Another Toothbar question

[Dave_C]

Hello Everyone,

I've been a longtime lurker but this is my first post. Believe me, I have gained a wealth of information without ever asking the first question. I bought a BX 2200 back in 02' thanks to all I've learned here.

But now I do have a question about these toothbars for a FEL. I'm in the process of cleaning out a small woods that has been neglected for a long time. Would a toothbar, maybe with the bucket tilted down, work well for pushing the brush into piles? I looked at landscape rakes but thought they may be too lightweight. My dealer believes a box blade may be what I need but this may be overkill. I like the idea of a box blade because I need to level some areas in my yard but it sounds like a toothbar may do this also. The cost of the toothbar-vs- box blade is attractive too. Maybe a toothbar and basic rear blade for the same or close to the cost of a box blade ($475 dealer quote). Any thoughts???

Thanks again for all the help, Dave

 

[RonR]

Dave,

I don't have a toothbar (yet), but I do have a box blade.

I really think you might need both. I find using the FEL easier to operate, since I can see it easier, than the BB with it up close.

With the added weight of the BB, it will give your FEL more UMPH to move the brush.

Guess if I could only get one, I'd go with the BB to gain the added weight..........

The other thing I'd really look at is building a skid plate. If you are pushing brush, there are a lot of vulnerable parts under the BX, just inviting the flipped up stick to break them! Search here for some great pics of skid plates. Building mine is on the winter project list.
Ron

 

[rswyan]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I'm in the process of cleaning out a small woods that has been neglected for a long time. Would a toothbar, maybe with the bucket tilted down, work well for pushing the brush into piles? )</font>

Welcome to TBN Dave !

I was doing this exact thing this fall although I didn't tilit the bucket down - I kept the tilt level and raised the bucket an inch or so off the ground so it didn't catch, kinda adjusting it as I went and shoved. I have three good size piles that include several whole trees (4" x 25') I'd definitely go with the toothbar (I have a Markham unit) for this sort of work. I also have a box blade - wouldn't try using that for brush cleanup (maybe pushing in reverse ?) - it works great for rearranging and leveling dirt though.

 

[stevenf]

Dave I've only had my tractor since November but its a Kubota M9000 90hp and even with all the horses I can't imagine using the boxblade for brush cleanup. I have a H&H heavy duty toothbar and if your job is minimal I think that would work fine along with most toothbars. Frankly I have 347 acres to cleanup so I bought a FFC BTR grapple rake and if you have a spare $4,000.+ dollars I'd highly recommend it I can drive up to trees push them over pile them up and load them into the grapple in minutes and walk away with thousands of pounds of trees at a time to pile into a 14' or so burn pile. I'd imagine you could easily clear or cleanup a couple of acres a day of very dense growth as long as nothing was more than 20' tall or so.
Dave in addition to the tractor I bought a 72" rhino shredder, belltec hydraulic auger with hydraulic top link that is used for all 3 pt attached equipment as well, 84" woods/gannon box blade and a heavy duty 84" regular loader bucket with the H&H toothbar installed.
Steve, I do Love my tractor and all the toys.

 

[Henro]

Dave_C,

A toothbar is good for pushing brush into piles because the teeth can grab onto the brush where the flat edge of the loader will not offer anything to grab onto the brush with.

The tooth bar teeth also can help grab onto things that you want to rip out of the ground. You can for example get a tooth under a small tree or a root and rip it out, whereas you could not do this with the flat edge of the bucket.

Depending on the toothbar design, it can also extend the bottom edge of the bucket a little, giving a "ledge" that can support things a little better than the normal bucket bottom. The teeth also offer even more support.

In short, yes you want a tooth bar. But it is not the answer to all your needs either.

I cleared a couple acres this summer, and my toothbar, box blade and landscape rake all played a part in the process. For me the loader/toothbar did a lot of the initial work, the box did more in the middle, and the landscape rake drug a lot of small stuff and got the ground in shape, more or less, for grass seed.

Judging from my experience, if it were me I would want all three, and would buy the toothbar first, the box blade second and the land scape rake (with gage wheels) last. And I would be about $1,200 poorer, even buying the cheaper KK box blade and rake that I have now...

Not sure how much my experience applies to your needs though... /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[GregJ]

Dave,
I got a toothbar with my tractor when it was delivered. I seldom take it off. They are excellent for clearing most brush. The type of soil and type of brush can make a difference in how you use them. In sandy soild I usually run over the brush, if possible, and then back blade with the bucket down and the teeth are able to rip the brush out by the roots very easily. In harder soil, I usually have to dig underneath the brush to rip the roots out. Either way, a toothbar is the only way you can do it effectively with a FEL. They make a huge difference.

Hope this helps,
Greg

 

[Tractor_Jim_CT]

I had some large, thick thorn brush (hate them), and the BX23 with the Toothbar just pushed them out of the ground like nothing.

If someone writes a book of 1001 things I did with my BX..feel free to add this one. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[botalvr]

Toothbar from Markham welding, I wish I would have known about it sooner.
Best $200 that I ever spent. If you like your tractor now, wait until you get a toothbar!
Never would have known about it if it weren't for TBN, my old dealer was/is an idiot. "Tooth What?" was his answer.

 

[milkman]

I'd say go with the toothbar, it works great for brush. If going into the woods, I'd highly recommend a plate for the underside to protect the hydrostat fan and the filter, the fan is not a fun job to replace. Here's one I made that just took a few minutes and some scrap. If you need measurements or a better pic, I can e-mail to you. It is off the tractor now so I can get a pic of it.

 

[btolle]

I bought the Markham Toothbar and Like DannyDan said, best $212.50 I have spent.

I am clearing a lot of brush and pushing down a lot of small trees and I estimate the toothbar saves me 50% of the time it would take without it.

Use it as a "rake" by turning the bucket all the way down and backing up.

Use it to dig up roots.

The teeth bread up the ground when you are digging so you can dig deeper and facter than the smooth lip on the bucket.

The teeth and bar help support the bucket lip so it is stronger. I had my old FEL pretty well bent up from pushing trees, so far minimal damage to the bucket pushing bigger trees than I was pushing before.

I highly recommend the toothbar and the folks at Markham Welding are absolutely great to deal with.

The only downside I can see is if you are backdragging to smooth dirt you have the use the heel of the bucket instead of the lip. Of course, there are only 2 bolts to remove the toothbar so when I get into some serious leveling I will take it off for a few days.

Bill Tolle

 

[Theowegian]

I have both a toothbar and a box blade. I do recommend you get both; however, if it is an issue of which to buy FIRST. then I would go with the box blade.

The box blade can do leveling and its fun to use. The toothbar makes a FEL even better.

I vote box blade first, then buy the toothbar.

dwight

 

[PineRidge]

Dave having a tooth-bar also makes it easier to pick up downed trees (if they aren't too large) since you can get under them easier. I normally run up on one and just as we make contact we curl the bucket back to pick up the tree. We keep it as low as possible until we get to the burn pile but it has saved us a lot of on and off the seat to get our job accomplished.

One of these days we gotta get a grapple.

 

[Tom_H]

I have both for my BX2200. The box blade is a small Gannon. I just got the tooth bar from Markham (their reputation as nice is well deserved). Mine was only $150, but had an extra $100 shipping from east to west coast.

 

[Dave_C]

Wow, miss a day miss a lot, look at the responses. Spent last night hoping my basement wouldn't flood. We've had enough rain in this part of the country I've considered building an ark.

After reading all the responses how can I argue with the collective wisdom of TBN. Toothbar and a box blade seem to be the way to go. (I was leaning this way anyhow but now I have more "opinions" to help convince the better half). I'm going to contact the Markham folks about the toothbar. As for the box blade I'm leaning towards a less exspensive model like the King Kutter. Plus it's already Orange.

I'll take some before and after pictures of the woods and post them when I'm done. After last night's rain/ice storm there's even more brush in the woods. Branches were popping and cracking all night.

Thanks again for all the advice, Dave

 

[Tom_H]

Dave, On the box blade, call around to some used implement places. I got mine from a guy on whose lot it had been sitting for years. Don't remember the exact price but it was only a fraction of the price of a new one.

 

[Moon]

Here is another point of view for how I take care of brush on my place. I have used my FEL from day one to push brush around, and smash it down. When doing this I'll also have my rotary cutter (aka bush hog) on the 3PH. I'll then back over the brush with the rotary cutter and make the brush be gone!

I agree that a toothbar would be a great help when doing this, but I don't have a toothbar yet. That's next on my list to get. I had to decide between forks or toothbar last fall cause I could only afford one at the time. I had more need for the forks. For moving impliments and big stuff around that doesn't fit in the FEL. Forks are awesome.

Rear blades are good for moving snow, but for all other tasks dealing with dirt I've found a box blade to be far superior. The box blade has the weight needed to move the dirt. I have a KK blade and it just isn't heavy enough to really dig in the dirt. Most of the time it would float over the parts I was trying to level.

Moon of Ohio

 

[Dave_C]

Toothbar update....

I ordered my toothbar from Markham on Monday AM and had it here Tuesday afternoon. Everything that has been said about them here is true. Extremely nice people to deal with, very nice product, reasonable price, amazingly fast service. I hope to try it out this weekend, looks like the January monsoon is finally over here in Ohio.

Thanks again, Dave