Identifying Excavator Bucket Teeth: Which Are the Best Types?

Over time, your excavator’s bucket teeth will require replacement. However, different excavators have specialized bucket teeth, and many offer different teeth shapes for specific jobs, such as digging through rocky soil or sandy dirt. When identifying excavator bucket teeth for a certain job or standard maintenance, what factors matter most?

What’s the Purpose of an Excavator?

Excavators are earthmoving machines that dig through dirt, soil, silt, rock, clay, and gravel using a bucket attached at the end of a long arm. The teeth on the edges of the bucket help the machine break through the surface of the material, meaning the excavator bucket teeth types are an essential tool for the job.

The excavator teeth types each have several factors that contribute to their efficiency on the job, durability, penetration, and effective life, including:

• Manufacturing of the teeth. Bucket teeth manufacturing processes include forging, precision casting, and sand casting. Forged teeth are the highest quality and longest lasting. Precision cast teeth can sometimes have better resistance to wear and tear than forged teeth because of the materials used in casting. The most affordable option are sand cast teeth.
• Life of the teeth with normal wear. In side-by-side testing of the different materials, precision cast teeth have the best value for durability, quality vs. price, and resistance to wear and tear.
• Style of the teeth and materials moved. There are three common types of excavator bucket teeth, including chisel, rock, and tiger teeth. Chisel and rock teeth both offer medium penetration in their respective materials. Tiger teeth offer the most penetration in fine sand and clay.

Identifying Excavator Bucket Teeth that Suit Your Needs

Each style of excavator bucket teeth is effective for different materials. Chisel teeth are optimal for soil or sandy terrain, while rock teeth are excellent for pebbles, gravel, stone, and metallic ore. Tiger teeth are ideal for coal mining, fine sand, and clay. Depending on the job, you may need to change out the teeth on your excavator.

Not all excavator bucket teeth are the same. There are sometimes variances between brands or models that change the size and pin position of the teeth you need. Your first step in identifying excavator bucket teeth for your machine is to remove an existing tooth and try to find a part number. You may find the part number on the back of the tooth or inside the opening.

If you can’t find a part number, you may need to search by your make and model. When inspecting your excavator bucket, make note of whether it’s a top pin or side pin style, and if any bucket teeth adapters could improve your performance.

Contact Greenshields Industrial Supply for Parts Matching with Excavator Bucket Teeth

At Greenshields Industrial Supply, we have helped our customers find the right parts for over 60 years. We can help you with identifying excavator bucket teeth and mini excavator bucket teeth types at our shop in Everett, WA. Contact us today for help replacing worn bucket teeth or finding a suitable match for your next job.