Forks toothbar vs. bucket forks ... or not?!

   / toothbar vs. bucket forks ... or not?! #1  

woodya

New member
Joined
May 7, 2004
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5
I would like to get a toothbar for my CUT, and I would also like to get some forks. I'm concerned that the toothbar will interfere with the bucket forks and that I won't be able to use them both. Has anyone on the forum had any experience with toothbars and bucket forks on the same tractor?
 
   / toothbar vs. bucket forks ... or not?! #2  
This really depends on which tooth bar you get and which forks you get. There are so many different combinations out there you won't know until you decide. For example, if you get a bolt on tooth bar, you can remove it when you want to use the forks, or you can get a tooth bar where the teeth are spaced far enough apart to allow certain types of clamp on forks to fit over it etc. Have you got any particular bars or forks in mind?
 
   / toothbar vs. bucket forks ... or not?!
  • Thread Starter
#3  
BigMike -

I was considering the EZAttach tb (www.ezattachments.com) and Payne's forks (www.paynesforks.com). It looks like the teeth are far enough apart for the forks to fit between (unless I got the landscaping model). I wasn't sure if the forks would fit over the horizontal v-bar the teeth are mounted on though.

- Woody
 
   / toothbar vs. bucket forks ... or not?! #4  
My bucket forks will not work with my toothbar on, but that is not a real issue for me as the toothbar comes off easy and it only takes about 2 or 3 minutes to get it off or put it on...

It would be better to have bucket forks that worked with the toothbar on, of course...I would take that option if available, but otherwise it is not a big deal, in my opinion, at least in my case... /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
   / toothbar vs. bucket forks ... or not?! #5  
I would think you could use the forks with most of the Toothbars, but you may not be able to center the forks if a tooth is in the way. Another option would be to build your own an space accordingly.
 
   / toothbar vs. bucket forks ... or not?!
  • Thread Starter
#6  
Henro -

Just curious, what kind of teeth and forks? Even if the forks fit over the teeth, the teeth may prevent required horizontal spacing. It's probably just as well to plan on these attachments being mutually exclusive. Like you say, its easy to get them on and off.
I've also seen fork assemblies that look like they might have come off of a fork-lift. That would be real cool (I've got the Kubota quick-attach bucket), but they seem to cost mucho dinero. And they would still suffer from what all tractor forks appear to suffer from - the load angle will change when lifting or lowering.

- Woody
 
   / toothbar vs. bucket forks ... or not?! #7  
Woodya,
Your question has way too may varibles to be answered very well. What kind of tractor do you have? What is the cutting edge on the bucket, bolted or welded? What kind of loads are you expecting to pick up with your forks? EZ attachment uses a full V design on their toothbar, have you considered using a bar that uses the flat top bar? Which Payne forks are you considering, light or medium duty? Medium have a half inch more in the opening. Have you talked to the people at Payne's or EZAttachment? They can give you actual numbers that you can work with.
Here is what I am doing...I just ordered a 58" toothbar from http://markhamwelding.com/ Check them out, might save you some money. Their standard bar has 7 teeth (attached picture), I ordered 8. That gives me 5.75" between the teeth. Probably not enough space for the forks. Longer bar, more space. Less teeth, more space. I am also going to order some light duty forks from Payne's. Their capacity is about the same capacity as my LA402 FEL @ 500mm forward of the pivot pins, so they will suffice. My tooth bar will probably be left on the bucket most of the time since my soil and terrain conditions are a bit more demanding than what the regular cutting edge is up to. As for the forks, I will use them for moving brush piles, lifting building supplies, elevating a work platform and generel stuff like that. As for the extra 15 minutes it will take to pull off and reattach the toothbar so I can use my forks: I can nullify that by driving in high gear at full throttle between task /forums/images/graemlins/ooo.gif or maybe I will just take 30 extra minutes and sit down with a cool drink, stare at my tractor and remember how hard all these task would be without it. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif
 

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   / toothbar vs. bucket forks ... or not?! #8  
I use my toothbar and forks together without problems. I find that putting the forks next to a tooth helps to avoid side movement in case they're just a little loose, or loosen up after I get started. The forks I have, bought from ddmattox on Ebay, have a large mouth with plenty of space to go over the Tbar and it actually fits better with the Tbar on than off. If I have the Tbar off, I put a piece of water pipe under part of the fork's mouth to help stabilize the forks. John
 
   / toothbar vs. bucket forks ... or not?! #9  
How about both at once? Fabco 2A weld-on teeth cost $110 total and unlike most toothbars they are flush with the bottom of the bucket edge so I can scrape my driveway without digging in. Forks are made from 2 x 4 x 3/16 tube with hangers from 2 x 1/2 flat. The hooks keep them from cocking sideways like clamp-on forks.
 

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   / toothbar vs. bucket forks ... or not?! #10  
Picture 2.
 

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