Big buckets

[bdog1234]

Has anyone used a bucket larger than 84" on a large skid steer? It seems many machines in the 60-70hp range with a 2,000 lb +/- rated lift have 6' buckets. The large 100hp machines with 3,500lb lift seem to come with 7' buckets. I don't think I have ever seen one wider than that.

While not practical for many things it seems that one of these 100hp machines could handle a 9' or even 10' bucket?

 

[bobcan]

Depends what you are 'planning to bucket' with it, of course _ many folks around here have 96" Snow Buckets (lighter weight construction for light material _ Snow and Turkey Litter, I believe many advertise as) that you could likely fold up like a pop can if you tried hard enough in Wet Clay Dirt, I would guess _ ** Also , if you fill it full of Mud and Rocks you might not lift it, but that is NOT what it is made for, luckily..

 

[bdog1234]

Depends what you are 'planning to bucket' with it, of course _ many folks around here have 96" Snow Buckets (lighter weight construction for light material _ Snow and Turkey Litter, I believe many advertise as) that you could likely fold up like a pop can if you tried hard enough in Wet Clay Dirt, I would guess _ ** Also , if you fill it full of Mud and Rocks you might not lift it, but that is NOT what it is made for, luckily..

Thanks.

Would be for loading loose dirt into dump trucks.

The 2,000lb lift machine has a 6' bucket. That is 333 pounds per foot. Assuming the wider bucket has the same profile a 3,500lb lift machine should be able to handle a 10.5' bucket using the same pounds per foot.



I know a skid steer is not the best tool to load a dump truck with but it what we have. That and a backhoe.

 

[movindirt]

A 10.5' wide bucket is extremely impractical, even for truck loading, unless thats light fluffy topsoil you'd never get it full, too wide. Widest I would go is 8', maybe a yard and a half capacity and its going to need teeth, all the help it can get to get in the pile. What machine exactly are you wanting to put one on?

 

[bdog1234]

Yes 10' would be impractical and I wasn't thinking that big but around 8'-9' is was what I was thinking. It will be going on a 333E.

The 333E came with a a 84" bucket. We were using an 84" bucket on our 322 and it lifted and filled it fine. The 333E has 40 HP more and 1500 lb more rated lift than the 322 did.

I know a some point the bucket gets to big to be practical but it just seems like we should be able to put this extra power/lift to use and move more dirt per bite.

 

[mountainlake]

Depends how deep these buckets are, I'd go with a 8' for loose dirt.. I have a deep 8' snow bucket built heavy that I don't think you'd lift full of dirt but you don't have to fill it full either.

 

[bdog1234]

Don't know how deep it is but I bet it would lift it. The 35% tipping load is 3,300lb and the 50% is 4,725lb. I have 500lb of weights on the back. Unless that bucket holds over 2 yards I am pretty sure it would lift it.

 

[JNB]

Here's a T870 with a 100" bucket. Looks a little light in the tail end, but handles it well. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gi92W2HbSCo

 

[mountainlake]

It's not quite full but that's heavy rock, have to like those wide buckets for leveling.

 

[mountainlake]

Don't know how deep it is but I bet it would lift it. The 35% tipping load is 3,300lb and the 50% is 4,725lb. I have 500lb of weights on the back. Unless that bucket holds over 2 yards I am pretty sure it would lift it.

Do 500# weights help, seems like most newer machines have the hydraulics limited so they wont lift the back end off the ground with no added weight. How much does your mashie weigh

 

[bdog1234]

They do seem to help. You are right in that it is limited so it won't lift enough to tip but once you have something heavy lifted up high and are moving around and come to a stop a machine wants to tip forward. The weights help reduce that. I have never weighed my machine but they spec it at 11,800 with one set of weights which is what comes standard. Mine has three sets so I am guessing it weighs around 12,150.

 

[ironjunkie]

I built a 97" bucket for my Gehl 7800. That's what it takes to cover the tracks (OTT). Dig's well and feels fine loaded until it's spilling off.

 

[mountainlake]

They do seem to help. You are right in that it is limited so it won't lift enough to tip but once you have something heavy lifted up high and are moving around and come to a stop a machine wants to tip forward. The weights help reduce that. I have never weighed my machine but they spec it at 11,800 with one set of weights which is what comes standard. Mine has three sets so I am guessing it weighs around 12,150.

You right about having a load high and getting light on the back on the way down or stopping, I lifted a 5800# log off a trailer with no problem but on the way down about 2 feet up the back end came up. To even get that log off the ground later it had to be rolled just right with the forks snug against it.

 

[Georgia Iron]

Has anyone used a bucket larger than 84" on a large skid steer? It seems many machines in the 60-70hp range with a 2,000 lb +/- rated lift have 6' buckets. The large 100hp machines with 3,500lb lift seem to come with 7' buckets. I don't think I have ever seen one wider than that.

While not practical for many things it seems that one of these 100hp machines could handle a 9' or even 10' bucket?

Personally, I think a 10' bucket for a skid steer is not a good idea. Or even an 8' wide if you are digging. Maybe just for smoothing loose gravel or dirt. If the bucket does not bend or break you will bend and break your loader lift arms, pins and couplers. A properly sized large standard bucket Heaped will tip your machine. Unless you are using it for an especially light material, I would never consider it. You will stress the arms and something will give.

You will have to constantly worry about catching something solid on the corner and destroying your machine.

The video posted is laughable, it is a matter of time before the machine is toasted. The hydraulic system is not designed to take that kind of stress over and over again.

I get the best smoothing done with an almost full bucket back dragging...