What is a Rhinox Uni-tusk / Utility Bucket?
If you’ve ever wondered, “what is a Rhinox uni-tusk?”, here’s the answer: it’s a specialised, heavy-duty, bolt-on blade designed for digging near utilities while providing extreme wear protection. The uni-tusk blade is recommended for situations where standard bolt-on blades would wear quickly or risk cable damage.
The uni-tusk has curved edges and raised sides to seamlessly fit over the edge of your bucket and bolt through the lower side plates. This design helps prevent hidden cable penetration while also absorbing the brunt of ground contact and wear. When securely bolted to a standard Rhinox digging bucket, the uni-tusk significantly reduces wear and abrasion, extending your bucket’s life by 4-6 times compared to bolt-on teeth or blades.
Rhinox uni-tusk blades are made from heat-treated, hardened 550HB (Hardened Brinell) cast steel for maximum durability. The solid steel build and curved shape withstands extreme wear, and because it’s bolted on, it can be easily removed and replaced when worn - making it a cost-effective choice for heavy-duty digging.
Why did we develop it?
Preventing Cable Strikes
Beyond dramatically increasing your bucket’s lifespan, the Uni-Tusk was developed specifically for utility contractors working around underground cables. Its rounded edges are deliberately designed to avoid sharp points that could catch or damage utilities while digging. Instead of penetrating cables, the blade is shaped to deflect them safely away from the bucket.
Underground cable strikes are a real issue—it's estimated that around 70,000 incidents occur each year when digger buckets hit buried utilities. Many contractors now insist on using buckets without teeth in these sensitive areas, making the Uni-Tusk an important innovation to protect your equipment, operators, and surrounding workers. In fact, in 2017, it was recognized with the Plantworx Safety Innovation Award for the industry.
Important Safety Notice - While the Uni-Tusk helps reduce the risk of utility strikes, we still strongly recommend checking for utilities before breaking ground. Always CAT Scan the area for live cables and take care to identify any water lines or other underground services that need to be avoided.
More about the design:
The design of this blade is much larger and substantial than your standard Bolt on Blade. A standard Bolt on Blade is a flat piece of hardened steel that bolts underneath the lip plate of your Digging Bucket. The Uni Tusk was been casted to fit to the lip plate AND side plates of your bucket, and it is bolted through both the lip plate and the side plates to secure it in place. By casting the Uni Tusk blade around the side plates it adds an extra layer of protection to another high contact point of the bucket. If your side plates were to wear quicker than the rest of your bucket it could cause the bucket to become unstable and unpredictable.
