The ripper tooth (also called ripper or rooter) is a single or multi-pronged steel tooth mounted on the rear of a bulldozer, excavator bucket, or as a separate attachment that breaks up hard ground, rock, asphalt, or frozen soil without blasting or chiseling. The ripping/loosening action is achieved through the machine's forward movement while simultaneously pressing the tooth into the ground.
On bulldozers, the rear ripper tooth is standard equipment: Cat D8/D9/D10 and Komatsu D155/D275/D375 are equipped with single or triple-pronged rippers that can break rock of medium hardness without blasting. Ripping performance and penetration depth depend on machine weight (thrust force), rock quality, and tooth geometry.
For hydraulic excavators, ripper teeth are available as quick-coupler attachments: single tooth for targeted ripping (e.g., asphalt surfaces) or multiple teeth for broad area loosening. The tooth tips are replaceable and made from wear-resistant hard metal or tungsten carbide-coated steel.