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.

 

[jeff9366]

I have a heavy rollover Box Blade and a Ratchet Rake.

For removing brush the Ratchet Rake is far superior to the Box Blade.

Ratchet Rake can pull vines out of trees, an important function where I live. See Photo #2.
Some vines (10%) break due to Ratchet Rake/tractor force, rather than slip from the trees. Without roots residual vines die and fall out of trees in a year or two.

Ratchet Rake is also good for LIGHT grading. When I have medium to heavy grading to do I mount the rollover Box Blade.

6/09/2016​

This post concerns Ratchet Rakes Vs. light Box Blades, such as the 60" Land Pride BB1260/346 pounds/69 pounds per foot.

I searched for the weight of kubota L3301 bucket but could not find a number. I presume L3301 bucket weighs approximately 240 pounds, extrapolating from other kubota specs. 68" Ratchet Rake weighs 88 pounds. Adding 240 + 88 = 328 pounds, pretty close to 346 pounds of BB1260 Box Blade.

In addition, the (operator controlled) weight of the FEL frame bears on the Ratchet Rake. Likewise, weight of the Three Point Hitch bears on the Box Blade. FEL frames weigh much more than ( 3X? 4X?) Three Point Hitch components. So, including some FEL weight, I guesstimate that ground contact pressure on Ratchet Rake and BB1260 would be at least equal, perhaps greater pressure on the Ratchet Rake.

Further in Ratchet Rake's favor you have articulation of bucket/RR combination in two planes from the operator's station and 1-1/2" serrated teeth on the Ratchet Rake.

Box Blade can be raised and lowered hydraulically from the operator's station. Box Blade angle of attack is adjustable via the Three Point Hitch Top Link, but not from the operator's station. Standard Box Blade does not have rippers, standard is a smooth cutting edge.

Ratchet Rake is capable of tearing up sod with its serrated teeth, the initial operation in much grading. The Ratchet Rake will not pull as large a load as a Box Blade but it may pull 35% of capacity of BB1260 per pass, with faster cycles. Ratchet Rake is more intuitive in operation than a Box Blade, which requires considerable experience to operate efficiently.

This is why I feel the Ratchet Rake is superior to light Box Blades for LIGHT grading.

I own both a Ratchet Rake and a Rollover Box Blade.

When I have heavy grading to do, I mount my 60"/625 pound (125 pounds per foot) Bush Hog (brand) Rollover Box Blade on the tractor's Three Point Hitch AND the Ratchet Rake on my FEL bucket.

 

[DieselBound]

I have a heavy rollover Box Blade and a Ratchet Rake.

For removing brush the Ratchet Rake is far superior to the heavy Box Blade.

Jeff, I'd think that it really depends on soils and the brush. My blackberries would laugh at a ratchet rake.:laughing:

 

[jeff9366]

I spent the first seventeen years of my life in Seattle, so I know Himalyan Blackberries.

I have never had the opportunity to use the Ratchet Rake on Himalyan Blackberries, however Ratchet Rake pulls 3" wild Labrusca grape vines from MOIST Florida soil reliably.

Four inch and larger grape vines I spray with Gordon's Brush Killer, wait a month or two, then almost always get them out with long trailing roots using chains and rear/center drawbar. My soil is sandy-loam.

T-B-N ARCHIVE: www.tractorbynet.com&client=safari&rls=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiSiImrqrHdAhUN7VMKHaobA5AQrQIoBDAKegQIAxAM&biw=1280&bih=716]Ratchet Rake remove Blackberries site:TractorByNet - Compact Tractors & Equipment Resource - Google Search[/url]

VIDEO/BLACKBERRY REMOVAL: Blackberry removal with Tractor - YouTube
Naked bucket, no Ratchet Rake.

 

[DieselBound]

I've lived here all my life (except a brief stint in the military), but only the past 8 years have I set myself toward eradication of blackberries.

Sand and clay are significantly different soils. I've got clay. Stuff pops out of sand a lot easier than it does from clay.

 

[atsah]

I have drug some pretty serious brush out of clay with my RR and a tiny GC1705 tractor, I can imagine a good sized tractor would do a lot more. Some of the things we talk about on here is not a job for a SCUT or CUT or any tractor for that matter, there are tools for every job and sometimes a bull dozer or excavator is the tool for the job..

I do a lot of initial work that is overgrown, like needing to cut it with a chainsaw overgrown, with an excavator or dozer and then maintain it with my tractor, That's really what most small tractors are designed to do, pick up were the construction equipment left off..

I can rent a D6 or a Cat 312 for $500 for the day delivered and picked up.. Makes no sense for me to wreck my tractor for $500..