Do your bucket teeth wear unevenly?

You remove a set of teeth after a few hundred hours of operation and notice: one side is much more worn than the other. Faulty material? Usually not. The real causes often lie in a combination of machine setup, mounting, and operating habits.

5 Causes of uneven tooth wear

Wrong tooth type

RP (Rock Penetration) teeth are asymmetrical. If mounted incorrectly, they wear unevenly. For general digging, SYL (Standard Long) or VTL (Vertical Tiger Long) teeth are often a better choice.

Misaligned bucket or adapter

Even a few millimetres of misalignment can cause extra stress on one side, especially during rotational digging.

Operator habits

Consistently digging at an angle or dragging the bucket creates lateral loading, leading to faster wear on one side.

Loose fit or worn adapter

Any play between the tooth and the adapter causes vibration, which leads to irregular and uneven wear.

Incorrect mounting direction

Some teeth are reversible, but only when properly aligned. Incorrect positioning causes premature wear.

What you can do to prevent uneven wear

- Regularly check bucket and adapter alignment
- Choose the correct tooth type for each project and soil condition
- Train operators on proper digging techniques – especially in demolition or hard ground applications

How FUTURA prevents uneven tooth wear

Symmetrical wear geometry

Engineered to wear evenly with a self sharpening design, even under changing stress conditions in the field. Up to 68% of the material is used before it’s replaced.

Hammerless, play-free locking system

The patented locking design prevents movement between the tooth and adapter – reducing vibration and uneven load.

The right tooth for every job

At ITR, we provide tooth profiles tailored to the application. Choose from SYL, RP, RC, VTL and more; all matched to soil type and digging method.