cant?

 

[newbury]

I've got two tractors and two Piranhas. The Piranha works great FOR MY USES. I don't do a lot of backdragging, rather forward motion and trying to cut weeds just below the surface.

 

[jeff9366]

Here is a LINK to T-B-N thread with 38 posts, on exact same topic, I started one year ago.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/301176-ratchet-rake-piranha-tooth-bar.html?highlight=

 

[Tractor Seabee]

I looked at both plus other solutions and decided my requirements need something heftier and more aggressive to use on my BX 25. See the attached pictures. This sucker will now dig like crazy and curl back and I can still back blade. I spaced the teeth so I can put up to 4 clamp on forks with it still on. I even made a clamp on class three hitch to move trailers around.



Some show me at work with the BX. That log is green Madrona and probably weighs close to 500#. I pulled that pile of logging slash apart using the FEL with those teeth. A smooth edge would have never done it.

Ron

 

[Rustyiron]

My buddy used to say "if your bucket doesn't have teeth, you might as well wear a dress". Now we were talking about skid steers, but the same applies to a tractor for any ground engaging work. I'm sure the RR has a purpose, I'd just feel a little embarrassed with a "strap on" on my tractor.:laughing:

 

[Happy Gilmore]

My buddy used to say "if your bucket doesn't have teeth, you might as well wear a dress". Now we were talking about skid steers, but the same applies to a tractor for any ground engaging work. I'm sure the RR has a purpose, I'd just feel a little embarrassed with a "strap on" on my tractor.:laughing:

The latter part of the post is an interesting way to put it, haha

 

[Kenneth in Texas]

Believe I will go with the PTB after looking and reading, dont much like that strap on the RR

 

[dragoneggs]

The PTB has been a dream for me. I couldn't dig with my BX until I installed it. I use it for back dragging and it does a great job at that too. It seems like a natural fit for my bucket and will never take it off... no reason. I don't have any experience with a ratchet rake however. I suppose it depends on your use but I have beat the heck of my PTB and it is still in almost new shape. My soil is mostly glacial till so a lot of rocks up to volleyball size in the hard packed dirt.

 

[frogpond]

I have the same rocks mixed with a little soil, and the same kind of old slash piles to redistribute as dragoneggs (although his look bigger), at our place outside Snohomish WA. I also have a bx25d, and added a piranha to the bucket. It has been very helpful in ripping out brush (lots of salmonberry and devil's club, mixed with vine maple), and driving into piles of fill dirt. But for plain excavating, I still mostly have to loosen things up first with the backhoe. Perhaps a more aggressive toothbar version, like dragonseggs, would dig better. Still, the piranha in general is great to leave permanently on the bucket, and I use it quite a lot for backdragging, either with the teeth down, or with the flat of the bucket, as circumstances require. In
many places, dragging with the teeth has been a pretty good substitute for using the boxblade with the teeth down.
In the current downpour and resulting mud, I haven't been able to do much of anything with the tractor. I imagine it's just as wet where you are. Our streams are roaring, our pond has flooded, and some of our tractor roads are under water.

 

[txdon]

I have the ratchet rake (with chains - I broke the strap) a tooth bar, and a grapple. However if I had just the Ratchet rake and the Piranha bar to choose from it would be the Piranha bar because I could dig and load with the bucket without removing it.

 

[dragoneggs]

I have the same rocks mixed with a little soil, and the same kind of old slash piles to redistribute as dragoneggs (although his look bigger), at our place outside Snohomish WA. I also have a bx25d, and added a piranha to the bucket. It has been very helpful in ripping out brush (lots of salmonberry and devil's club, mixed with vine maple), and driving into piles of fill dirt. But for plain excavating, I still mostly have to loosen things up first with the backhoe. Perhaps a more aggressive toothbar version, like dragonseggs, would dig better. Still, the piranha in general is great to leave permanently on the bucket, and I use it quite a lot for backdragging, either with the teeth down, or with the flat of the bucket, as circumstances require. In
many places, dragging with the teeth has been a pretty good substitute for using the boxblade with the teeth down.
In the current downpour and resulting mud, I haven't been able to do much of anything with the tractor. I imagine it's just as wet where you are. Our streams are roaring, our pond has flooded, and some of our tractor roads are under water.

Yeah... pretty darn wet here on the Hood Canal. I'm trying to get my indoor honey do projects done at the moment. I have a guest bath I am remodeling and it is causing two trips a day to Home Depot!

 

[xring]

I live on the Gulf Coast of Texas and we have both tough brush and hard black Gumbo clay soil. After looking at tooth bars I decided to try the Piranha tooth bar. Digging is easily twice as efficient as no tooth bar and clearing brush is much easier. The ratchet rake does have the extra teeth to drag with but those same bottom teeth will keep it from digging well. I leave my Piranha toothbar on all the time but if I need it off it is only two bolts vs two straps for the ratchet rake. If you only want to clear brush then the ratchet rake may be a better choice but I do more than clear brush. Even so the Piranha toothbar is very helpful clearing tough brush piles. All that said my Kubota B2320 FEL Loader valve gave up the ghost after 50 Hours and am waiting on Kubota to see if they will cover an obviously defective part design after the 1 year warranty. If I was you I would go Piranha toothbar and never look back. Note: as mentioned before the Piranha tooth bar teeth are pretty sharp I use a pool toy called a funoodle to cover the teeth in th garage just slit one side ct to length and cover the teeth with it.