Esco teeth afermarket vs. OEM

[windyhill]

My teeth aren't staying on very well and I think it's time to re shank my bucket on my EC140B. I'm wondering about Esco teeth and shanks. The Quality of afermarket vs. OEM Teeth are one thing but I don't want to weld on crap shanks. Are they all about the same quality wise? I'm finding tons of esco "style" but having a hard time finding Actual Esco brand ones.

 

[Goodlife]

Just welded some on my EX120-5 rock bucket a few weeks ago and they seem great to me. Only done a few days digging thus far so no endurance report sorry. Genuine Esco though so no comment on copies.

 

[Tags]

I've been running strictly Esco teeth on the buckets I've been using for the last few years, zero issues with the teeth falling off the shanks, have yet to lose one....

 

[windyhill]

Mine are the twist and pin. v23, the actual shanks look warn, but I was using the off brand teeth. I wonder if I could build the shanks up a bit with metal and get a little more life out of them. Tab on oposit side of pin seams pretty worn. Cutting them off seams like a lot of work, but we used it all last week and had teeth fall off 5 times.

 

[Tags]

It might be easier to cut the whole cutting edge off with the teeth on it and just weld in a new edge and shanks. Some of the new Hensley style teeth with the twist lock pin look pretty good, I don't have any experience with them though, I also think you can buy a new cutting edge with the Shanks already welded to it.

 

[farmerlund]

I have V33 style twist and pin. I have had to build up and grind the grove to the corect width again to keep the pins from wiggling out. not a bad job pretty easy

 

[AzIron]

With a good welder and an air arc replacing shanks is not bad I can do a 2 foot bucket for a backhoe with 5 shanks in about 4 hours if no one bothers me

I have yet to try the new twist lock Hensley I have had some run ins with deeres version not really impressed can be very difficult at times to remove pins sometimes requires a pressure washer but I think if you use the bucket a fair bit and replace teeth often its probably not terrible

 

[steve waldner]

Bought from komatsu dealer , 48” wide 2” thick , 1200$ got a good deal , they got their own factory in Texas , or bought some MFG , don’t fully remember .

 

[steve waldner]

I always buy the aftermarket , black cat , got the twist on and pin down the side ,esco, never had one fall of , work great last long

 

[windyhill]

Thanks all for the info. I'm going to try building up the shank where the tooth clips in, if that doesn't hold up, cutting off and putting a new cutting edge with teeth looks like a viable option.

 

[Tones]

Years ago Essco had a procedure for building up shanks and what rods to use.IIRC it was just a series of weld dots . If the back of the tooth is proud of the shank the that area also requires attention. Dirt and stones will get between the tooth and shank causing some misery

 

[Nige]

Only thing I don't like about genuine Esco is the price...!! They are f'kin expensive.
Esco is one of the better (maybe the best) options as regards aftermarket bucket GET though.

 

[John C.]

The cost per hour of ESCO GET was the best of all the various brands that I bought when working in the coal mines. Nothing was better on loader buckets, excavator buckets and ripper teeth.