Hello, this is my first official thread. I enjoy many forums on this site. I have a 3' case bucket with typical weld on tooth mounts. I would like to take these mounts off to make it a straight blade. My ?? is, what is the best way to cut them off, while doing the least damage to the bucket?
The easiest thing would probably be to weld a piece of cutting edge across the teeth, that way if you ever want to use it as a digging bucket again you can.
I have seen buckets with old and shortened cutting edges welded on to the teeth. Is that a feasible option ?
Do you have any welding gear? If so find your self an Arc Air gouger . It will need a small air compressor and a min of 250 amps to run . Get some small carbons 3/16" or 1/4" and your set . Or a decent plasma cutter will do . If you try a torch your cutting edge will look like a banana when your done . This is all assuming your cutting edge is in decent shape. If the cutting edge is toast id just torch the whole thing off and have a new edge cut out of some 400 plate.
My hoe had a straight edge welded to the tooth shanks. Teeth had been removed first. Seems like the best way to go to me. I needed teeth and the cutting edge was a challenge to cut off. I wouldn't want to even try cutting the shanks off.
See if you can find a used bucket with a straight edge . some times you need to have teeth Check Craigslist
If you weld a straight edge on your teeth, you can take the pins out and swap back to teeth and back again.
A standard Arcair torch requires 28 CFM so is a fair size compressor. Gouging is also very hard on a welding machine and easy to cause damage if you're not used to using one. If you don't care if the shanks are destroyed use a cutting torch with a big tip. If you have a Victor torch you could probably find a gouging tip fairly easily. Cutting the shanks off shouldn't warp the cutting edge too much. Welding the shanks on didn't warp it. Cut one side then work on another one so it cools a bit. I used a grinder to remove shanks on a skid steer bucket but the shanks are a lot smaller. It's a good idea to put a bolt on edge on a smooth bucket so it can replaced when worn. Some pics. of the bucket might help to determine the best technique to remove the shanks.
Best suggestion! Or even another tooth bucket and modify the one that is the best width for your needs.
I have several buckets, and in 25 yrs, have not used this one. Willing to sacrifice. I have tried the chain on type blade etc... This is the standard case 580/590 3' BB. I think it makes the most sense, for me, to go ahead and remove the teeth only, and use the shanks as the mount, to weld/pin/or bolt a removable/replaceable edge. I was just going to torch them off, build up any low spots and grind flat, so my choice is a culmination of all your suggestions. Thank you to everyone, especially Welder Dave , and Tugger2 who answered the posted question directly. It was then simple to compare, and see that cutting/gouging them off would be more work for me. Dan