Ratchet Rake OR Piranha Tooth Bar?

[jeff9366]

I recently sold my Kubtoa B3300SU Tractor/Loader package, with its 52" Ratchet Rake as part of the deal. I had 400 hours on the B3300SU and the Ratchet Rake was on/off during this period.

I soon take delivery on a Kubota L3560 with optional LA805 FEL and optional L2296 72" Heavy Duty Round Back Bucket with SSQA. The L3560 is the smallest Kubota Grand L, only one increment larger than the B3300SU, but a much heavier framed Tractor/Loader.

My focus task remains tearing out brush, saplings, small trees and Multiflora rose and Rotundfolia grape vines running up large Oaks with roots spreading under the ground. FLORIDA JUNGLE!

The Ratchet Rake worked very well at these tasks, in addition it raked resulting debris into piles efficiently, much better at piling than my Landscape Rake.

I am considering a Piranha for two reasons:
1. I like to experiment with new attachments.
2. Because of the downward oriented, short tooth row on the Ratchet Rake, Ratchet Rake has to be removed to clamp-on Debris Forks to the bucket. It would be efficient to clamp-on (Payne's) Debris Forks (which I own) over the Piranha on occasion.

I am not considering a conventional Tooth Bar for the Bucket, as digging is NOT my primary task. I have a Bucket Solutions' Bucket Spade for digging. It should be the berries attached on the L2296 Heavy Duty Bucket.

Soil is rock free, sandy loam.

Can anyone compare use of a RATCHET RAKE, relative to a PIRANHA TOOTH BAR, for clearing Jungle AND PILING THE RESULTING DEBRIS?

Has anyone used a Piranha Tooth Bar to remove Palmettos?

(There is nothing relevant in the T-B-N archive.)

Experience?

 

[oldballs]

I don't think that one can "clamp-on" another attachment over the Piranha tooth bar that's mounted to the FEL. And even if you could get something over the tooth bar, it probably wouldn't work very well. :2cents: But there are just two bolts holding it on/off, so the change over would be easy. And my Piranha works great in my soil/gravel/sod/bushy work. It back drags nicely also. Cheers, Mike

 

[jeff9366]

I don't think that one can "clamp-on" another attachment over the Piranha tooth bar that's mounted to the FEL. And even if you could get something over the tooth bar, it probably wouldn't work very well. :2cents: But there are just two bolts holding it on/off, so the change over would be easy. And my Piranha works great in my soil/gravel/sod/bushy work. It back drags nicely also. Cheers, Mike

What about raking/consolidating vegetation into piles after you tear it out?

 

[oldballs]

Since I never had a Ratchet-Rake, I couldn't say. But looking at the advertising designs, it might work a bit better than the Piranha bar. For the vegetative piles that I've had, I used a hand rake and pitch fork to a small trailer. Then I bought a Pine-Needle rake that works better than hand raking. But I still had to pitch it into a trailer for hauling off. If there is a lot, I just push it all into a pile or several piles with my Case tractor front blade and burn it in place. You see, I just a One-Man plantation.

 

[bcp]

I don't think that one can "clamp-on" another attachment over the Piranha tooth bar that's mounted to the FEL.

Their forks work with it, and could be converted to brush forks.

http://bxpanded.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=4

Forks:
Forks on Piranha Tooth Bar

BXpanded Piranha Tooth Bar

Bruce

 

[jinmared]

How does the edge of the bar fit onto the lip of the loader bucket? Can you post a photo of the bar before you mounted it on the bucket?

Thank you

 

[Rocko]

The Piranha looks like this....

 

[jeff9366]

The Piranha looks like this....

One picture is worth ten-thousand words. Picture answers several questions for me. Thank you.

 

[kennyd]

Jeff, congrats on the new tractor! :thumbsup:

Is there a thread with pics I missed?:confused3:

 

[atulin]

I love my Piranha

 

[ArmyPair2]

I was always been interested in the Piranha but from some of the photo's I have seen do you have to drill holes on your FEL to mount it? For myself I do have the 72" Ratchet Rake but always hear good stories of the Piranha. Homemade videos would be nice to see what it can do working the land.

 

[PhysAssist]

With all due respect, while I do not clamp on any attachments, I do chain my forks on my bucket over the PTB, and I think that Jeff could figure out how to use his debris forks over it. (BTW, Jeff those are awesome, would you mind sharing what you paid for them?)

I haven't worked with palmetto, but have used my PTB rake out grapevines, carolina creeper and assorted under brush, and then pile it up to be lifted with my forks onto our burnpile, and the PTB worked well for this.

Thomas

I don't think that one can "clamp-on" another attachment over the Piranha tooth bar that's mounted to the FEL. And even if you could get something over the tooth bar, it probably wouldn't work very well. :2cents: But there are just two bolts holding it on/off, so the change over would be easy. And my Piranha works great in my soil/gravel/sod/bushy work. It back drags nicely also. Cheers, Mike

 

[PhysAssist]

You have to drill one, I think 1/2" hole on each end of your bucket's sidewall. See the pictures BCP posted for placement.

I was always been interested in the Piranha but from some of the photo's I have seen do you have to drill holes on your FEL to mount it? For myself I do have the 72" Ratchet Rake but always hear good stories of the Piranha. Homemade videos would be nice to see what it can do working the land.

 

[jeff9366]

Those Debris Forks are awesome, would you mind sharing what you paid for them?

$800. Mine are 52" aluminum, 2,000 pounds capacity. Steel is less.

Payne's Forks: ALDF52

 

[PhysAssist]

Ouch, that's a lotta scratch, but I bet that you're really glad to have them.

Thanks

$800. Mine are 52" aluminum, 2,000 pounds capacity. Steel is less.

Payne's Forks: ALDF52

 

[jeff9366]

Debris Forks have had way more than $800 use.

 

[murphy1244]

Jeff, congrats on the new tractor! :thumbsup:

Is there a thread with pics I missed?:confused3:

Me too. Jeff, is it here yet?

 

[PapaPerk]

Ratchet Rake and QA pallet forks. Rip up the veg and drag to pile. Then take bucket/rake off (20 sec) and put on forks. Then move bush pile. Skid steer quick attach is an awesome feature.

Good luck

 

[jeff9366]

Me too. Jeff, is it here yet?

Soon.

According to my research the prior model, L3540, had a FOLDED ROPS height of 77-1/2".

To my surprise, and Suwannee River Kubota's surprise, the new L3560 has a FOLDED ROPS height of 82".

The max height of my garage door entry is 80". (Tractor and RTV500 go inside, cars outside.)

So my new L3560 is heading to well equipped local welding shop to have 3-1/2" sawed off the lower ROPS and the pivot brackets remounted to give FOLDED ROPS height of 78-1/2". At least that is The Plan.

The welding shop wants the Kubota there first thing one morning, so the work can be done in one day and the tractor not remain on the premise overnight.

The welding shop was closed for MLK Holiday yesterday. I will see welding shop at 8:00 AM this morning to arrange what day they will do the work.

After the ROPS sectioning it will return to Kubota to have ROPS mods painted in factory bronze/black paint and then I should get it.

I will mount new Ken's Bolt-On 5/16" Chain Grab Hooks on the bucket myself.

L3560 is larger than the L3540 to the eye. Impression may be due to (L2296) 72" Heavy Duty Round Back Bucket, with SSQA, on the LA805 FEL, it may be larger R4 tires on bigger rims. I will be doing some measuring……..

 

[davehowell]

We have both the Piranha Tooth Bar and a Ratchet Rake on a B7800 with a backhoe. We have not used either to tear our brush, (which we did on a steep hillside with herbicide, a hand held brush cutter, and ultimately with goats). This hillside was too steep to use a tractor. We used the the Ratchet Rake as a landscape rake to produce a finish grade and seedbed. For this, it did a good job. The Piranha TB is was bought as a bucket lip stiffener, and general bucket work. As my son said, "When you aim the bucket at a pile of soil/gravel/mulch/manure, you get half a bucket, when you aim the Piranha equipped bucket, you get a full bucket".

We discovered that the tooth bar does most of the tasks of the Ratchet Rake. You can float the bucket and back drag for leveling and seed beds. It does not do nearly as good a job of leveling or seedbed prep, but is handy because it is always on the tractor. We leave the Piranha bar on the bucket year round, even to plow snow. It is handy to scratch through compacted snow ice to get to the asphalt.

We can attach the Rachet Rake, and clamp on pallet forks (used to haul brush) over the Piranha bar. This was a pleasant discovery. Both the Ratchet Rakes and Pirnanha bar are excellent attachments. If I had to have one, it would probably be the Piranha bar unless I was doing more seedbed work. Maybe useful, Dave