Added toothbar to my GC2300

[DougM]

(( have you found any advantage with the foam fronts? ))

It adds lbs. to the bottom of the tractor....

Also I am able to run up on sharp things while doing loader work..

DougM

 

[loulblades]

Originally I had a rear mower and the dealer added the liquid to the tires for some ballast. I don't have the rear mower any longer but after seeing a root go through my tire, making it so it won't go flat again seems like a good thing. So I don't really need the extra weight (actually I would prefer having more in the rear), I am of the belief that it adds some stability.

So if I would buy a new tractor there are 2 things I would invest in right off: A toothbar for the FEL and foam in the tires.

BTW: When I stopped at my dealer the other day he had just received 7 new 2300s. One of the other things I noticed they changed is bringing the exhaust out the side. Fixing one of the complaints I have about this thing (getting my FEL all black). I may have to see what he would give me on trade. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[davesisk]

Another satisfied Markham Welding toothbar owner here! /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

After you folks advice, I ordered one yesterday and it came today. Just drilled and bolted it on. Took the tractor around to the side of the house where we're going to re-landscape. There's tons of roots that I knew I needed to rip out.

This tooth bar is awesome...that's all I can say. What a huge difference a toothbar makes. I've used light equipment (like my previous Power-trac) without a tooth bar on the bucket, and heavy equipment (like 5800 Bobcat) with a tooth bar. All this time, I thought the difference in digging performance was the weight and hp of the machine... /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif I was able to push into the ground a little (just a little...the natural gas line is only about 1' deep!), curl the bucket up, drive forward a little, maybe raise the loader a little. Wow! Took a few iterations, but I've got a very successful first pass done...and in only about 20 minutes. I had tried digging against some roots in the back before this toothbar, and even with it's 50+% weight increase over the Power-trac, it still wouldn't do much damage. I'll say it again...this tooth bar is awesome!

As I was doing this, it hit me...this MF 1220 is a REAL tractor. Not that my Power-trac wasn't, but it sure seems right off that this MF 1220 is in a totally different class. It didn't even grunt during any of this, and I had the rpm's only at about 1800. I see that has more than enough hydraulic power to lift it's own rear end, although I endeavored to keep the pucker factor to an absolutely minimum since I'm new to this machine.

The old Power-trac would dig really well with the front-mount mini-hoe contraption (similar to a skid steer type hoe), but really wouldn't dig very well with the straight edge bucket, although you could work it in by using the steering to dig the edges in (it was an articulating machine), drive forward, and pull up a halfway decent bucket o' dirt. Roots would stop it dead, however. In fact, that's why I built the mini-hoe for it. I'll bet it would have done much better with the large bucket if I had put one of these toothbar's on it.

Very cool. Thanks for the suggestions folks!

Btw, there's a lot of companies (both large, medium, and small) that could learn quite a bit about customer service from the folks at Markham Welding. I would unquestionably buy from them again. Quality product at a fair price, and a customer service level that I've seldom encountered! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif Btw, did I mention that this toothbar is awesome? /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

I just hope I can find some more roots around here... /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

Dave

 

[MFChief]

I'd like to second Dave's comments. I installed a Markham toothbar on my gc2310 this weekend and am more than pleased with it's performance.
In fact, I owe having it to this thread, I mentioned earlier here that I intended to make one my next purchase, and another list member who had a brand new markham bar he wasn't using offered to sell it to me. I took him up on the offer and got it installed yesterday.

The picture shows some of the clay I have that would laugh at the bucket prior to adding the toothbar!
Terry

 

[davesisk]

Hey Terry:

Yeah, what a worthwhile purchase, eh?

I notice that you simply put the two square steel plates they include on the outside of the bucket...kinda like big washers! I'm thinking these are designed to be welded to the bucket to reduce wear where the bolts are. Any idea if this is intended to go on the outside or inside of the bucket when welded on? It almost looks like there's room for mine on the inside of the bucket. I suppose it probably doesn't matter too much...I'd imagine the idea is to prevent the bolt from making the bolt hole in the thinner bucket sidewall wear to a larger size...the forces on the hold would generally be parallel to the bucket sidewall.

Dave

 

[MFChief]

Hi Dave,

My toothbar came with two of the 1/2" thick plates like the one you see in the picture, and also two smaller plates that are about 3/16" thick. I put one of those inside to fill the slight gap between the arm of the toothbar and the bucket. There was not room for both unless I tried to bent the arms, and I just didn't think it was necessary. The idea of welding the plates to the outside was suggested to me by another list member and I believe it's a good way to go and plan to do that when I pull the bar off. I will probably also experiment with the thinner inside spacers to make it equal on each side of the bar, but I just had to get the thing bolted on and give it a try this weekend. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
Terry

 

[loulblades]

Look's like we have a heck of thread going in support of toothbars.

I worked most of the weekend tearing out roots, moving topsoil and mulch and grading. What a blast I had. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

I believe that the toothbar also makes it easier to dive into a pile of topsoil or mulch and get a full bucket. Now I have got to put some weight in the rear to keep it on the ground. I kept my rear blade on the whole time (Once I tore up the roots and ran the toothbar through the clay to soften it, I would grade it off with the rear blade) but it still didn't provide enough weight. I looked at buying weights but they seemed a bit pricey. So now I am in the process of gathering up parts, a rod and piece of steel pipe. I will fill the pipe with concrete and have the rod running through it to connect to the 3pt. Or maybe I'll just strap a couple 12" block to the rear blade.

Although I got a bit of sunburn this weekend, was enjoying myself too much to realize it, I had in a great time. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif