Cheap DIY tooth bar

[jigs_n_fixtures]

eBay, search ”weld on bucket teeth”. There are listings for the weld on shanks, teeth and retaining pins as kits. Price depends on how many teeth you want, kits available have from 3 to 9 shanks and teeth. Cost is $25 to $35 per tooth, depending on the size of shanks.

 

[tallguy104]

Hmm..by the time I get them here those teeth are going to be quite pricey, so I'm now thinking I'll try and make something more like the Piranha style tooth bar, like at the beginning of this thread.
I would just order from BXpanded if I wasn't facing USD $450+ in shipping to Australia

Sadly I'm a pretty inexperienced metal worker, although I have an old stick/SMAW welder here (the kind that uses flux-coated sticks). Not sure if this is the right welder for this kind of work.

My local shop said they can cut the 3/8" flat bar with a plasma cutter to whatever shape I want (albeit fairly roughly), so I was going to do something like the Piranha shape. I then figured I could tidy up the plasma cuts with my angle grinder, and put a sharp edge on using the angle grinder too.

Then it will be a matter of cutting and welding the end brackets, and the little "clampy" brackets. I'm not sure how I am going to cut these, perhaps the local shop can do them with the plasma cutter or a chop saw or something.

So for all you experienced metal workers - will what I've just described work??

 

[ponytug]

Hmm..by the time I get them here those teeth are going to be quite pricey, so I'm now thinking I'll try and make something more like the Piranha style tooth bar, like at the beginning of this thread.
I would just order from BXpanded if I wasn't facing USD $450+ in shipping to Australia

Sadly I'm a pretty inexperienced metal worker, although I have an old stick/SMAW welder here (the kind that uses flux-coated sticks). Not sure if this is the right welder for this kind of work.

My local shop said they can cut the 3/8" flat bar with a plasma cutter to whatever shape I want (albeit fairly roughly), so I was going to do something like the Piranha shape. I then figured I could tidy up the plasma cuts with my angle grinder, and put a sharp edge on using the angle grinder too.

Then it will be a matter of cutting and welding the end brackets, and the little "clampy" brackets. I'm not sure how I am going to cut these, perhaps the local shop can do them with the plasma cutter or a chop saw or something.

So for all you experienced metal workers - will what I've just described work??

Having your local shop plasma cut a bar for you out of Hardox or Bisalloy80 would be a great way to go. I would give them the size teeth that you want, the spacing or pattern, and the angle of the cut (45, 60) for the teeth. They can cut it out for you in no time. They could even put in square bolt holes for carriage bolts (or fancier plow bolts) if you want to bolt it on. I would go for a design that you either weld on, or bolt on every 15cm or so. The end bolt design, one bolt on each end, is dependent on hooks or tabs to engage the blade, which will require more fabrication and welding, so I wouldn't recommend it, unless you think that you will be changing the blade out often. If you do go that route, have them cut them hooks for you as well. For welding the bar, and / or tabs, your stick welder will be fine. I would get the metal really clean and use a 7018 rod for its hardness. It is best used fresh out of the can.

A sixty degree angle should be fairly sharp from the plasma cutting and should stay that way. Plasma cutting will also leave a hardened layer on the bar, so I wouldn't bother with any grinding.

Beats the freight cost any day. If you get into welding more, plasma cutters have gotten pretty cheap, and make many cuts into 1-1.5cm (1/2") metal straightforward. There's a guy down your way that has a fair number of welding and plasma videos.

I C Weld, and Cutting Edge Engineering, Ltd., have some nice welding videos as well if you are looking for tips and techniques; both have bucket repair videos.

All the best,

Peter

 

[tallguy104]

Having your local shop plasma cut a bar for you out of Hardox or Bisalloy80 would be a great way to go. I would give them the size teeth that you want, the spacing or pattern, and the angle of the cut (45, 60) for the teeth. They can cut it out for you in no time. They could even put in square bolt holes for carriage bolts (or fancier plow bolts) if you want to bolt it on. I would go for a design that you either weld on, or bolt on every 15cm or so. The end bolt design, one bolt on each end, is dependent on hooks or tabs to engage the blade, which will require more fabrication and welding, so I wouldn't recommend it, unless you think that you will be changing the blade out often. If you do go that route, have them cut them hooks for you as well. For welding the bar, and / or tabs, your stick welder will be fine. I would get the metal really clean and use a 7018 rod for its hardness. It is best used fresh out of the can.

A sixty degree angle should be fairly sharp from the plasma cutting and should stay that way. Plasma cutting will also leave a hardened layer on the bar, so I wouldn't bother with any grinding.

Beats the freight cost any day. If you get into welding more, plasma cutters have gotten pretty cheap, and make many cuts into 1-1.5cm (1/2") metal straightforward. There's a guy down your way that has a fair number of welding and plasma videos.

I C Weld, and Cutting Edge Engineering, Ltd., have some nice welding videos as well if you are looking for tips and techniques; both have bucket repair videos.

All the best,

Peter

Thanks Peter for your tips!

It didn't occur to me that they might be able to cut it at an angle, so I'll definitely ask them to do that, saving me some work with the angle grinder. Just to clarify..are you saying that I should get them to cut it all at a 45 degree angle, or 60 degree?

I'll also ask them about Hardox and Bisalloy80. If they don't have any, is regular flat bar still a reasonable option? Or would you really recommend going something harder?

I like the sound of just drilling and bolting it on to save me some cutting and welding...however my bucket has an extra 1/2" or so of steel reinforcement along the lip...will this be a problem for drilling bolt holes?-

 

[ponytug]

Thanks Peter for your tips!

It didn't occur to me that they might be able to cut it at an angle, so I'll definitely ask them to do that, saving me some work with the angle grinder. Just to clarify..are you saying that I should get them to cut it all at a 45 degree angle, or 60 degree?

I'll also ask them about Hardox and Bisalloy80. If they don't have any, is regular flat bar still a reasonable option? Or would you really recommend going something harder?

I like the sound of just drilling and bolting it on to save me some cutting and welding...however my bucket has an extra 1/2" or so of steel reinforcement along the lip...will this be a problem for drilling bolt holes?-
View attachment 750917

Yes, I would have them bevel cut the tooth edge. Most CNC plasma cutters can do it no problem. For some, the cutter has to be reset to the angle.

I would recommend 60 degrees, but some bars are made flatter at 45 degrees. If you are cutting brushy weeds with it, 45 is probably better, if you are tearing into dry soil, 60 degrees will take more abuse. I'm guessing 60 is a better choice.

I would not make a cutting edge out of flat stock. It will bend easily and wear quickly. I don't think that you would be happy with it. You want something hard and strong that will take the abuse. That is why you are getting a cutting edge because the basic bucket edge doesn't cut it for your needs, right?

Generally, you bolt the new cutting edge through the old one. So, yes, bolt through the thick stuff. My advice would be to find a friend with an annular drill, buy him a few cold ones, and have an afternoon of it. Or buy yourself or rent one. Sometimes known as a magnetic drill. The bit (pun intended) that you want is an annular cutter. Typically, blades are held on with something in the range of 15-20mm (5/8"-3/4" in bananas) and while you can drill that size hole with a good hand drill and bit, it is a bit of a bore as it takes forever. The annular cutters just cut a narrow ring, like a donut, so it goes quickly and doesn't take much power.

Worst case, drop your bucket on a ute, take it to the shop, have the machine shop drill the holes for you.

I wouldn't drill any holes until I had the cutting edge to make sure the holes line up. BTDT...

All the best,

Peter