My bucket teeth are coming loose every 20-30 hours. New pins and retainers, can I weld something on the retainer end to stop this or is the problem solved another way? I'm running the large cat spade teeth for rocks in dirt and ripping concrete up. I like them for more of a smoother finish.
How loose are they getting. Some movement is normal specially in rock and concrete. Photos of extreme movement to left and right ,up and down will help to see how movement you have. How are the shanks,worn shanks will cause excessive movement.
Falling off loose, the pins wiggle on out. They aren't super tight when you put them on new. I'm guessing I need to weld up there shanks to make them tight again.
Yes. What you can do in the meantime is weld a bolt across both holes so the pin won’t fall out . Don’t weld where the hole is or you will have time getting the caps off.
Would I have better luck with normal teeth and not the wife spade teeth?
No if shanks are worn they are worn for all caps as long as they are the same size.
Which style of tooth do you have, J-Series with a side-to-side pin right through a hole in the tooth and the adapter or K-Series with the tapered wedge-shaped lock that you drive down between the tooth and the adapter..? See photos - J-Series on the left. K-Series on the right
The first style with the pin from the side.
That style generally only comes loose if the adapter (shank) is worn. They likely need welding to build them up. I've seen people install the pins & locks then weld a washer on to each end of the pin.