Takeuchi TB125 bucket search help

[jamobaum]

Hello all,
I'm knew to this forum, but have used it a lot lately to make a purchase. I just bought a 2005 Takeuchi TB125 with ~3200 hours on it, and awaiting delivery. It will be for personal use to help dig a pond on my land. I have been damming up the far side of a ravine with my Kubota L3800 tractor/loader with toothbar and BH77 backhoe. I am at a point now where I needed an excavator to finish the job. I 'ran out' of dirt to build the dam.

So I will now use the excavator to 'dig the side of the ravine' to get the dirt and stack it on the dam. This will make the pond bigger and get me the dirt I need. I built the base of the dam last year with dirt from a hill adjacent to the ravine side, but now that dirt is used and the hill is now leveled flat with the future side of the pond.

Anyhow, my poor backhoe is to short to reach over the side to dig, and even though I love it to death, that BH77 is painfully slow, and I don't want to 'beat' on it much more. So enter the mini-excavator.

Now I have thought about a)hiring it done....b) renting a larger machine.....c) buying a larger piece of equipment and then selling it when done.....d) or do what I did and purchased a more economical one and keep it around as a pet.

So my question is:
It comes with an 18" very shallow toothed bucket. My BH77 is 16" but looks like it could hold more material. How do I go about finding say a 24" toothed bucket with more volume?
I know it has 35mm diamter pins, but thats about it.
Takeuchi buckets I am learning are hard to find. So can someone school me on these 'quick couplers' and if that may work. I've seen TB125 couplers for sale from $600-$1200, then I would need a bucket to fit the coupler right? So what coupler brand/system would I pick?
Could I try to make another manufacturers bucket with 35mm diameter pins try to fit mine?

Thanks so much for your advice!!
Jamo

 

[StumpyWally]

For pin-on bucket mounting dimensions, refer to my thread: https://www.heavyequipmentforums.com/showthread.php?28775-Pin-on-Bucket-Mounting-Specs

All OEM's use different dimensions for their pin-on bucket mounting...& it is nearly impossibly to get them to divulge what their dimensions are. I think they do all of this on purpose to "trap" you into their machines & buckets!!

As to couplers, they are not a solution to bucket inter-changeability either, but they are VERY handy to enable you to change from one bucket to another on your machine.

Pin-grabber couplers can usually grab a range of buckets, but the downside is that they increase the tip radius & thereby reduce your breakout force. On a small excavator, like yours, the last thing you want to do is reduce your breakout force.

The other style is any one of a number of close-coupled quick couplers. All of these require a bucket or attachment that has a custom mounting plate rather than the pin-on ears or hangers. A common style is a wedge-lock made by lots of companies. A less common style is a Klac, made by Werk-Brau. I use a Klac on my excavator...it does not reduce my breakout force, & even the mechanical one requires getting out of the cab ONLY to uncouple the bucket with a simple lever-like tool that comes with the Klac. To couple the bucket you don't have to leave the cab...it's just a quick retraction of the stick that causes the bucket to swing into the coupler & lock with a loud "clack"...hence the name. Look at Werk-Brau's web site.

So, your choices are:

• Find a used pin-on bucket with mounting dimensions that match your machine...good luck, refer to the pin-on bucket dimensions list on my above referenced thread.
• Buy a new pin-on bucket from a bucket manufacturer made to fit your machine.
• Buy a new close-coupled, quick-coupler of your choice, then buy a new matching bucket.
• Buy a new close-coupled, quick-coupler of your choice, then buy a used bucket, either pin-on or otherwise, & modify it to fit your coupler by buying & welding on the matching attachment plate for your coupler.

I have a like-new 24" wide Werk-Brau pin-on bucket for sale, that came off my NH EH80 CS (Kobelco SK80 CS), but it's probably too big (heavy) for your machine. It uses 50mm pins, & weighs about 535 lbs, with side cutters & lift eye. Let me know if you're interested. Here's a photo:

 

[elcheapo]

Try a United Rentals Store, as they rent a lot of Takeuchi Mini Excavators and may have a used 24" bucket for your TB125.

 

[jamobaum]

Hey thanks so much for getting back to me guys. I have now learned it came with a Wain-Roy style coupler(the smallest one) with a roughly 8"x4" opening and 1 1/4" bolt to hold it in. So I have been checking craigslist and tried calling some rental places. No luck yet, but the machines operating fine, just takes small bites!!
Jamo

 

[Billdog350]

I happen to have a Wain Roy coupler off my TB125 for sale if you are interested in a little welding project. The dogbone link pin is still pretty tight but the bucket pivot pin holes are definitely elongated. I'm selling the coupler for $200 plus shipping, I can get a quote from Fastenal but I think it should be pretty reasonable. It will require a bit of welding to make the holes perfect, however I was using the coupler and there were no issues attaching it to the bucket and digging with it.

 

[jamobaum]

Thanks Bd, but it already has a CP made Wain-Roy style quick attach. I am looking for a 24" bucket that would fit it though.

 

[stumpjumper83]

I have a tak 53, and it has a wain roy style coupler as well. I have a 24" tooth bucket for the machine, its about the volume of a full size wheel borrow. I also have a 36" tooth bucket, same profile, and that holds a lot more, but you have to be carefull, overload and extend and it can get light in the tail. I think your risking having that problem with the 125 & a 24". You might be able to rent a bucket from the rental yard to see if you get tippy. regardless, craigslist & ebay is full of choices oh, and the 36" new was $1,300 bucks, and worth every penny.

http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/hvd/4949346183.html

 

[dirthog28]

I have a tak 53, and it has a wain roy style coupler as well. I have a 24" tooth bucket for the machine, its about the volume of a full size wheel borrow. I also have a 36" tooth bucket, same profile, and that holds a lot more, but you have to be carefull, overload and extend and it can get light in the tail. I think your risking having that problem with the 125 & a 24". You might be able to rent a bucket from the rental yard to see if you get tippy. regardless, craigslist & ebay is full of choices oh, and the 36" new was $1,300 bucks, and worth every penny.

http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/hvd/4949346183.html

A Tb125 will handle a 24" just fine as long as he stays in his class of machine which on a wain Roy for a 125 i would assume would be a 4x8 hole in the back. I've rain 30-36" bucket on 125's before.

That add you posted looks like a 24" for a backhoe with a 7x10 hole.

 

[jamobaum]

Yeah Dirthog, the hole is 4x8 with 1 1/4" pin. I haven't found any 24" buckets yet...still looking.

I do have another question though. I took out the 14mm Allen bolt from the left side rear of the cab, and released the 2 latches that can be seen through the engine compartment. But I can't get the canopy to release and tip forward by hand. I want to get in there and have a look at things but I'm afraid if I pull it forward by the ROPs I might break something. Any ideas? Also found out the right read final drive didn't have any oil in it. It looked okay through the 2 plugs, but the fluid I put but in drained overnight by the sprocket inside the track. Looks like a rebuild will be up soon. But it does dig well!!!

 

[elcheapo]

There is a hole near the allen bolt that you have to put a small rod or thin bladed screw driver to release a internal latch, before the cab will tilt. On my 2005 TB125 the hole is between the letters TB and numbers 125.

 

[Billdog350]

Elcheapo is correct, also I ended up attaching a ratchet strap to the boom and rops and once I released the internal latch I just lowered the boom and it lifted the cab forward. My lift shocks are worn and in cold weather its hard to flip the cab forward.

 

[Desertwheeler]

I know of a place in California that sells nothing but used buckets. If u wanna know the place I'll post a link.

 

[jamobaum]

That would be great! Thanks!

 

[Desertwheeler]

http://www.delossmachinery.com/default.htm

They don't have a huge selection of small buckets but they have quiet a few.

 

[jamobaum]

Hey I just emailed them. We'll see if they can dig something up for me! Thanks.
I still haven't been brave enough to force up the canopy. It was pretty rainy here today, so maybe next weekend.

 

[jamobaum]

Oops,
Try this one instead. This is when I first got it last month.

 

[jamobaum]

Goodness…………..

 

[jamobaum]

The dam is way in the background with an 8" temporary culvert put in. It is barely visible as a black dot on the left side of the dam. Anyway, I am trying to dam up this ravine. I ran out of dirt to make the dam with my Kubota L3800 front end loader that I was getting from a the hill where that the Excavator is sitting. So I am using the excavator to dig back this side of the ravine to get dirt. I have to dig it in two "lifts" as the reach on this little boy isn't too much.

 

[jamobaum]

This pic shows the different "levels" in red that the TB125 is parked on to remove the dirt. From the middle level I can dump the dirt above me and just front end load the dirt to the dam. The lowest level(which I haven't been on yet" will need to be dumped behind me and then front end loaded out of the pond and up and out and hauled over to the dam. I have to clean out this bottom layer, as I have hit a couple of sand "zones". So I will back fill with good clay and run the crap out of it with the tractor to pack it in good.

The yellow dot is the temp culvert. The blue lines show the height progress from 6 hours of work. I reckon it's about 3 feet higher than where I left off last year with the Kubota L3800 alone. That tractor does compact dirt well, especially when the loaders full of dirt smashing on those skinny tires.

 

[Billdog350]

Looks like a nice fun project! I love my TB125 so far but I agree a longer reach would be nice...but its great for what it is. I've been using mine for logging and doing some stump removal so far. Its been working well, I love my thumb for sure!