How big of clean up bucket can I use?

[bdog1234]

I just got a Deere 35G. Long arm with cab and 8,715 lbs. 3,307 lb lift over front and 1,481 lb lift over side.

I have 12", 18" & 24" digging buckets with teeth. I want a large smooth bucket for cleanup, grading, and possibly loading loose material into trucks. How big can I go?

 

[Clguest]

I use a 39" grading bucket easily on my Bobcat E35 with long arm. The mini ex weighs 8100#. This is the recommended BC bucket for that machine.

 

[Coastal]

You can go quite wide, but you have to keep the depth of the bucket in scale, so your capacity doesn't get to be too much.

Also I saw a jd 35d stick break off at the end with too much load on it. Not sure if they changed anything for a 35g.

 

[Canadian_digger]

I also use 39" on my E32 bobcat

 

[Diggin-Fool]

I have a Kubota U35 with 12", 24" toothed buckets. I followed dealer recommendation of 30" grading bucket. I suppose anything bigger would be too much stress?

 

[Delmer]

How big do you want to go? I use a 42" muck bucket on a backhoe, which is a heavier machine, but similarly sized hoe. I thought that would be overkill, but it works great for cleaning ditches, even firm clay.

Now if you're letting others use it, then any wide bucket is more risk of abuse than a narrow bucket.

 

[suladas]

Depends on exactly what you want to do with it. If you plan to do any sort of digging, you need it much narrower. I run 2 smooth buckets on my mini, one I can dig, etc anything, the other is more for loose bulky stuff, it's only 6" wider, but more much capacity. A 39" bucket would not be good for doing anything except perfectly loose material. Also something to consider, you want to keep the bucket light, or you'll loose capacity. If you cannot heap it, you're loosing capacity by having too large of bucket. Again, just depending on your use of the machine.

 

[Ronsii]

We have 12", 24" and 36" buckets for our case CX36B mini and dig with both 24 and 36 smooth edge buckets... the 36 will dig just fine in most soil conditions around here unless you get into hardpan or cement treated, the only other reason we use the 24 is if don't want any wider trench or between utilities. As for the 12 it may sound like a good idea but in reality it takes longer to dig a narrower trench and then it better be a shallow one or you can't work in it anyway sometimes we use the 12 for sneaking between utilities also or pull the plate off it for extremely hard diggings like asphalt ripping or cement treat where they got carried away with the portland cement

 

[farmboy555]

I’m in the process of building 48” grading bucket for my Vio55
Just depends on the operator and a little common sense

 

[bdog1234]

Thanks Guys. I ordered a 48"

 

[KSSS]

I use a deep 48" on a 6 ton Takeuchi. You do have to use common sense with these if your borderline too big, or you get into wet material. Unlevel ground, heavy material can require some finesse. Couldn't live without that bucket though. I also have another similar bucket that is hyd. tilt. No shortage of uses for it.

 

[OTG AuGres]

I’ve got a 52” grading bucket for my E42 with extendable arm. I think my weight is about 9300. Mine pulls that bucket fine.

 

[digger242j]

We run a 35C and have a 48" cleanup bucket. Mostly it's used for finish grading it tight quarters, but yesterday I used it to load out some sloppy wet spoils from a water line repair. Loading into a tandem dump, directly off to the side, it was fine, but swinging over the sideboards I could tell it was just at the edge of getting a little tippy.

 

[GMCHD Plower]

I run a 39” with hydra-tilt on my e42 with a standard stick and it just plays with it.

 

[bdog1234]

I got the 48 in but haven’t tried it yet. I also ended up with a 34” with no teeth. I used it yesterday to remove some wet concrete overage and I had no problems with the 34 full of wet concrete.