BXpanded Piranha Tooth Bar and Forks Modification

[Kerton]

I have the BXpanded forks, and just got the Piranha tooth bar. As many of you know, the tooth bar has cut-outs (teeth missing) on the far left and far right where you can still use the forks when the teeth are installed. However this limits the forks' location. I want to retain the ability to slide the forks wherever I want on the bucket, while still not needing to remove the Piranha.

My solution was pretty simple. Two wood stand-offs screwed into the forks, and cut with a slight angle to fit the lip of my bucket.


This seems to work great, so far.

I also have a separate project where I installed a mount for the forks to the Quick Hitch on my 3PH.


I had a small problem you can even see there, where the hooks from the QH extended into my pallet load. So when I made the wood stand-offs, they were designed to pull double duty front and rear. Here they are standing off of my QH so that the forks clear the lower hooks and can access the pallet load freely:


For those of you interested, here's the project where I modded the Quick Hitch to be forklift, trailer ball, tow hook, 2" receiver, etc.
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/.../312686-quick-hitch-conversion-fork-lift.html

All in all, a great way to get more out of your BXpanded forks, and to not let the Piranha reduce their usefulness.


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For more, on the install of a Rear Hydraulic Kit and a hydraulic top link, see this thread:
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/k...ml#post3776207
Lots of good info there by lots of folks who have done this.

My specific hydraulic top link instructions are here:
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/k...ml#post3789064

 

[Cherokee140]

I don't have a need for the forks as of now, so I don't have a dog in this hunt, but so far I have gotten two things from BXpanded the PTB and the pressure checker. I ordered the tooth bar on a Tuesday and had it on Friday. I live in the Kansas City area. And I ordered it mid morning. Wow what great shipping. And as far as the products go, A+ Sure I could have put together the pressure checking kit myself, but my time has value as well and 1 click and it was here and does just what I want it to do. I am thinking of putting it in line all the time so I can see it.

That PTB also turns your BX into a digging machine...wow buckets over full of dirt dug out of the hard Missouri clay. FANTASTIC PRODUCT. I am going to be ordering the hooks pretty soon....I have already bent the top of the bucket picking stuff up....that really ticked me off.

 

[Kerton]

Yeah. I'm with you Cherokee. The BXpanded stuff is great, and they are a standout in a tractor supply industry with generally terrible customer service. Most Kubota dealers and other tractor parts dealers I have worked with since buying a BX early this year have surprised me with their 1980's business processes, their lack of responsiveness, their high prices, their slow delivery, and their high shipping charges.

BXpanded was pricey, sure, but was great to deal with, and sells superior products that would cost me more (mostly time) to make myself. The clip on hooks and forks are things I could not make if I tried -- too precise for my metal skills.

Now, I've got Harry's:
Clip on hook
Bucket forks with clips
Piranha

I haven't had a chance to use my Piranha yet, but I'm excited to hear your report. I have to put in my gravel driveway in one month, and the CA dirt is now dry and hard. I like the fact that it allows the bucket to dig in, but also to carry just a little more dirt. Between my toothy box scraper and the PTB, I hope I can win the battle.

 

[Cherokee140]

I think you will. But it takes time to learn how to use it. Sometimes I could get it just right and just skim the gravel off the garden....then othertimes it would dig in and I would get a bucket full of dirt and gravel....most of the times a mix of the two.

Gravel is expensive so I tried to save as much as I could. That was the cool thing about the tooth bar. You can take as much or as little as you want to....if you know what you are doing and I clearly don't.