Help me pick a toothbar!

[deezler]

Hi everyone,

Hopefully some of you can help me select a tooth-bar for my tractor's loader bucket. The tractor is a Cub Cadet 7305. 30HP, 4WD, solid little tractor made my Mitsubishi.

Last year I found a discounted ratchet rake from tractor supply, and it has been great for clearing brush. But it completely prevents you form being able to dig (or even scoop) dirt!

I have a new project this year - cutting in a proper driveway and doing the basic (limited) excavation for our new home. It will be a small, single-story ranch with no basement, so I am just cutting a flat into a gentle slope - no basement digging or anything crazy like that. Our soil here is nice and light/sandy, with almost no rocks whatsoever. So I am confident that with time and persistence, my little tractor can get the job done and save me some major excavation costs.


My main criteria for selecting a tooth bar:
1. Cost. I am broke. Need to keep this under $400 shipped.
2. Functionality. I'd like it to be easy on/off, and perhaps even allow a set of chain-on pallet forks to fit over it. And of course top priority is for it to be a dirt ripping animal.


Options I have found at this point:
1. The BXpanded piranha: BXpanded Piranha Tooth Bar. They will make a custom 60.5" bar for my bucket for $328 shipped.
2. Ebay stuff - lots of options. ebay1, ebay2
3. Everything Attachments, wrlong, etc. These all seem too expensive though.


I like the looks of ebay1 option. However this standard tooth-bar design type is clearly suited only for digging, and wouldn't be much good for anything else. The BXpanded piranha looks pretty wild, has great user reviews, and could be left on the bucket for doing other stuff, like clearing brush, etc. But will it be as good at digging?

So. Who here has bought and fit a tooth-bar to their CUT's loader bucket? How crazy was the transformation in ultimate digging power? I know my tractor is no bulldozer, but given care and good technique, it should be ok, right? I have a box blade with rippers already, so I would use that to break up the ground first, too. Has anyone used both the Piranha and a standard type tooth bar?

Thanks a lot for any advice! And here are some pics to keep things interesting.


The new tooth bar will be going on this beast:


Here's a shot without the ratchet-rake mounted:


Here is the homesite looking north (from the bottom of the small hill). The trees are down, but I do need to get the stumps out yet.


And the view looking south from the top of the hill

[dex3361]

I have had the Iowa Farm tools tooth bar for about 4 years and it has been flawless. I highly recommended this one.

[jerrybob]

I just put a Piranha tooth bar on my Yanmar 186D yesterday. Well made....easy to install....looks mean! Custom made for my bucket....less than $300 w/shipping across the country. Harry was a pleasure to deal with. Haven't worked it hard yet but I am sure it will do all the clearing and digging I need. God luck however you go.

[troutsqueezer]

My approach was to head on down to the local Kubota dealer and peruse their equipment/implement yard. Stuck in the corner was a tooth bar, probably been there for a few years. I could see it was too short for my bucket but I figured all things considered, it wouldn't make a twit of difference. Asked them how much and they said $200 just to get rid of it. In fact, they said take it home, try it out, if it didn't work then bring it back. Didn't even ask for my name, just let me take it based purely on trust. That's a good dealership for ya (Gold Country Tractors, Auburn, CA.)

I bought some long bolts and cut off some pieces of thick pipe for spacers and the thing works like a charm. And yes, it makes a huge difference when digging, especially when encountering rocks. I've been creating flat spaces on my sloped 10 acres for some time now, working my way down the hill, tier after tier. I never take if off, no reason to. For smooth back dragging I use the heel of the bucket. The extra nuts are to protect the threads in case I do want to take it off.

[paulemar]

I have a piranha toothbar on my BX25 and am extremely happy with it. It is thick and fits under the bucket lip in addition to sticking out front. I have given it a pretty good workout both digging and ripping out hundreds of mostly 2" saplings. It has not dented, chipped or bent. It is still sharp too. It has a couple of indentations that are ready to accept the Quick-On forks from the same maker as the toothbar. I was originally hesitant about trying a new product ( not even listed on their web page yet) but it looked like it was what I needed. I have not been disappointed in he least!

[creekbend]

Hopefully this will help. I have one. W.R.Long the 4N1 Bucket People

[texasjohn]

I agree with the "look around and see what you can find locally" idea. I visited a JD dealer, since closed, and they had numerous toothbars leaning against an outside wall.
I found one about 1 inch too short for my bucket and also just put it on with a few extra washers and big bolts. Nothing magic about brand regarding toothbars...look at it in person, save shipping costs. If it will fit and looks solid, you may be able to negotiate a good price or even a "try it" deal.

For what I do, it is a great advantage, gives much better digging capability, increases carrying capacity, allows carry of odd shaped items using chains..all in all about doubles the value of the FEL bucket usability.

[deezler]

Thanks everyone! Really appreciate it.

Think I may just call some local dealers tomorrow to inquire if they have any old tooth bars just laying around. I do love me some haggling for bargains.....

[Missouri Pioneer]

Lots of folks on this forum seemed to like Long tooth bars. I checked them out and had a custom one made to fit my FEL for $363, delivered. Just received it the other day, have not as yet mounted it.

[bcp]

Thanks everyone! Really appreciate it.

Think I may just call some local dealers tomorrow to inquire if they have any old tooth bars just laying around. I do love me some haggling for bargains.....

Worked for me. I found one about 2 inches too long, that they had sitting for several years. Had it cut and welded.

Bruce