Tooth bar for SCUT

[chelydra]

Most important accessory for a FEL, to me, is a tooth bar. Once rented a Bobcat T180 without one, but that beast had so much power and spare steel on the blade edge that no help was needed. For anything smaller, a must. Makes it possible to dig in hard ground w/o a back hoe (not that it's a direct substitute, of course) and much easier to push into piles of gravel or wood chips. Also adds effective capacity for loose materials and large objects like rocks, provides good tie points for sling loads, and adds leverage for popping roots and small stums. All for a few % of the tractor's price.

Dealer had nothing in stock when I bought the 1026R. Best price and delivery time were from Iowa Farm Equipment. Their product turned out to be by W.R. Long, and it's the best TB I've ever owned.

Would have been nice to mount the TB so just loosening the two bolts would let it be slid forward and flipped up. Handy for flat-raking loam, or scooping material off a paved surface w/o scrape damage. On my 49" FEL bucket, that would have meant drilling where a weld bead joins two different thicknesses of metal. Not going to try that with a hand drill! Instead, placed the two bolts entirely in 1/8" metal, center-drilling with a 3/8" bit and then using a 3/4" Greenlee punch. Still had to grind some washers to clear a nearby weld bead.

The two mounting tabs are made to bend outward to fit a slightly narrow bar. With the JD's thin metal, however, the bucket did most of the bending. Since W.R. Long/Iowa Farm Equipment delivered to my exact measurement, there was no need to go 3/8" undersize as I did. Still, better to be safe...

For anyone who hasn't used a TB, I recommend capping all exposed screw threads to avoid damage that could make removal hard.

A well-made tooth bar that has already proven very useful.

 

[mfreund]

Iowa Farm Equipment is near me and I have delivered to him many times. Good Guy!!

 

[astralplane]

I agree 100% that a tooth bar is a great investment from Iowa Farm Equipment. I recently purchased a tooth bar from them for my 85 inch bucket. The bucket is on my JD 5095M tractor and does a fantastic job when cleaning up brush piles. I'm thinking about buying a grapple (The Thumb). Anybody out there have any experience with a grapple mounted to a bucket?

 

[cal2620]

Chelydra W.R.Long makes a flat tooth bar so if you are back dragging there is no teeth marks and you can also it on pavement.Here is a pic of my FTB.

 

[HunterWare]

Other than the back dragging, are there other reasons (ie performance or structural) to prefer one design over the other?

 

[astralplane]

Speaking for myself, I bought the heavy duty version from Iowa Farm Equipment. It cost a little more but since it was bolted to an 85 inch bucket on a 95 horsepower tractor it was well worth the extra bucks. I don't know how I got along without it in the past. I use my bucket now to uproot small trees (4-5 inch diameter), and it works great! I highly recommend it!

 

[creekbend]

I ordered a tooth bar made by W.R.Long this past Wednesday from my Dealer. I expect delivery after the Holidays. The installation is one of my winter projects. It is for my Kubota L4400 with LA703A. It is made in NC.