Next I reinforced my light duty bucket.
Since the dozer-half carcass is only 1/8" thick, I decided to add a couple
of 1/8" x 10" plates in the middle. Since I handle a lot of rocks around here,
I have seen what they can do to 1/8" plate. More plate would have been
even better, but I don't want to add too much weight. I started by bending
a section of the plate in my
hyd press, to a radius smaller that the bucket's
radius. This allowed me to weld one end, then tack both sides progressively
as I used clamps to un-bend the plate. The result is the plate is attached
very tightly to the bucket. The 2nd photo shows the completed welds. I
also attached some 1/4" plow steel at each exposed bucket side....six places.
The OEM 3/16" sides are way too wimpy, IMO.
The 3rd photo shows the completed dozer jaw...with paint, but sans hoses
and cylinders. I dumped the OEM 7/8" lower cylinder pins for some hardened
Kubota pins, but I am going to live with the fact that they have no zerks.
Next up: hydraulics