Bucket Claw Digs Through Rock

2012 - Volume #36, Issue #3, Page #34

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To dig through rock with his backhoe bucket, Paul French equipped it with chisel plow teeth. He soon was able to chew through the 2-ft. thick solid rock and anything else in the way with the “bedrock claw”.
    “I went to a Tractor Supply store and bought two chisel plow teeth,” he says.
    He cut the teeth in half to make four teeth and made a mounting bracket that would slip over the lip of the bucket. He used two pieces of steel, 1 by 3-in. wide with a length the width of the bucket. He tacked the teeth on one piece of steel and tacked steel spacers between it and the second piece of steel. The spacers fit between tips/minor teeth on the bucket lip. The spacers helped stabilize the bracket and keep it from moving side to side under pressure.
    “I used a MIG welder to fasten them together and a stick welder to make it solid,” says French.
    When digging, the bracket and teeth are held in place by the pressure of the bucket against the ground. However, to keep them from falling off when lifting the bucket, he attached the chisel plow bracket to the bucket.
    “The old tooth extensions were bolted to the sides of the bucket tips,” says French. “With the chisel plow bracket in place, I put 7/16-in., grade A bolts through the side holes with the threads to the inside, and slipped a 3/8-in. coupling over the bolt followed by a washer and lock nut. They don’t connect to the bracket, but they keep it from falling off when I lift the bucket out of a hole.”
    Even though French is now able to trench as deep as he needs, he still employs an old trick to protect water pipes.
    “An older fellow I knew told me about laying pipe in the 1930’s and being unable to dig down deep enough to get below the frost line,” recalls French. “He said if you laid several layers of 2-in. thick wood planks over the water line, it would protect them from frost and freezing.”
    French has used the method for years. He says it always works, even when the soil is driven over and compacted as with a road.
    “The slabs seem to shield the pipes and absorb the frost,” he says.
    Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Paul French, 10163 Flaherty Rd., Prattsburgh, N.Y. 14873 (ph 607 522-7731; paullloringfrench@gmail.com).

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Bucket Claw Digs Through Rock TRACTORS Loaders To dig through rock with his backhoe bucket Paul French equipped it with chisel plow teeth He soon was able to chew through the 2-ft thick solid rock and anything else in the way with the “bedrock claw” “I went to a Tractor Supply store and bought two chisel plow teeth ” he says He cut the teeth in half to make four teeth and made a mounting bracket that would slip over the lip of the bucket He used two pieces of steel 1 by 3-in wide with a length the width of the bucket He tacked the teeth on one piece of steel and tacked steel spacers between it and the second piece of steel The spacers fit between tips/minor teeth on the bucket lip The spacers helped stabilize the bracket and keep it from moving side to side under pressure “I used a MIG welder to fasten them together and a stick welder to make it solid ” says French When digging the bracket and teeth are held in place by the pressure of the bucket against the ground However to keep them from falling off when lifting the bucket he attached the chisel plow bracket to the bucket “The old tooth extensions were bolted to the sides of the bucket tips ” says French “With the chisel plow bracket in place I put 7/16-in grade A bolts through the side holes with the threads to the inside and slipped a 3/8-in coupling over the bolt followed by a washer and lock nut They don’t connect to the bracket but they keep it from falling off when I lift the bucket out of a hole ” Even though French is now able to trench as deep as he needs he still employs an old trick to protect water pipes “An older fellow I knew told me about laying pipe in the 1930’s and being unable to dig down deep enough to get below the frost line ” recalls French “He said if you laid several layers of 2-in thick wood planks over the water line it would protect them from frost and freezing ” French has used the method for years He says it always works even when the soil is driven over and compacted as with a road “The slabs seem to shield the pipes and absorb the frost ” he says Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Paul French 10163 Flaherty Rd Prattsburgh N Y 14873 ph 607 522-7731; paullloringfrench@gmail com

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