7308 bucket question

[Mansker]

Hello TBN members! I am the proud new owner (as of yesterday ) of a used NH TC 33D With a 7308 fel . It is my first fel, and I was wondering what the 7, 1/2" holes in the bucket or for? I am thinking of making a tooth bar for the bucket but don't want to cover anthing up that I'm not suppost to! /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[SteveInMD]

Those holes are for attaching the tooth bar to the bucket. Good luck with your project!

 

[jinman]

I believe the holes Steve is referring to are on the sides of the bucket. The ones along the cutting edge are for bolting on a cutter bar. These make your cutting edge much more heavy duty and are normally reversible. I'm attaching a picture of my loader from the bottom. You can see the hole in the side of the bucket for mounting a toothbar and I have the cutter bar bolted to my cutting edge. I also have chain-on forks. This is a 16LA bucket, but your 7308 is similar.

 

[Mansker]

Thanks Jinman !
How strong are those chain-on Forks ? And where do I get some ? I live in the woods and have to move a lot of fallen trees after big storms, those look like just what I'm looking for. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[SteveInMD]

Well that shows what I know. I have a cutter bar on mine. I figured a tooth bar was the same as a cutter bar but with teeth added. So, a tooth bar attaches to the sides of the bucket???

 

[rambler]

Technically, you can get a toothbar that will slip over the front lip of your loader & bolts simpley on to a hole on each side of the bucket - easy to take off/ on. Or you can get a tooth bar that bolts onto the many holes across the bottom - sometimes not as strong & harder to take on/off.

Those chain on fork lifts look well made but home made in the picture? There is a company in Ortonville, Minnesota that manufactures some with good stiff forks, they are on the web but I don't remember the name/ address at the moment. Would not be hard to make depending on what you want for forks. The advantage to this type is they can lift more weight without bending the bottom of your bucket as the chain holds some weight from the top. The clamp on forks might move, and put more stress on your bucket floor.

You need to figure out all the different lip combinations you will have with just the bucket edge; the bolt on edge; which bolt on teeth; and then a slip on set of forks. Everything needs the right clearance & gap to fit on. Or you are constantly having the wrong edge on for the addition you want at the time....

--->Paul

 

[Mansker]

Rambler:
How thick is the metal that the teeth are welded too, on a tooth bar? 1/4" - 5/16" Could you use the forks without taking the tooth bar off ????

 

[jinman]

Mankster, I'm in the beneficial position of having both the toothbar and the cutter bar. As Rambler mentioned, there are toothbars or individual teeth that mount to the bolt holes in along the front of the bucket, but I think you will find the type that slip over the edge and bolt to the sides are far more common. Just do a search in the "Attachments" forum for "toothbar" and you will be inundated with posts with photos of toothbars. Many people have made their own, but I spent about $300 for my toothbar. The cutting edge for my 16LA was about $190 from my NH dealer.

Now, about chain-on forks...
With the cutting edge or with a plain bucket edge the forks are a perfect fit. They have a slot that fits over either one. It fits so well, you just sit them on the edge and they stay right where you put them while you rig up your chain binder. They don't slip all the way back with the toothbar on and you have to allow for the teeth horizontally, but they still work okay. I guess if you had the bucket tilted way down, they might slip off, but if it's level, they stay put. Mine weigh about 75# each.

There are lots of benefits like easy off and on, but there are several disadvantages to this type of fork. Since they are on the bucket's lip, you just can't lift nearly the weight of your loader's capacity. Everything on the forks is about 24" in front of the bucket pivot point. My forks are 4' long and I wish they were 3-1/2' or maybe even 3'. They were really made for a larger tractor like a TN and I may shorten them one of these days.

The problem with the attachment style is the forks have no side-to-side support. If something bumps them in or out, they go that way. You have to be careful to slip them under a load with no sideways movement.

Finally, they can be dangerous. There is no vertical guard. The front of the bucket is the guard, but the two chains at a angle give a easy path for something to slide or roll back on you and/or your tractor. You need to be aware of this with any forks, but you really need to be cautious with these.

I like my forks because they are so easy to install/remove and I stand them in the corner of my barn. I bought them from my NH dealer for around $250 and then the chain binders were separate. I believe the total was about $270. If you can't find any from a local dealer, I'll PM you the name and phone number of my dealer. I think he buys them from someone in Colorado. I scraped off the label during use before I thought to check who made them. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

I'm including a photo montage that shows about every aspect of these forks. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[techinNY]

You can also get a quick attach plate like skid steer loaders use. Then you can switch between the bucket and forks with alot less effort than putting on jinman's forks. The down side to the quick attach plate and seperate forks and bucket, is first the added cost and you won't have both on at the same time.