Question for those with a ripper tooth.

[dickfoster]

Go to Michigan Iron and Equipment's website I "think" they custom make the rippers to any backhoe. They actually have a pretty ingenious way of doing it, they have a PDF form with a diagram that tells you the exact points that they need measurements from to build your particular attachment. They are a Kioti seller and I have purchased a few things from them always ship fast and prices are reasonable.

That is pretty much the same thing Bro Tek does. They have you measure your bucket actually then design and make the tooth to fit your hoe from those numbers.

 

[dickfoster]

Has anyone designed a tooth whose front sawtoothed curve is close to a constant radius from the pivot pin? This would allow a sawing motion by curling and uncurling the tooth, for roots too large for smaller backhoes to break.

Bruce

I can't quite picture in my mind what you're getting at.

 

[bcp]

I can't quite picture in my mind what you're getting at.

A quick drawing. The red line represents a constant measurement from the toothed section to the pivot hole, so curling the blade saws instead of pulls, on that section. The rear would be sharpened for conventional pull cutting.

Bruce

 

[dickfoster]

I see now. That's a pretty racial curve which might make it difficult to position up under the root. I was thinking of just a sharp blade bolted to the tooth I have that I can slip up under the root then curl and lift to cut through. I have plenty of curl since it wraps all the way back under. I'm still weighing the value of teeth vs a simple sharp edge or something like a shark's tooth maybe. It usually pays to look to nature for engineering solutions.

 

[BigCountry1689]

I see now. That's a pretty racial curve which might make it difficult to position up under the root. I was thinking of just a sharp blade bolted to the tooth I have that I can slip up under the root then curl and lift to cut through. I have plenty of curl since it wraps all the way back under. I'm still weighing the value of teeth vs a simple sharp edge or something like a shark's tooth maybe. It usually pays to look to nature for engineering solutions.

Here is the thread started with that tooth in it. Starts at #261, I would also suggest getting ahold of KiotiMachine and asking him about its function, I'm sure he could be helpful.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...r-my-woods-bh90x.html?highlight=backhoe+teeth

 

[dickfoster]

Here is the thread started with that tooth in it. Starts at #261, I would also suggest getting ahold of KiotiMachine and asking him about its function, I'm sure he could be helpful.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...r-my-woods-bh90x.html?highlight=backhoe+teeth

Thanks I got to read though two long threads dealing with ripper tooth design. Seems like the teeth are a good thing but I didn't see anyone using sharp teeth to cut though rather than rip the roots. Blue had a sharp edges on his before he hard faced the edges then wound up dull again. Gotta do some more thinking.

 

[BigCountry1689]

I am not thinking that the sharp edge on the teeth will help you past the first one or 2 roots, after that it will be more for grip and tearing large bits until the point of breaking. For me it is mainly pines so when you dig in the summer the sap is up and the roots are easier to break so I only need leverage to snap them. Good luck on your pondering and final decision.

 

[Rustyferrious]

My two cents.

As a professional woodworker for 40 years, I've learned a couple of things about cutting wood. First, a saw-toothed ripper that has pointed, triangular teeth, is never going to cut wood efficiently, and a backhoe is not designed for reciprocal action. If you take a look at a saw blade, circular, hand or otherwise, you will see that the teeth are flat-tipped and act like small chisels, each taking a tiny shaving of wood. Sharpening a ripper tooth with the geometry most commonly found, similar to a steak knife, will cut steak, but not wood. Try it out, take the sharpest steak knife you have and try to cut a 1/2" dowel. Not going to happen. It won't help much to grind a ripper blade to the geometry of a saw blade, as even saw blades cut poorly when dull, and nothing dulls a sharp blade faster than dirt & rocks. You will spend more time sharpening than getting any work done. I was strongly considering a ripper blade when I first got the BX. I have loads and loads of tree stumps to remove for several projects I want to undertake. After some practice and a few tips found here, I've come to the conclusion it would be a waste of money for me. The 12" bucket on the BX BH works fine if you learn how to use it for this purpose. Dig away from the stump where the roots are smaller, take small bites, digging deeper and closer as you go, breaking roots. Dig on all sides of the stump. The stump is going to loose. I've never had a stump beat me and i've taken out some monsters with my little BX. With a bucket I can break roots that are 2 feet or more deep. Plus get rid of big rocks that are locking the root ball in place. Not so easy to do with a ripper blade without switching back and forth a lot.

 

[dickfoster]

Yeah before I got the tooth, I started digging with a 12" bucket and on the second stump I busted a tooth. No rocks or nothing unusual.
Some stumps come right out if they've been dead for awhile. I got 5 or 6 good sized stumps plucked today and another that doesn't quite want to give up so I'm still digging at it.
I've got mostly black oak, fir and cedar. The cedar is rot resistant so the cores and roots on those things can last for years and years. The fir seems to be the easiest to deal with but even the small to medium oaks can be a real pain if they're still fresh.

 

[Poopdeck Pappy]

My Bro-Tek ripper tooth works great for ripping up the roots on cedar trees (mainly eastern red cedar). As others have suggested, the key is to start far enough out that you're working with a smaller diameter part of the root.

If you're working in an area where you don't want to disturb the roots of other trees, and the ripper tooth won't bust through, then you either need a larger more powerful backhoe (a very expensive Plan B), or perhaps go buy yourself a battery powered reciprocating saw. Dig up the dirt to expose the root. Then use the battery operated reciprocating saw to cut through it. It would be a slow process, but not as slow as trying to saw through it with a ripper tooth.