John Deere 450B Teeth

[DJ54]

We used Tiger teeth on our hoes for a couple of jobs where we were into hard sandrock. Worked great, wore fast. No more than you will be digging though, it shouldn't be a problem.

I am curious as to what you will be doing with the material removed. If it's a bank that is close to the original surface, and the softer brown shale, it should break pretty easy. The problem I see would it may come out pretty slabby. If you're trucking it away, could be rough on a truck bed. If used for fill, it would be tough to get good compaction. Using a larger tractor( D-6 size or larger), it's usually not that big of a deal. Crawl one track up on a chunk, and clamp a brake, or power turn on it, usually crumbles it. On something the size of a 450, it will just bust your kidney's...

We always ripped shale down across the face, from the top, unless using a hoe ( my preferred method ) . But that depends on what you want the end product to look like. Sheer wall at the back, or slope. The steeper the angle of attack, the finer the material will be. Although it seems you always break out hard slabby layer in there somewhere. Just takes a bit to get a ramp built to come down off of..., and that, if a sheer bank already, will come off slabby. Cutting down across the face of the material gives you more breakout force, Your using the power, plus the weight of the machine.

Again that was with a dozer with aggressive corner bits, and you can rip with the corner of the blade, if you hit a tough spot, and kep your cut halfway level. Different story with a track loader...

Just my 2 cents worth...

[RedNeckRacin]

Thats excellent info! I was not going to truck the material. I have a big low spot with a spring in the bottom that I'm planning on putting in my drainagine and filling in. I am also on the side of a hill so dumping material out over the bank eats up material quickly. I was also going to use the crawler to do the heavy digging and the tractor to shuttle the material away. Tedious I know, but its what I have to work with. I was on the fence about whether to attack the bank at the top or the bottom and I may end up trying both ways. The only hiccup is I know there is a gas line (4" plastic, dont ask how i know) that runs approximately along the proposed top of the bank. SO that may dictate exactly how far back and the shape of the bank.

[DJ54]

That'd be sweet if you had another operator for the shuttle. One could cut the material, and pile it up some. Nice to have something to crowd into when doing that. Since I've been on boths sides of the pile, it's nice if you push on over the top some, keeping some semi-loose material, making it easier for the shuttle loader person to load. Especially with something smaller.

If cutting down across the face, I'm seeing it saving a lot of turning, to place it out of your way. But what ever works best for you.

And..., always look behind you when backing up, for a couple of reasons. One is obvious... The other is a broken out slab leaves a sheer shelf to jar your kidney's on, and those pesky chunks that may fall back down into the path of a track... As you mentioned... Don't ask me how I know..., LOL...

[RedNeckRacin]

Good tips, thanks dj,, I do have a potential operator (the other half) but I dont know if she is up to it yet, she does pretty well with a hst tractor, but the clutch gives her some trouble yet, so i think she is a ways off from digging out of a pile and not killing a machine. Im not in a real big hurry to burn up a few gallons of diesel, but im already hot on the trail of those tiger teeth. I think they will make a dramatic digging improvement in the shale. Ill have to take some pictures once i finally get started. It sure would be nice if i could bring one of the 315's or 320 cats home that have been sitting most of the winter.

[DJ54]

That's as good a place to learn as any. And seat time is the only way to learn. Just have to learn not to keep hogging out of the same spot, and work the points off the pile. Loads a lot easier, and keeps the work area clean. a lot of it is in the timing too... One not having to wait on the other, although the machine doing the cutting always had the right of way, so to speak...

Don't forget to take some pictures..!!

[RedNeckRacin]

ha i guess thats how i learned, just by doing it, although i spent ALOT of time sitting on the tool box of a 580C backhoe watching everything that was being done before i tried my hand at it. I leanred to drive a stick shift before i hoped in the hoe so maybe that helped out some? I'm sure its going to be a monstrous project for the equipment that i have, but except for winning the lottery im gonna have to do what i can! The tiger teeth shoudl be in monday or tuesday I only ordered one because i wanted to make sure they were the right ones at $30 something a peice!