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Excavator buckets

P

Paramajic4

Active Member
Joined
Apr 12, 2022
Messages
32
Location
Colorado
Greetings everyone,

Newbie here, I have a Daewoo Solar 70III that I picked up to use on my property. It came with a 35 inch wide bucket. I need to do some teaching and would like a narrower bucket. This being an older off-brand, I am unable to find a used bucket anywhere. A welder suggested buying a used bucket of the size I want and having new connections put on it. Question/s, is this common? and are there geometric and/or other differences between excavator and backhoe buckets. I can find the right size buckets pretty easily, just not anything with the right pin diameter, dipper spacing, pin centers.

Any help would be awesome. Thanks.
 
B

Briar Fox

Member
Joined
Aug 14, 2022
Messages
12
Location
WA
Hey Paramajic4, it is not uncommon. I live off-grid in a place where it is hard to get and remove material. There is a welder in the community (who welded on heavy equipment professionally) and he often makes implements and modifies implements for people's machines. Hope this helps.
 
D

Delmer

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 3, 2013
Messages
8,891
Location
WI
There are sometimes differences, but not much, and you'd almost have to mount it to find out. I've never found much info that will help.

There should be plenty of 24 or 18" backhoe buckets that would work. If you can get the main pin diameter correct, and wider ears, then you can put spacer washers between the stick and bucket ears to keep the slop down. Can cut out the boss and weld in another machined boss instead of whole new ears with new bosses. The dog bones going to the bucket cylinder give a little more flexibility on the other hole so the pin to pin spacing isn't as critical as the ear to ear spacing. Can even make up bushings for a smaller pin, or drill out holes for a bigger pin.
 
LCA078

LCA078

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 29, 2019
Messages
292
Location
Austin, TX
There's a thread here somewhere where a member started documenting most of the pin spacings for older excavators. Attached is the last version of the spreadsheet that I downloaded from the thread but maybe someone knows if there is an updated version. I don't see your model listed but maybe you can find similar buckets as Delmer suggested and add shims or bushings as needed. As long as you stick fits in between the ears, you can shim any slack with heavy washers. Do you have a coupler that limits your to a specific pin spacing (center to center)? If not, then Delmer is spot on with you having some back and forth tolerance in the pin center to center spacing.

And if you're not worried about looks, I think you can find the right size bucket with the right size pins and have a good welder modify it. Cut off each ear off in two pieces (one for each pin holder) keeping as much as the ear intact as possible (try to cut them flush where they mount to the bucket to save that profile). Place the pins in your excavator stick and H-bone and use them as a guide where to reposition and weld up the ears you just cut off. Brace with additional metal making sure you have full movement of your bucket without jamming up on your new ears/bracing. Won't win a gold medal for looks but will definitely do the job.

btw- The message wouldn't let me upload the excel spreadsheet version so I had to .pdf it. Maybe this is a new limitation of the latest version of HEF ?
 

Attachments

  • Copy of EXCAVATOR Pin-on Bucket Mounting Specs.pdf
    757.5 KB · Views: 14
Last edited:
uffex

uffex

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 23, 2012
Messages
4,464
Location
Lincoln UK
Occupation
Admin
Good day LCA
As to the best of my knowledge, spreadsheets are easy virus hosts. I guess that is why you have an issue to post those on HEF.
kind regards
Uffex
 
LCA078

LCA078

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 29, 2019
Messages
292
Location
Austin, TX
Oh...one last thought on repositioning bucket ears which have the right size pins. Since the front ears 'pull the bucket' forward, I recommend trying to keep those attached with the factory welds. There's a lot of shear strain trying to rip the front ears off when getting a good bite. In contrast, the back ears primarily push down into the bucket for the curling action. (Of course this is reversed if you back-blade with the bucket or such). So if you just need to reposition the back ears to compensate for the pin to pin center spacing, you might be able to get away with just shimming the front ears and keeping them in the original spots. I think that save a bit of time and keeps better integrity. I never did it this way but always thought that would work if I had too. Maybe someone more knowledge on the forces on the pins will shed some light.
 
uffex

uffex

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 23, 2012
Messages
4,464
Location
Lincoln UK
Occupation
Admin
Good day
Some extra information.
Kind regards
Uffex
 

Attachments

  • Bucket beam .fatigue.pdf
    942 KB · Views: 8
  • Bucket digging power.pdf
    756.1 KB · Views: 7
  • BucketLossBreakout.pdf
    695.1 KB · Views: 5
ecnorton2001

ecnorton2001

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 7, 2022
Messages
47
Location
Upstate, NY
LCA078 said:
There's a thread here somewhere where a member started documenting most of the pin spacings for older excavators. Attached is the last version of the spreadsheet that I downloaded from the thread but maybe someone knows if there is an updated version. I don't see your model listed but maybe you can find similar buckets as Delmer suggested and add shims or bushings as needed. As long as you stick fits in between the ears, you can shim any slack with heavy washers. Do you have a coupler that limits your to a specific pin spacing (center to center)? If not, then Delmer is spot on with you having some back and forth tolerance in the pin center to center spacing.

And if you're not worried about looks, I think you can find the right size bucket with the right size pins and have a good welder modify it. Cut off each ear off in two pieces (one for each pin holder) keeping as much as the ear intact as possible (try to cut them flush where they mount to the bucket to save that profile). Place the pins in your excavator stick and H-bone and use them as a guide where to reposition and weld up the ears you just cut off. Brace with additional metal making sure you have full movement of your bucket without jamming up on your new ears/bracing. Won't win a gold medal for looks but will definitely do the job.

btw- The message wouldn't let me upload the excel spreadsheet version so I had to .pdf it. Maybe this is a new limitation of the latest version of HEF ?
Click to expand...
My excavator is so old it doesn't make the "older excavators" list :)
 
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