A few questions before I order a tooth bar...

[PILOON]

No, like this

View attachment 442797

Just bolts on the sides.

Made my own about 8 years ago.
My 20 hp CUT thinks it is an excavator. I have moved probably 30 truckloads of blasted rock and more soil.
Moved, actually rolled, rocks bigger than my bucket many times.
Every time I 'plant' my bucket in rocky soil I come up with a full load.
Back dragging is like raking up the roots in forest topsoil.
Have never bent, damaged or hurt anything, trick is to let the hydraulics work and never slam into material especially rocks.
Absolutely best attachment I have.

 

[check]

I have the Piranha tooth bar for my Kubota BX25, because I can take it off in the fall and install my bucket expander, which doubles the heaped capacity of my FEL. This is very useful for moving snow in the winter, which of course is very light. So, with the bolt on option, I have the best of both worlds!

 

[Mad Mac]

This morning, we tried out our new Ratchet Rake. We are very pleased. It ripped out Yaupon and brush easily and pushed up logs on the burn pile. No regrets so far. I'm looking forward to cleaning up some forest undergrowth and creating shooting lanes and Jeep trails.

I emailed BXpanded Sunday about a Piranha bar. So far, I have received no reply.

 

[MESSMAKER]

I bolted my tooth bar on five years ago and really can't think why I would ever want to take it off. Back dragging is done with the heel of the bucket. I prefer the tooth bar over the piranha.

I'll take beauty shots any day of the week.

SNOW and ICE

 

[Poopdeck Pappy]

This morning, we tried out our new Ratchet Rake. We are very pleased. It ripped out Yaupon and brush easily and pushed up logs on the burn pile. No regrets so far. I'm looking forward to cleaning up some forest undergrowth and creating shooting lanes and Jeep trails.

I emailed BXpanded Sunday about a Piranha bar. So far, I have received no reply.

I bought a Ratchet Rake this weekend and took it on it's shakedown cruise yesterday. I was really happy with how well it worked. Even after all the rave reviews here in TBN, I was a little skeptical. But it works great so far.

For the Piranha Tooth Bar, just call Harry at the number on the Bxpanded website. That's the easiest and surest way of reaching him. He is a great guy and very customer service minded. And he makes great products too.

 

[Mad Mac]

Kristen at BXpanded replied to my email this morning and gave me a quote for a Piranha bar for a 78 inch bucket, about the same price as the Ratchet Rake. BXpanded has also changed their website. At least I think they have or I'm losing my mind, which is a distinct possibility. Now instead of mentioning a few specific brands they have a General Information page which explains how they have made Piranha bars from 34 to 106 inches.

Waaaaaahhhhh! I could have had a Piranha bar after all.

Well, the Ratchet Rake is easy on, easy off and the bottom row of teeth does make ripping roots more effective I think. The front teeth push and loosen and the under teeth seem to get additional roots up. Kind of like a razor with two blades instead of one. Also, Mahindra discourages back dragging at more than a 15 degree angle so the under teeth make back dragging more effective for us.

Thank you one and all for the input. Enjoy your tooth bars. May your boulders tremble and Yaupon shake in their roots.

 

[troutsqueezer]

SNOW and ICE

What IS that?

 

[russkat]

Looks like I'll be building this tooth bar myself.

I picked up a set of 5 teeth, ordered 5 adapters, and checked on steel prices for stock 3" x 48", 1/2" thick, both mild steel and AR400.
The teeth are by H & L Tooth out of Tulsa (made in usa !!!)


So a couple more questions before ordering the steel.

Is mild steel ok for the bar (see pic), or should I go AR400 hardened steel ?


As I understand it, the forces would mainly be on the cutting edge if the adapter fits the cutting edge properly, and not transmitted to the bar.
Mild steel would be easier to weld.

Most tooth bars I see use the wings on the ends that bolt to the sides of the bucket, but I have seen a couple builds that bolted the bar to the bottom of the bucket (I don't mean set screws) Is one a better (stronger) design than the other ?




Once UPS shows up with the adapters and I pick up the flat bar stock, then I'll start a new build thread.

 

[PSEbowhunter]

So what kind of cost do you have into the tooth bar build at this point? I'm still tossing around the idea of building one if i can save 100-150 bucks.

 

[russkat]

So what kind of cost do you have into the tooth bar build at this point? I'm still tossing around the idea of building one if i can save 100-150 bucks.

Around $250.00 today on the adapters and teeth. H & L teeth are among the best.
The bar will be 25-35 depending on if it's mild steel or AR400.
A few bucks for paint and welding consumables.

Best of all... I determine how many teeth, type of adapters, type of teeth, final design, paint color, etc...
Worth it, even if it ends up costing me more to build it myself.

If you go with the cheapest adapters and teeth, then you might be able to save that much.