Toothed bucket vs bolt on tooth bar?

[Mtsoxfan]

I'm in the bolt on group. It's a life saver with the grapple, digging hole and digging up small trees but I do take it off in the winter. I can't tell you how many of my neighbors have my toothmark signature
on their driveways. Believe me, it doesn't take much...

lol, with my gravel driveway, I left plenty of marks clearing snow, until I bought skis...
After it's frozen up good, I take the skis off so I can keep the pack from getting too thick.

 

[jigs_n_fixtures]

Part of my consideration is that I have two tractors with a SSQA setup on both loaders. I can change buckets in a few minutes. So, converting one bucket to a toothed bucket makes perfect sense for me. And in my locality, I deal with very rocky soils continually. Toothed buckets work best in my soils.

I can buy sets of weld-on teeth, and some half inch thick strap to convert one of my buckets for less than a piranha bar.

 

[MoArk Willy]

I don't think my needs would include a bucket with permanent teeth.
I put on the Piranha to pull out small trees and back drag piles of debris.
Then take it off to pick up those piles.
2 bolts, 2 minutes.....and you can leave it lay on the ground and just drive into it....with a bit of patience and skill.
No need to lift it by hand.

 

[MarblemountLane]

My MF204 has homemade 5’ bucket (can’t curl upward as much as I like, but looks stronger than OEM bucket). I bought a tooth bar. Was backblading, grabbed a root and popped the tooth bar off, twisting the bar. Replaced the bar (which teeth bolt onto) then acknowledged that the two big setscrews on the tooth bar will never hold. Modified my install with 5 bolts. I tend to pull the tooth bar in winter, put it on in summer. My home place is incredibly rocky, the other place with woodlot is old river bar combined with clay and sand.

Teeth help me dig, and when I have tongs on both bucket corners and am lifting logs, they help hold the logs. If I had a modern tractor with quick change, I’d probably have a toothed digging bucket and a larger toothless “snow bucket.” I’m 71 and can still manage he tooth bar alright, but a quick change would be easier.

 

[GWagon]

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Well, there’s the up-front cost… roughly $550-$600 difference delivered… I’d rather leave that point out of the conversation for now…

There are times when I need to dig small, rather shallow holes… other operations require a smooth edge bucket… so I need teeth… and I don’t need teeth…

Then there’s the age factor… I’m not getting much younger as of late so I’m wanting to make things easier now and for the future… not that bolting and un-bolting a Piranha is necessarily difficult… two levers on the QA is easier and I always have the tools I need (hands!) with me… that, and I don’t have to lift a tooth bar to reattach (no idea how much a 66” Piranha bar weighs)

Maybe you’ve guessed by now, but I’m looking for reasons not to buy a toothed bucket…

Just don’t try too hard to talk me outta this, eh?

I like my toothbar. It is usually off. Very easy to remove but 50 lbs to lift when installing, only one bolt per side. My buddy borrows it about twice a year. I wouldn't want the extra expense of another bucket but I'm limited on space also.

 

[Williy]

I didn't have any trouble installing my prianha tooth bar
and I was 84 at the time.
.
willy

 

[5030]

The primary reason why I went with an ATI removable tooth bar was the ease of replacing individual teeth. Each tooth is retained to the bar itself with a roll pin do you can drive the pin out and replace a tooth or all of them if necessary, easily plus I can change from hardened teeth to specialty teeth if I want to but the best part at least for me is. the ATI tooth bars are made right here in America, New Holland Pennsylvania to be exact. That and the fact that they fit all my buckets and I have 3 different ones. Even on my big Kubota tractors, I have no issue with it and I have a gob of tractive digging and pushing power.

Far as cost today, they are like everything else, they cost more than years ago because the price of materials has increased exponentially, I know all too well as I buy raw steel shapes and sheet for my shop and I've taken at least 10 price increases in the past 2 years.

How it plays in an inflationary economy.

 

[Riverside Rudy]

I took a piece of composite decking, recessed holes for carriage bolts on the underside and have plates that fit on the top of the tooth bar with the nuts.


I even beveled the edge. This allows me to use it for snow and scraping on the driveway without damage to the drive. I have been using that same piece of decking for years and it has held up amazingly well. Takes a few minutes to install. Most winters I just install it and leave it on for the season.

I took a piece of composite decking, recessed holes for carriage bolts on the underside and have plates that fit on the top of the tooth bar with the nuts.


I even beveled the edge. This allows me to use it for snow and scraping on the driveway without damage to the drive. I have been using that same piece of decking for years and it has held up amazingly well. Takes a few minutes to install. Most winters I just install it and leave it on for the season.

2manyrocks, sometime when your at your tractor and have your phone, could you take a picture of what you've put together with the composite decking.. I'm intrigued but not exactly following what you've done.

 

[mike69440]

$1,000 Later. My original toothbar lasted about 18 Years, +2,000 Hrs., before I broke it moving these boulders in photo. I bought an extra cutting edge when I installed the first set of teeth and adapters way back when. I shudder to think what Kubota gets for them now. The teeth never failed, it was the cutting edge that wore & cracked. I spent the extra money to buy genuine ESCO teeth and adapters. They are not cheap, over $400 for the little set.

ESCO® Construction Tooth Systems | Weir

Ultralok® tooth system is the leader in the earthmoving industry. The cost-efficient, low profile tooth system performs in a full range of machine applications

www.global.weir

These are way better than CAT teeth, etc. however.

 

[S854]

I retired a little over a year ago from a construction company here in Montana (I drove a concrete truck)... I stopped by the shop the other day just to say hi and pick their brains on this subject, they're the ones who have to repair the things us "grunts" tear up... their unanimous choice, all other things being equal, would be to go with a toothed bucket as it is designed from the git-go to handle the loads placed on it... that, and as I've previously stated, we have some rather challenging soils here... BTW...I don't plan on moving rocks as large as the ones Mike does...

The only thing not being equal is the added cost of a new bucket vs a new tooth bar... I guess that's an individual decision we each have to make...