Front-End Loader FEL bucket longevity?

   / FEL bucket longevity? #1  

Dirtslinger2

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Nov 3, 2008
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17
Great forum here BTW!

My tractor (Kubota MX5100, 50HP) is brand new, will be used for many purposes but the bucket will particularly get used the hardest while picking up (scraping)topsoil and bark mulch from piles off of concrete/asphalt, as well as picking up small boulders for placement elsewhere.

In 3 hours, naturally the paint is beginning to flake within the bucket- as would be expected. BUT how about the metal- is this something that wears out over time or should it outlast the tractor itself?

Thanks again!
 
   / FEL bucket longevity? #2  
Buckets get ugly but usually last forever, at least on our tractors. Rocks will twist and bang them up though. If you do a lot of backdragging and/or snowplowing on asphalt with it, expect to replace the cutting edge every so often.
 
   / FEL bucket longevity? #3  
welcome to TBN.

I have been watching posts here for several years.... have never heard of anyone "wearing out" their FEL bucket. Comments that HAVE come up include:

lip is bent... wish I had installed a toothbar to reinforce it.
A toothbar is the best add-on for the $
add hooks to bucket to lift things
add a receiver hitch to move trailers around.

There are several kinds of bucket... heavy duty ones, lighter duty ones,etc... don't know which one you have.

I doubt that you will ever wear out a bucket... even if you spend many hours using it...

I strongly suggest you get a toothbar... and read the numerous threads here describing how to use a bucket... backdragging.... find the float feature... don't lift from one corner only... carry heavy loads low... don't lift high and tip so that material falls back on your head, etc...
 
   / FEL bucket longevity?
  • Thread Starter
#4  
Thanks to both of you. Yeah I do plan to have a couple hooks to the bucket- would use them frequently.
I will look up a toothbar- haven't heard that mentioned yet. And the float feature is great for what I did today.
And I had no idea the cutting edge was replaceable- that's GREAT!
 
   / FEL bucket longevity? #5  
DirtSlinger - my ancient B7100 was owned by a landscaper. He used the FEL and backhoe every day. The bucket is bent. dented and I've welded up a couple of tears. It has had a hard life. But it still works just fine. And will probably do so till I finish with the tractor...

I think the loader bucket will probably last the life of the tractor unless you grind the lip scraping over concrete. But the wear edge is sacrificial - so you can just get it replaced. Which makes it a bit like Grand Father's Axe, I guess, but...

When I bought teeth for my bucket (essential!) I sourced them from the guys who do wear edges for the mining industry around here. I did ask about either a replacement bucket or some industrial panel-beating. They just looked at me funny. The story was that buckets just get fixed. They don't replace them very often. The dead ones they had there were mostly crushed flat by large earthmoving things running them over:eek:

The only thing I'd add to TexasJohn's comment is to work slowly with the loader, until you get used to it. You can pick up a sizable percentage of a tractors weight in the FEL and as you move it quickly your centre of gravity changes accordingly. On cross slopes it is very easy to move the CoG outside the wheelbase.... with consquent eath-meets-side-of-tractor results. Likewise lifting heavy things up high - if you unload high the weight distribution changes instantly. I've had the B7100 try to tip backwards unloading high pointing up-hill (I was expecting that to happen, but nevertheless it makes you wish you were wearing brown trousers...).

Welcome!

/Kevin
 
   / FEL bucket longevity? #6  
When traveling with a full bucket, keep it low to the ground. There's no need to have it more than about 6" high. Don't raise the bucket until you get to where you want to dump the load, then stop and raise the bucket to dump.

As you travel across rough terrain with a load that may be higher than your hood, keep your hand on the FEL joystick and drop the load to the ground instantly if your tractor becomes unstable.
 

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   / FEL bucket longevity? #7  
As long as we're giving out safety tips, if/when travelling with your bucket held low, ALWAYS keep the cutting edge curled up so it doesn't bite at unexpected times. :eek:
 

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   / FEL bucket longevity? #8  
If you are using it a lot to scrape loads from a paved surface, you should look into an add on cutting edge. The add on edge will be easier to replace than the original edge. It will also beef up the bucket strength. Unlike a toothbar, it still allow you to scrape the surface clean like you can now.
Be sure to keep the lip of the edge slightly lower than the bucket bottom when scraping, otherwise you will soon wear off the strips on the bottom of the bucket too.
 
   / FEL bucket longevity? #9  
If you load a lot of rocks and or dig in rocky soil a lot it will wear the cutting edge down to half or less within a few years. My friend's L4400 is the proof for that. He needed a new one in 3yrs but the bucket itself is still just fine.
 
   / FEL bucket longevity? #10  
Reinforce the "top back" of the bucket. I use 2x2 tubeing, then attach any hooks or what ever to that. "Insane"
 
 
 
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