Weld on bucket teeth - advice wanted

   / Weld on bucket teeth - advice wanted #1  

TwinWillows

Gold Member
Joined
Jan 13, 2005
Messages
413
Location
WKY near Bardwell
Tractor
NH TC40DA
I have a NH TC40DA w/the 16LA loader. I'd like to see what opinions the TBN folks have about my idea to skip the tooth bar & just get some weld on shanks instead??

It'd be a fair amount cheaper & I don't think that once on I'd even remove the tooth bar...

I don't think I'll have any problem welding them on w/my 180A Miller as I can use O/A to preheat the shanks & bucket edge.
 
   / Weld on bucket teeth - advice wanted #2  
I would not do it. But that's me...
And i'm not sure the cutting edge of your bucket stand up to the added stress...

Do you ever use your bucket to backdrag to say smooth dirt or stone?
 
   / Weld on bucket teeth - advice wanted #3  
You'll do fine with them welded on. You should pre-heat to 400F both the shanks and the cutting edge. It will take longer than you expect to get it that hot. Paint will be all burnt off. Weld with 7018 rod and post heat so it cools slowly. Don't weld all the way on the bevel of the cutting edge. Just the sides and back and the bottom.

I really really don't like the top only shanks found on skid steer buckets. Much prefer the ones that wrap all the way around as the impact stress is shank to cutting edge and the welds only have to hold the shank on.

jb
 
   / Weld on bucket teeth - advice wanted #4  
I wouldn't do it...same reasons Kenny wrote.
 
   / Weld on bucket teeth - advice wanted
  • Thread Starter
#5  
Kenny/Roy: I don't hardly ever backdrag dirt. When smoothing I basically alwayws use the boxblade. Living in WKY snow just isn't hardly any consideration either....

John: I'll have to double check the shanks I was looking @ to see if they are the wrap kind.. I can see it making sense that they'd be stronger vs the top only version.
 
   / Weld on bucket teeth - advice wanted #6  
Welded on teeth that wrap around the bottom side will reduce your ability to cleanup piles of material off of hard surfaces like cement. Greg
 
   / Weld on bucket teeth - advice wanted #7  
I would go with a bolt on toothbar, a bit more $$$ but i love the abilitlty to take it off when i need to. But that is just my pereference!
 
   / Weld on bucket teeth - advice wanted #8  
My B7800 (bought used) is bucktoothed. It has one tooth welded inside the bucket in each corner. They have been more trouble than they have helped. They were useful when I was pulling out old cow fence. Often all I had to do was hook the barbed wire by a post and lift. Worked slick. But, when I plow snow from my driveway I have to be really careful of my angle. I have managed to catch the pavement a couple times.

If you are sure you will not have any uses that you wouldn't want the teeth on for then go ahead and weld them. If you think there might be times you don't want them, then bolt on. Just my opinion.
 
   / Weld on bucket teeth - advice wanted #9  
I have made several short sighted decisions in the past. Funny how situations develop that were not anticipated. You just can't predict the unpredictable.

I prefer to keep my options open. For me I can't imagine how the monetary savings could be enough to warrant losing the versatility. Again, you can't predict the unpredictable so you don't know when the fixed teeth will be a big headache.

As to back dragging with the bucket... It is somewhere between difficult and impossible to get a surface finish with a box blade that can not be improved, sometimes dramatically, by back dragging it with your FEL bucket.

I have a terrific box blade and TNT for great control, yet, when I gravel a drive or work dirt I virtually ALWAYS do some back dragging with the FEL bucket because it works so darned well.

My take on it is that a removable tooth bar will do anything weld on teeth can do PLUS you can take them off if you like which keeps your options open.

Pat
 
   / Weld on bucket teeth - advice wanted #10  
i've got to go with the crowd who advise against welding on the FEL bucket teeth.

For me it's the occasions that a pile of material needs to be moved off my garage cement pad, and unforseen similar situations. Scaping up the last of the pile just can't be done with bucket teeth keeping the edge up even a little. Maybe if the teeth were flush with the cutting edge, but I doubt it'd work very well.

Welding heat is likely to take the temper off the cutting edge steel. Who needs a soft metal cutting edge?
 
 
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