toothbar theories

[digger2]

I'm thinking about a toothbar or adding teeth to the cutting edge of my fel bucket.Alot of guys are saying "man,the difference is fantastic" or "these
toothbars,how did i ever do without one".
Are they really that great,do they really make that much difference?
And if they do,is it in moving dirt or when do they make that much of a difference?
Any theories on why they make such a difference?Do the teeth break up the ground more easily than the cutting edge does or what?I've never actually seen one in use.
I gotta know before i pull out my wallet and order.
digger2

 

[jbrumberg]

Digger2:

Toothbars are more efficient at penetrating denser materials than a straightedge FEL cutting bar. I believe it is a function of force applied to a smaller area (ie teeth) at the point of contact. I did not believe the difference until I attached a toothbar over my cutting edge. If you want to move dense material I would recommend a toothbar. Jay

 

[SPYDERLK]

They are especially good at moving around tree debris on the ground. Back dragging to pull out roots and scrape debris into a small pile. Good to scrape dirt from an uprooted stump. The teeth will also loosen hard soil as a 1st stage in leveling an area. With a bar vs fixed teeth you can remove it or loosen and flip it into the bucket so you can use the smooth cutting edge for finishing.
larry

 

[crbr]

I'm thinking about a toothbar or adding teeth to the cutting edge of my fel bucket.Alot of guys are saying "man,the difference is fantastic" or "these
toothbars,how did i ever do without one".
Are they really that great,do they really make that much difference?
And if they do,is it in moving dirt or when do they make that much of a difference?
Any theories on why they make such a difference?Do the teeth break up the ground more easily than the cutting edge does or what?I've never actually seen one in use.
I gotta know before i pull out my wallet and order.
digger2

Yes, they are a most benefical addition. If you are as tight as what I am reading here, you'll find your best deal at Markham Welding - Home. Quite a few folks here have their product. They do a good job, quality product and a very decent price. Best I have found in all aforementioned aspects.

 

[IslandTractor]

I have a bolt-on Markham toothbar and at $350 delivered I'd say it has been a good value. I am not as enthusiastic about toothbars as some on TBN but that is probably because I don't do much digging with the FEL and the toothbar didn't add all that much in other uses. Don't expect it to turn your bucket into a backhoe for digging efficiency and don't think it will replace a grapple arm on your bucket to manage brush or logs. However, I'd still agree that it is a worthy addition to any bucket that is not being used to just scrape poop or move sand/sawdust.

 

[n8wrl]

Two other advantages/uses I've found - they act as 'mini pallet forks' for carrying wider, awkward loads like large, flat rocks. And, fully-curled and driving backwards, they're great for pulling/moving long sections of fence fabric!

-Brian

 

[jbrumberg]

Two other advantages/uses I've found - they act as 'mini pallet forks' for carrying wider, awkward loads like large, flat rocks. And, fully-curled and driving backwards, they're great for pulling/moving long sections of fence fabric!

-Brian

I agree an example:

 

[kbota]

I agree an example:

What's that blue thing connected to your toothbar?

k

 

[jbrumberg]

kbota:

That blue thing showed up in my driveway one day. Apparently it needed a place to stay. I use it to walk my rocks . Jay

 

[kbota]

That's funny. Nice looking rig. Excellent job explaining toothbar physics.

k

 

[jbrumberg]

Kbota:

Thanks ! Every now and then I give evidence of comprehending what all those teachers tried to explain to me (without much success ) over the years. I guess it took a while to sink in . Jay

 

[mrutkaus]

Toothbar helps carry gigantic loads of brush, dig up ground a little, dig into hillsides.

I've had to take it off for nice backdragging, easily getting loads of gravel or dirt, or moving snow.

Mike

 

[IslandTractor]

Toothbar helps carry gigantic loads of brush

Well, kinda. It does a better job than a standard bucket alone but you really need to secure the load with a chain or strap to keep brush in the bucket even with a toothbar. That means getting off the tractor each time and because brush is bulky and compressible it is a hassle to properly or quickly secure for travel. Been there done that. It's also a bit dangerous if you have any heavy brush/branches as you need to keep the bucket tilted back to hold the load but that allows the branches to roll back towards the operator if you hit a bump while traveling. Been there done that too. That is why I would never recommend just a bucket/toothbar. Adding a grapple arm fixes those problems and the combo of toothbar and grapple arm on a bucket is a very versatile, relatively inexpensive, safe and popular combo.

 

[vic4news]

I just added a toothbar last week. I'm clearing about a quarter acre of trees.
It was a lot less work to pick up stumps with the bucket. I would just hook them by the roots and haul them off.

It was also nice to be able to dig out small stumps/large roots that I missed with the backhoe. I had taken the backhoe off and had a landscape rake attached.

I imagine it will make it easier moving 4 foot sections of logs too. I feel it was
a large return for a small investment in money.

Vic

 

[john_bud]

You guys forgot to mention shmism's finding that they are good for releasing air pressure from tires. (joke!)

jb

 

[LBrown59]

A tiller works for me

 

[loulblades]

My toothbar is a Woods and it really does add alot. I definitely notice a difference when pushing the FEL into a pile of gravel, top soil or mulch (been doing alot of landscapping these past 2 years). As previously mentioned, it works great as a rake for breaking up soil and yanking roots out of the ground.

I also use it when I need to lift something quickly by hooking a chain at a couple places on the item and throw the loop over a couple teeth. The toothbar really made a difference for me.

 

[3RRL]

I use mine a lot for popping out small trees, bushes and rocks. I could not do that as well without it. I jam the teeth below the stump, into the root ball and curl the bucket.
This was before I got my bucket grapple.



Stuff pops out easily that way. Digging in hard dirt is way more efficient too. It's all about penetration, right?

 

[MFL]

I have a Markham, and all the positive remarks about TB's are true. Put mine on 2 weeks after I bought my tractor, and haven't had it off since.

I only have one gripe, and it's pretty minor. If I'm cleaning the corral, I can never get the whole pile of manure over to the compost pile. The teeth keep the cutting edge of the bucket from running flat on the ground. This leaves about a 1/2 inch layer of manure that I can't pick up without digging into the ground with the teeth.

Like I said, pretty minor, but it's those little things that tend to make me a little crazy. Still, not crazy enough to go to the trouble of removing the tooth bar!

 

[IslandTractor]

I only have one gripe, and it's pretty minor. If I'm cleaning the corral, I can never get the whole pile of manure over to the compost pile. The teeth keep the cutting edge of the bucket from running flat on the ground. This leaves about a 1/2 inch layer of manure that I can't pick up without digging into the ground with the teeth.

There is a fix for this. You could cut a slot in the toothbar retainer arms where currently there is a single bolt hole. Cut the slot starting in the existing bolt hole and moving an inch or two so you can loosen the bolt, slide the toothbar forward enough to allow it to pivot up and out of the way.

I think there are a few guys on TBN that have already made that modification. It would still take a few minutes to loosen bolts, pivot toothbar and tighten up again but it would give you your straight bucket edge back.