Removing Brush

[GravelRoads]

Anyone know if the rachetrake is better at removing heavy brush than the bolt on piranha toothbar? I like the idea of an edge that is bolted to the bucket rather than relying on straps.

BXpanded Piranha Toothbar

 

[jeff9366]

You cannot dig with a Ratchet Rake. However, it has two rows of dissimilar spaced teeth which are used to grip brush. The lower teeth, which are used more for tearing out brush in reverse, are relatively close together. Metal is uniformly thick, not tapered.

Ratchet Rake is great at piling brush after it has been ripped out. Fine for minor grading and leveling.

Piranha has one row of SHARP teeth. Excellent for digging, especially on 48" buckets on light tractors. On wider buckets your minimum hole is as wide as your bucket. If you want to dig, buy the Piranha.

Focus on your task. As long as the attachment stays on the bucket you are good. I have used one Ratchet Rake for seven years on two tractors (1,600 engine hours) and thus far have broken off one tooth, easily welded back on, and replaced one of the wire ropes which go under the chin of the bucket. I have cleared acres and acres of Florida jungle with my Ratchet Rake on both a 2,600 pound and 3,700 pound bare weight tractors.

MORE: https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/375397-ratchet-rake-today.html?highlight=

 

[the old grind]

IMO ratchet straps might only be a weak point when backdragging, which is often a way to break stuff. I concur with all those who recommend Ratchet Rake. It requires much less fuss than trying to angle a bucket corner under something to pop it loose. And to credit it's 'bite', only digging that way with a grapple will as easily make you realize how much more hp one has that traction.

Experience here also with Brush Grubber (original), another winner as long as what's grabbed doesn't 'slip & strip' for sliding between the 'teeth'. Brush to be removed here are buckthorn and autumn olive. Bumping any of these loose with the bucket or RR first will help keep rear wheels on the ground when trying to lift/grub with FEL.

Some elm saplings are close to the house and I just lop them short to allow a bigger 'stump' to grow and be grabbed later. Often there is a larger bump at the base/root junction that one must dig down a few inches to grab better. Roots might be long and sideways enough to rip turf when they come out.

 

[JohnBuffaloMN]

I just haven't had much luck with that first one. It typically just strips the bark and whatever meat it's attached to and slides right off the tree. I've been wanting to try the second one, but I've read reviews where the ring bends and it having a tendency to just slide off the brush also. Haven't felt like tossing the money to try it. My clumps are mostly sweet gum, poplar and privet hedge.

Yes - I've experienced both problems. Placement of the jaws is important, and I think the jaws unit might work better with a rim so it is lifting. A smaller link chain with the clevis slip hook is better than the chain grubber for most small stuff it grabs better - bigger isn't always better (both of these nuggets of wisdom gleaned from this forum btw) I haven't stretched those rings, but I've stretched a couple chain links, so I suspect that's just a numbers game.

 

[atsah]

Anyone know if the rachetrake is better at removing heavy brush than the bolt on piranha toothbar? I like the idea of an edge that is bolted to the bucket rather than relying on straps.

BXpanded Piranha Toothbar

Don't worry about the straps, there 10,000lb straps, if you ratchet them down they will no come off.. The task you outline in your opening thread requires a RR, the PTB is a good tool and you can dig with it as well but RR takes the cake in brush removal and road repair..

 

[NTG]

Yes - I've experienced both problems. Placement of the jaws is important, and I think the jaws unit might work better with a rim so it is lifting. A smaller link chain with the clevis slip hook is better than the chain grubber for most small stuff it grabs better - bigger isn't always better (both of these nuggets of wisdom gleaned from this forum btw) I haven't stretched those rings, but I've stretched a couple chain links, so I suspect that's just a numbers game.

I did just come upon an old rim that I'll be trying today, so I'll take my grubber out there and give it another shot.

 

[DieselBound]

Box blade (with rippers). My tooth bar on my B7800 is able to do a lot of damage: only once have I dislodged it, and that was by spinning a huge log using only one tooth at the edge- I had to beat the snot out of that bar to straighten it back (if bent and popped off)! I would operate with both box blade and tooth bar: with over 1,000 hrs fighting brush the B7800 I feel that I'm pretty darn good/effective at it.

 

[bcp]

I've been looking for a piece of square security chain to try, but new is too expensive and yard sales and 2nd hand stores haven't had any. I suspect it will slip less than conventional chain.

Bruce

 

[GravelRoads]

Box blade (with rippers).

I have a box with rippers but I'm trying to do as little damage as possible to the ground. How deep do you put the rippers in the soil?

 

[DieselBound]

I have a box with rippers but I'm trying to do as little damage as possible to the ground. How deep do you put the rippers in the soil?

Only as far as necessary?

If the box blade is really heavy then just dropping it down and angling the rear edge should be sufficient. The 7' box blade I run on my Kioti pretty much only requires the edge to pull stuff up: it's 1,200 lbs; I actually discovered that the rippers serve better as brakes:laughing:

I've used the box blade and rippers on the B7800 to rip up huge roots on stumps. That's how I ended up breaking one ripper- I had it dropped WAY to far down: otherwise that box blade coupled with the B7800 is unbreakable.

I'm not all that concerned about disturbing soils during any initial clearing anymore after seeing how fast things mend. In most cases it takes at most a year before you're hard-pressed to tell that anything was disrupted.