BXpanded Piranha Tooth Bar~ Best method to use it....

[jkh62]

Ordered one today for my Kubota BX. My intended purpose is clearing saplings and general downed branched and brush.
I am not trying to re-invent the wheel but curios is the results are "better" running in high range with forward speed or using low range / low speed and pivoting the buckets leverage to pop stuff lose? Looks like a nice add on and looking forward to using it. I have some stacked landscaping timbers secured in the ground with rebar spikes and the Piranah bar looks perfect to have some bite to pop them up easily.

 

[KennK]

Not sure how big your saplings are, but I find my tractor's front loader doesn't have the ability to pull even relatively small saplings out of the northern Illinois clay soil without lifting the back wheel of the tractor off the ground - even with a full ballast box or rear blade.

A sub-compact tractor is not a bulldozer, and I suspect you won't be able to drive forward while ripping the saplings out of the ground. Then again, maybe where you are the soil is light enough for that to work. Here in northern Illinois, with the heavy clay soil, the saplings either bend underneath the tractor if they're small, or cause the wheels to spin if they're bigger. The Piranha tooth bar is not sharp enough to cut through them. I've mostly used mine for cutting into dry mounds of soil - not for removing saplings and brush, which for me has to be done with a brush cutter, a lopper (by hand), a reciprocating saw (cordless), or a chain saw.

Let us know how it goes for you.

 

[shooterdon]

I ordered one for the same purpose but have not received it yet. I have a larger machine and working in sandy soil so I am hoping it will do a decent job.

Came close to getting a Ratchet Rake as I think it is a better option for dealing with saplings but it needs to be removed to use the loader so that is why I decided on the Piranha Bar.

I was using a Brush Grubber. It works well but it is slow and there is constant bending to get it on and off the saplings. Another poster suggested a chain with 10 smaller choker chains attached to it to reduce the number of times needed to get on and off the tractor. A good option if only doing a couple of hundred saplings but I have two acres to clear.

 

[blkqi]

Front end loader work should never use high velocity. You should always expect to encounter immovable objects. Go slow and use your curl as you say. When that doesn't work try a chain and grab hook.

For moving slash a set of quick attach pallet forks work very well. The only thing better would be a grapple.

 

[jkh62]

Its gotta work better than a smooth edge bucket.......
Right now its so **** wet I would bury the tractor where I want to do some clearing.

 

[blkqi]

You will have plenty of time to dry out as it seems BXpanded is at least 30 days behind shipping PTBs.

 

[Teachu2]

My Piranah toothbar arrived, but I am disappointed. The bucket measures just shy of 60", so I followed their instructions and ordered one at 59.75". It arrived loose in a badly beaten box, with the drill bit missing. They refunded the cost of the drill bit. I went to mount it up Sunday, and it has nearly a 1/2" of slop between the arms and the bucket. Measured the arms, and they are 59 3/8 outside, not 59 3/4 - even though it's stamped 59.75. The company is reluctant/unwilling to correct their mistake, I am unwilling to install it as is. I guess I'll have to take some 1/4 plate and make some shims so that the arms fit the bucket - simple enough to do but really irritating on a "custom made" piece of equipment.

When Surplus Center shipped my loader joystick/valve, they cut a piece of OSB to fit the bottom of the box and zip-tied the valve to it. Accessories were bagged and taped in, and packing material added to fill the voids. Everything arrived in excellent condition. Everything Attachments took care to properly secure my grapple to ensure safe arrival. BXpanded installed the bolts on the arms, then wrapped the bolts with stretch wrap to ensure they arrived (good) and placed the toothbar loose in a cardboard box (bad). I found no evidence of any additional packing nor the drill bit. I know many here are very happy with BXpanded, but I (so far) am not a happy customer.

 

[blkqi]

My Piranah toothbar arrived, but I am disappointed. The bucket measures just shy of 60", so I followed their instructions and ordered one at 59.75". It arrived loose in a badly beaten box, with the drill bit missing. They refunded the cost of the drill bit. I went to mount it up Sunday, and it has nearly a 1/2" of slop between the arms and the bucket. Measured the arms, and they are 59 3/8 outside, not 59 3/4 - even though it's stamped 59.75. The company is reluctant/unwilling to correct their mistake, I am unwilling to install it as is. I guess I'll have to take some 1/4 plate and make some shims so that the arms fit the bucket - simple enough to do but really irritating on a "custom made" piece of equipment.

When Surplus Center shipped my loader joystick/valve, they cut a piece of OSB to fit the bottom of the box and zip-tied the valve to it. Accessories were bagged and taped in, and packing material added to fill the voids. Everything arrived in excellent condition. Everything Attachments took care to properly secure my grapple to ensure safe arrival. BXpanded installed the bolts on the arms, then wrapped the bolts with stretch wrap to ensure they arrived (good) and placed the toothbar loose in a cardboard box (bad). I found no evidence of any additional packing nor the drill bit. I know many here are very happy with BXpanded, but I (so far) am not a happy customer.

If your bucket is just shy of 60" then that is what you should have ordered. Instructions specify nearest 1/4" (round up or down).

By the way Harbor Freight has the step bit you need for $6.

 

[blkqi]

Also don't bother adding plate. Those tabs are designed to bend to fit the bucket. You have less than 5/16" on each side so that should be just fine.

 

[Ford850]

Also don't bother adding plate. Those tabs are designed to bend to fit the bucket. You have less than 5/16" on each side so that should be just fine.

This ^^
Those arms bend easily and will snug up to the sides of the bucket when you tighten the bolts.