We just ran into shale, rock hard shale trying to dig this basement.
So, what do we do? Well, to start with I had bolted teeth onto the bucket I’m using.
I always use the loader arm safety lock when I’m working on a machine with the arms up, and I test the bucket to make sure it’s attached properly.
The first thing I did was remove this cutting edge- it’s held on by 9 bolts.
These bolts are 10 mm Allen head with a 24 mm nut on top.
These were on crazy tight- it’s almost like CAT didn’t want them coming loose.
Once I got them started with my breaker bar, I used my ¼” impact to back them the rest of the way out.
This cutting edge is way heavier than it looks, so I careful taking it down.
Next, I bolted on the teeth- I used the bolt from the cutting edge on the top and bought new longer bolts for the bottom.
The bucket comes predrilled with holes for the teeth.
I’m not sure what kind of steel they use on these teeth, but it must be some tough stuff.
I got about 900 hours out of the set on my 259B3 before I had to replace them.
Now I can already hear everyone in the comments- you need to get a cordless ½” impact, and I do want one.
Let me know what brand you think I should get.
I love that CAT puts this side cutter on the outside edge of the bucket.
Having teeth concentrates all the power and weight of the machine into small points verses a cutting edge the entire width of the bucket- it’s amazing the difference it makes.
We just started digging out the basement on our new house, and we’re planning to show every step. Be sure to like and subscribe so you don’t miss a thing. @hausplans
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