Tooth bar vs none difference?

   / Tooth bar vs none difference? #11  
If you have a box blade you might be able to knock it down with that.
 
   / Tooth bar vs none difference? #12  
Try peeling a thin layer off the pile while gently pushing into the pile and raising loader vs ramming into it
 
   / Tooth bar vs none difference?
  • Thread Starter
#14  
If you have a box blade you might be able to knock it down with that.
The funny thing is I have 2 tractors that would make quick work of it, but they're on the other side of the dirt pile and I can't get them out until I make headway with the pile. There's even a ton of concrete in a big chunk that I put on top of the dirt pile that I can't get off without the tractor that put it there.

I have been hitting it with the edges and getting more progress. but it's slow. Lots of rocks as well, if i hit the big rocks with the blade it stops it dead, then i have to either go under or over the rock.
 
   / Tooth bar vs none difference? #15  
Tooth bars help a lot digging compacted soil IMO, but they will still stop dead on big rocks
 
   / Tooth bar vs none difference? #16  
In my experience, (Tooth bar vs none) :: (Dirt vs none).
Definitely a good idea to get one.
I've got a piranha tooth bar; it works great for dirt that's reasonably compacted but not actually hard. I think the teeth you got are going to be fantastic as it'll probably be able to dig into even harder stuff, possibly even point the teeth mostly down, push down on the bucket, then roll the bucket back and you'll get a nice chunk of hard dirt out (don't drive forward with the teeth straight down though!).

A nice thing about the PTB I've found is that you can push it into a smaller tree and uproot them, and also I've found it super useful in pulling brambles and jungles of small shrubs without completely destroying the soil by similarly catching stems with the ptb and shoving; the sharpness of the bar is such that you can shave hard stuff, but there's still a lot of bar hitting hard so if the dirt is really hard it won't sink in like the teeth will.

Can't advise ramming the bucket in at all. I understand the sentiment but that shock isn't going to be good in the long run. Front end loaders on little tractors are not built to push hard, they're not excavators or dozers and the design case is for loose material. YMMV and it's your tractor but don't be surprised if you crack or bend something by ramming.

Going for the corner of the bucket - slow and occasionally yes, and make sure you trade off which corner often; note that you're deliberately setting up uneven forces on the loader and something's going to tweak in the long term.
 
   / Tooth bar vs none difference? #17  
Tooth bars are absolutely worth the investment. Huge difference when digging into hard, compacted soil or breaking up a pile of material (dirt, gravel) that has settled and compacted.

I made one because I had the steel on hand and I'm often too cheap for my own good, but the Piranha bar is worth the money if you don't want to make one.
 
   / Tooth bar vs none difference?
  • Thread Starter
#18  
Tooth bars help a lot digging compacted soil IMO, but they will still stop dead on big rocks
The complicated part is, i can't dig under hte rock either, with a strait blade on the bucket. So I have to get out and go dig the rock out by hand to make any progress.
 
   / Tooth bar vs none difference? #19  
Bought a tooth bar and leave it on all the time. It's a beast, game changer, too bad it was made by EA, no longer available I hear...
 
   / Tooth bar vs none difference? #20  
Bought a tooth bar and leave it on all the time. It's a beast, game changer, too bad it was made by EA, no longer available I hear...
Yeah I've never taken mine off either.
Causes a problem when I go put a clamp-on trailer hitch on the bucket but I manage.

I've actually found that since I got the ptb, I've never put the ratchet rake onto the bucket because the ptb has a similar effect (though since it's back-dragging one must take more care); I should probably sell that.
 
 
 
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