3-Point Hitch Ripper Claw Suggestions?

[Samwise]

Being property owners we all have these - piles of stuff be it rocks or pipe or whatever. Whoever put it there at some point we may want to clean it up. I don't want to do this by hand at my age with a pick and bar. The BX is pretty small though and experience with gravity weight alone on the box blade has not been too impressive. I am looking for ideas for something to attach to the 3-point that will tear piles of stuff like this up so we can get the mess cleaned up. Anyone sell a single ripper claw attachment for a BX?

 

[Tomtint]

I think that if you have the QA front bucket, you could get a skeleton bucket and have that cleaned up fairly quick. I have on for my tractor and like it. All the big stuff goes in the bucket dirt falls out.

 

[old and tired]

Couple of thoughts, Box blade with just one or two of their rippers installed. Or forget the 3 point hitch and put a tooth bar on the FEL. What's your definition of "mess cleaned up"? Is it to just spread the rocks out in the same location or move the rocks to an out of sight location?

Bucket Tooth Bar, Clamp On for Sub-Compact Tractor

Not sure a subsoiler (single rear tine for 3 pth) would fit a BX...

 

[Jchonline]

Check out BXpanded.

 

[Samwise]

I have a tooth bar. Both that and the rippers on the box blade are simply not heavy enough - not enough down force or front force with this size tractor. This was just an example pile. Want i want to with it is consolidate into one mountain instead of a ridge to get access on one side. But I have several piles of buried junk around - fence posts, pipe, old gutter ,etc, half buried in the ground and trying to find a way that the small BX can help out.

 

[Samwise]

There are no claws for the 3-point for the 2370 on BXpanded (have their tooth bar and skid plate already though; tool box looks good). I see ripper claws for the backhoe . . .

OK looks like two box blade claws is what we have to work with - no readily available single claw. Single claw will be lighter than the box blade anyway. Perhaps a larger claw attached to the box blade is what I need. I'll think about that one. thanks guys.

 

[Henro]

How about a sub subsoiler? Following link should show a picture of one...(Hopefully)

https://media.tractorsupply.com/is/image/TractorSupplyCompany/2128333?$456$

 

[Jchonline]

There are no claws for the 3-point for the 2370 on BXpanded (have their tooth bar and skid plate already though; tool box looks good). I see ripper claws for the backhoe . . .

OK looks like two box blade claws is what we have to work with - no readily available single claw. Single claw will be lighter than the box blade anyway. Perhaps a larger claw attached to the box blade is what I need. I'll think about that one. thanks guys.

Sorry thought you meant on a BH. Have you checked on a middlebuster? I know your machine is really light...so that makes it really hard to engage the ground.

You arent going to be able to drive over these based on your description, so that kinda eliminates the 3 PT right?

 

[jonsstihl]

Sounds like it is time for a bigger tractor :laughing:

seriously though a grapple probably makes the most sense since you don't really want to be driving over all that junk to rip it out with the 3pt

 

[old and tired]

I have a tooth bar. Both that and the rippers on the box blade are simply not heavy enough - not enough down force or front force with this size tractor...

So have you tried a *single* ripper on the box blade? Next, I would start adding weight to the tractor. Granted, I have never used a smaller tractor so I don't know what they are capable of doing...

My (somewhat light) tractor was helped a lot by adding weight to it. Loaded tires for starters. To get better traction, I have a 55 gallon drum as a counter weight filled with concrete.

For my implements to work better, I've chained 3x, 75 pound weights on my rear blade, they just kind of hang on it. I've stacked a "Yard Tool" (250# soil pulverizer) on top of my disk to bite into the ground more. For my box blade, I have 2x, "Toolbars" strapped to it (toolbar is 2.5" solid steel bars you attached other things too). They are very heavy and helps the box cut tremendously.

In your case, I would try the tooth bar but use as much counter weight on the 3 point hitch, all that it could pick up. I would also try adding "suitcase weights" to the sides of your front bucket (possibly inside and out on both side). These are just some random thoughts of mine....

 

[Samwise]

To answer some of the above - no I can't drive over the entire pile. but I can back up to it and engage with the box blade. I think what I'll try is a fabricated double claw I can bolt on to the box that is longer than the stock rippers. Even though i have to pay for some welding it'll cost less than a new implement and I can utilize the box blade weight - which I may add too somehow. it simply is length of claw and weight. thanks for the ideas. Yes a bigger tractor would help - but my gates and house yard obstacle sizes preclude that.

 

[Code54]

Maybe rent a mini X for the weekend and cleanup all your piles. Would make QUICK work of something like that and can use the BX to haul everything off after tearing it out with a Mini...

 

[check]

How about something like this from Bro-Tek?

 

[Gee Ray]

Small tractor requires a little out of the box thinking. Making the rip teeth on the box blade is a great idea along with the extra weight added. Also how you approach the pile is important. You can not approach the pile straight on. Instead cut to the pile with one corner of the bucket. Then back up and use the other corner. Empty and repeat after ripping into the pile with the box blade. The tractor is to light just to plow into the straight ahead. Might have to back into the pile at an angle with the box blade and then at a different angle to form a ridge that you could scoop.

 

[jmc]

I don't think those box blade replacement scarfiers are expensive. Buy two, cut the shank off one and butt weld it to the shank on the intact one to extend the length.

For deep digging on mine, I tilt the box way forward so the scarfiers stick down more. With a custom scarfier,
you could butt weld it at an angle so it's more vertical when the box is tilted.

 

[rScotty]

I think that if you have the QA front bucket, you could get a skeleton bucket and have that cleaned up fairly quick. I have on for my tractor and like it. All the big stuff goes in the bucket dirt falls out.

We had a flood that left huge piles of rock where dirt used to be. A rock bucket is what I used. I tried several before I found one that worked well. The skeleton or "rock bucket" has long tines that slide easily into the rock pile. Then you lift and toss the bucket to leave the dirt behind.

Contrary to what you may think, you don't want to get too wide of a bucket and must learn to take small bites with the tip of the bucket and and then tilt it up to allow the dirt to fall through the tines more easily as the rocks roll back in the bucket. With skeleton rock buckets, going slower with small bites is actually the fastest way to get a bucket full of sorted rocks. It's a case of slower being faster.

I ended up with several of those QA skeleton front buckets. Here's a picture of my favorite one. The longish rounded tines and that hump towards the front of the tines are both important features. Open Spacing between the tines is about 2.5 inches.
rScotty

 

[Egon]

The ripper idea would work fine with a larger tractor. With the BX using the bucket will work best. Just takes time. You have to start by digging underneath the junk and just keep working forward a bit at a time.