Install your own toothbar?

[beppington]

I'm really wanting to know if a 3/4" hole can be drilled in the sides of my bucket by a regular ol' Home Depot bit, or is this gonna be something I'm gonna wish I had left up to my dealer?

Thank you ...

 

[spruce Deere]

I was able to drill holes in the top corner edge of my bucket for clevises. With a pilot hole to start with, then a 1/2 hole to follow. Good bits are a must.

 

[arrow]

No it is not hard to do. Even though it is advised not to drill pilot holes, I am surprised you need such a large mounting hole. Mine is a Markham and it came with 1/2" bolts. The way I did it was to mount the bar as far back as the cutting edge allows then clamp it with c clamps. I then used the mounting bracket as a drill guide.
(I believe it was a 5/8" hole to allow some leeway with the bolt being 1/2") One good piece of advice a member here suggested was to guard the holding bolts by screwing on another nut so none of the threads are exposed to the ravages of digging and such. It is a very useful idea if you want to take your bar off now and again without a problem with stripped or damaged bolts.

 

[dex3361]

Sure you can, I did. I started with a 3/8 bit and worked my way up. Use cutting fluid to keep the bit cool and drilled just fine. Mine has 5/8 bolts and I drilled 3/4 holes. Its easy to put on and take off.

 

[rjkobbeman]

Does anyone sell what I call "real teeth" for a bucket? When I think of bucket teeth, I think of the teeth found on backhoe and excavator buckets. I think a New Holland tractor I used to operate had a bucket with those kind of teeth on it.

When I bought my tractor I order the "Bucket Tine Kit" thinking I was going to get the "real teeth". Boy was I wrong. The "Bucket Tine Kit" was a dozen or so steel shanks with a bevel on one end. You had to drill holes in your bucket (two holes for each shank) and attach them with 3/8" bolts.

Needless to say, I have not installed them.

I'm thinking it might just be cheaper to buy a skid-steer bucket with the teeth on them already.

 

[arrow]

The teeth on the Markham bar seem heavy duty. They are not tines and indeed more like what you would find on a backhoe bucket. In no way would you begin to approach the cost of a toothed bucket with a Markham tooth bar. I had them put 2 extra teeth on my bar and it still came under $250. Prices may be a bit changed as I bought my bar several years ago. Here's a picture of the mounted bar along with the work it helped to do and you can judge for yourself.

 

[rjkobbeman]

I wish I had access to the New Holland I was referring to. I am really thinking about it hard now. I don't think it was an add-on. Guess the bucket was designed for the teeth maybe? Heck, for all I know, it wasn't a New Holland bucket.

 

[beppington]

Thanks for the replies.

... I am surprised you need such a large mounting hole ...

I was just going by something I think I read on here. Hopefully they would only be 1/2", just won't know for sure until I settled on a bar I guess.

 

[Nissan197]

I also went with a Markham toothbar and it was not hard at all to drill through my bucket to install it.

 

[RoyJackson]

Mounting a toothbar is easy, but it takes a good drill, sharp bits and a little strength.
I drilled a 1/8th pilot, then 3/8th's, then 1/2" and then the final 3/4" on the first bucket. Latest bucket (this is my third tractor), I drilled the 1/8th (or 3/32nds) pilot, then 1/4" then used a step drill up to 3/4".
That drill is probably going to catch when you break through. When it catches, it'll rotate out of your hand, so keep a tight grip. If your drill has a handle that extends to the side (as well as the pistol grip), use it.
Also, use sharp (SHARP!!) bits and keep pressure against the drill. You don't want to dull the bit.