Welding shanks on tooth bar.

dirtdiggerdug · Nov 3, 2006

I'm ready to start on my toothbar project. I picked up my fabco shanks and teeth yesterday at a local equipment dealer. I believe the shanks are made of cast iron and I will be welding them to ½ x 4" mild steel. What procedure should I follow to make sure I get a satisfactory weld? What type of welding rod should I use? I have an older Craftsman ac 230 amp welder and have done alot of welding with mild steel but never had to deal with cast iron. How would stainless steel rod work with cast iron?

shaley · Nov 3, 2006

I'm not sure but the shanks should be cast steel not cast iron. Cast iron is not very strong and next to impossible to weld without cracking. Guess you could check with Fabco too make sure. Funny, I was just starting to build a toothbar myself. I bought series 23 shanks from a guy on Ebay and I think they were cast in china. They are steel and I was going to use E6013 rod.

dirtdiggerdug · Nov 4, 2006

I hope they are cast steel like you say. I bought locally, and will call them monday to see if they know. Paid$9.00 for the tooth and $10.65 for the shank, $2.08 for the flex pins. They are series 23 fabco brand. My bucket is 60 inch and I'm going with six.

MadReferee · Nov 4, 2006

Almost certainly they are cast steel. Cast iron would never hold up for this application. Castings made from steel can be welded. I've always used a mig so I don't know what stick rod would be appropriate.

Gary_in_Indiana · Nov 4, 2006

dirtdiggerdug said:
I hope they are cast steel like you say. I bought locally, and will call them monday to see if they know. Paid$9.00 for the tooth and $10.65 for the shank, $2.08 for the flex pins. They are series 23 fabco brand. My bucket is 60 inch and I'm going with six.

I know it's easy for me to spend your money, but I'd go with more than six teeth. I have a 60" Deere loader bucket and bought one through KC Canary in NY that was drop shipped to me here from the maker in Illinois that I believe has at least seven and I think eight teeth. I bought the "light duty" bar and there's no way it's the weak link in anything I do with it. I'd hate to see what the HD bar would have been like.

I'd looked at making my own but when I priced things out as you did I wasn't saving enough to do much more than pay for my steel, electricity and welding rod. Prices change, of course, and I bought mine a few years ago but I'd still suggest calling KC Canary and seeing what they can do for you. I dealt with Mark Brucker at 800-920-7097. Make sure they list it as an 'internet sale' so there's no sales tax if you order one.

Good luck with whatever you decide. I hope this helps.

SPYDERLK · Nov 4, 2006

Im going to check out KC Canary. My Woods HD toothbar was quickly turned into a snaggletooth bar by my Mahindra 7520.
Larry

shaley · Nov 5, 2006

Hey Spyder, Why do you think the Woods bar failed. Any idea? How much HP does your tractor have?

SPYDERLK · Nov 6, 2006

shaley said:
Hey Spyder, Why do you think the Woods bar failed. Any idea? How much HP does your tractor have?

Its a 75HP Mahindra 4wd with 275FEL and fully loaded AG tires, a backhoe subframe, and had a 1K# implement on back for counterweight. It weighs a TON. Literally, closer to 6 as it was set up. When ordered I told the dealer what I wanted, one of the things being an industrial duty tooth bar. I stressed the force capabilities of the application. I was dissappointed to see what I got and he said it was a Woods HeavyDuty and should be ok. No - - not when you are dealing with storm felled trees, skewering stumps attached to trees, lifting and pushing. You can couple so much to the ground that the engine will lug down and stall in 1st - meanwhile moving 20 or 30 ft. I broke the welds on one tooth and bent several others causing dimples on the bucket. I welded the broken tooth and am still using it. It does 90% of what I need, but the 10% shortage is very inconvenient and high overhead in that it causes collateral damage. Im looking for better and working with slightly less abandon.
Larry

schmism · Nov 6, 2006

I like 7 teeth on a 60" bucket vs the 6 i see on a lot of pre-fab'd tooth bars.

(seems like an easy way for the pre-fab's to shave $20 from their cost)

dirtdiggerdug · Nov 9, 2006

Thanks to those who responded to my questions. I did go with using 7 teeth instead of 6. I have everything welded up and it went fine. Today I will clean it up and put some Kubota paint on it.