H&H EZ Landscaper

Scrounger · Mar 19, 2005

Just arrived and I'm pretty impressed with the design. Looks like it will be perfect for the brush removal and sob removal too. The teeth are just far enough apart that it will still be a great digging bar too. A quick coat of Kubota orange and she's ready to go on.

Killer_B · Mar 19, 2005

Pictures?

L3650 · Mar 19, 2005

What is it? Power rake? Box blade? Drag? Rake? Trade name?

Scrounger · Mar 19, 2005

Digging bar for you bucket. I'll post some pics after I get it installed.

Freds · Mar 19, 2005

( I'll post some pics after I get it installed )

Well... what's taking so long?

/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

DaNag · Mar 19, 2005

Had one installed on my 3130...used it for a few days, works great. It grabs the brush so well, I didn't need to use the grapple attachment in most cases.

It also works great for small tree removal; after a bit of experimentation with attack speed and bucket height, I was yanking 3-4" alders out of the ground in seconds. Just hit them about 2' up, raising the bucket as the tractor went forward. Teeth grabbed them perfectly, and ripped them out of the ground roots and all.

Attached is the only pic I have...you can barely see it. Tractor is two states away, or I'd snap up some better photos.

Scrounger · Mar 19, 2005

Need to drill a big honkin 1" hole in the bucket and I'm not sure how to do it. I'd prefer to use two smaller holes but I dont know if that is ok or not. Need to call H&H I guess. I just want to be able to remove it when needed.

Chiege · Mar 19, 2005

Scrounger,

Do a search for "toothbar" on this forum. There are discussions about drilling and mounting. I was just reading them last night.

Good Luck,

MadReferee · Mar 19, 2005

To drill holes in the bucket use an inexpensive bi-metal hole saw (the white ones) that you can get at any hadware or big box store. The bucket material is typically mild steel and these hole saws go thru them with ease.

Henro · Mar 19, 2005

Need to drill a big honkin 1" hole in the bucket and I'm not sure how to do it. 

Get a hole saw and you will cut those holes in the bucket like it is butter...has to be a half descent one though. You can get one at home depot or somewhere like that.

On my Kubota LA402 bucket it took less than a minute per each hole. Painless to say the least. Use some oil to lubricate the cutter...piece of cake.

In a nutshell, no big deal. A drill is NOT the way to go...the holesaw is...

I have an H&H toothbar by the way...so I know exactly what you need to do... /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Edit: MadRef and I are on the same page again...but his fingers are faster... /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

Scrounger · Mar 19, 2005

On a 48" bucket on the BX I was wondering if I would use two smaller holes on each side and not the single 1" hole. I would think it would be less weakening to the bucket. Thoughts?

MadReferee · Mar 19, 2005

A 1" hole not even going to come close to weakening your bucket. The bucket is probably 1/4" steel. It will take more that a 1" hole to do anything to it. And besides, it's not like you're putting nothing thru the hole. The bolt plus a washer will more than equal the original in strength. You have a tractor here, not a fine piece of fragile crystal glassware. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Henro · Mar 20, 2005

Additionally, having only two bolts makes removal a snap.

I take mine off and put it on in just a couple minutes (H&H standard type).

Another thing I can think of is smaller bolts might be more likely to be damaged, making removal later more difficult...

toomanytoys · Mar 20, 2005

I installed my standard H&H myself last week. I also looked at those huge nuts and bolts for a while before going at the bucket.

I drilled the 1 inch holes with a regular drill bit.

The toothbar works great on my 61 inch JD bucket. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

tinytractors · Mar 20, 2005

Past experience has been that the bolts going through the bucket when attaching things like toothbars or forks cause the holes to oval out from the stress and deform. I think that is why Markham gives the extra metal plate for their toothbar. I recommend that for heavy use the metal around the bolt hole be brought up to at least 3/8" for tractors up to 25 HP and 1/2" for anything over that. The metal stiffeners should be welded... not just relying on the bolt to hold them in place.

MadReferee · Mar 21, 2005

( Past experience has been that the bolts going through the bucket when attaching things like toothbars or forks cause the holes to oval out from the stress and deform. I think that is why Markham gives the extra metal plate for their toothbar. I recommend that for heavy use the metal around the bolt hole be brought up to at least 3/8" for tractors up to 25 HP and 1/2" for anything over that. The metal stiffeners should be welded... not just relying on the bolt to hold them in place.)

Well, my toothbar has a 3/4" bolt on each side. I installed it with washers between the bracket and the inside of the bucket. I have extremely, and I mean extremely, over abused the tooth bar to dig up roots, rocks, shrubs, concrete slabs and a few small stumps. The bar is as tight now as it was when it was first installed. It has not ovaled the holes or moved even a 1/16". The 60" Kubota HD bucket has not been deformed in any way. The teeth themselves slip over the bucket cutting edge thus adding more strength and support to the entire toothbar.

So, based on my experience, and that of plenty of others here on TBN, your recommendation seems like big time overkill. I can't recall anyone who has a tractor over 25 hp who has added a 1/2" or even 3/8" stiffener to their bucket around the toothbar mounting hole. I would guess that your recommendation is valid only if you have a really cheap, thin walled light duty bucket. As always, your mileage may vary.

creeper · Mar 21, 2005

How good are these things at brush removal ? Stuff from 2 to 4" Does it work better to dig under the roots or do you wedge the base of tree or bush in between two of the teeth. I am in the market for one, and have read alot about digging, but would like info from others on different uses. A good way to kill time while you wait for Scrounger to get installed /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
BTW I will be using on a 30hp tractor.

MadReferee · Mar 21, 2005

( How good are these things at brush removal ? Stuff from 2 to 4" Does it work better to dig under the roots or do you wedge the base of tree or bush in between two of the teeth. I am in the market for one, and have read alot about digging, but would like info from others on different uses. A good way to kill time while you wait for Scrounger to get installed. )

Depends on several things, soil type and root growth to name a few. I have popped out root clumps fron 2"-4" small brush by just getting the teeth into the root ball and curling the bucket and raising the FEL. I have also had to dig around several shrubs I removed last year because the root system was fairly deep and spread out. If you have sandy soil you can sometimes just get the base of the brush between the teeth and lift. As always, your mileage may vary depending on your experience and skill.

creeper · Mar 22, 2005

I would guess its a big improvement over using the cutting edge of my bucket?

MadReferee · Mar 22, 2005

( I would guess its a big improvement over using the cutting edge of my bucket? )

Like night and day. Once you get the hang of it you will be able to pop-up football sized rocks with ease and remove brush without doing too much damage to the soil.