"Construction Attachments" 4 in 1 bucket

[jmfox]

Well said.

jmf

I think it is important for folks who are interested in 4n1 buckets to understand these limitations. I own one and do find it useful but it is not the all purpose tool that it's name implies. I keep using the Swiss Army Knife analogy which I still think is valid. I keep a Swiss Army Knife around because it is convenient to have all those tools in one place but I would never assume that such a knife is the best tool for any job. I really like my 4n1 primarily as an all purpose loader attachment when I am digging holes or stumps with my backhoe. It allows me to fix the area up after I am done digging and cart away the stump/rock whatever without taking two trips.

To me the real problem with 4n1 buckets for CUTs is that they are pretty expensive for the functions you get and that most of the functions are actually much better accomplished with a purpose built implement. No one should be fooled thinking that a 4n1 is as good at grappling material as a regular grapple or as good at bulldozing as a box blade or as relatively indestructible as a standard bucket. For the price of a decent 4n1 (about $2000) you can get a separate grapple and a boxblade to supplement your standard bucket so thate is no good economic reason to have a 4n1. They can be justified for convenience and especially for people who work with their tractors far from where they store their other implements (like a construction crew for example). Still, so long as potential purchasers know the limitations the 4n1 can be a valuable though rather expensive tool.

 

[dfkrug]

With a tractor that light, you don't stand much of a chance at damaging your 4 in 1.

I bought my 4-in-1 used and it had already been bent on the top lip. This
was from using the momentum of the tractor I will bet. I have fixed several
regular FEL bkts that were bent severely by the operator running them at
speed into various stationary objects. Even a 3500# tractor moving at
several miles/hr can do some serious damage to a FEL. The designers of
these implements are factoring in a certain amount of force anticipated by
the tractor they are intended for. They are probably NOT anticipating
forces resulting from driving a tractor more than a couple of mph into an
immovable load.

 

[IslandTractor]

The designers of
these implements are factoring in a certain amount of force anticipated by
the tractor they are intended for. They are probably NOT anticipating
forces resulting from driving a tractor more than a couple of mph into an
immovable load.

I agree it is the "bulldozer" function of the 4n1 that is most likely to cause trouble. If you start with the dozer blade against an object and push it is very unlikely you would damage the blade or FEL but if you get up a head of steam and then ram into an unmovable object either the blade or the FEL arms suffer. Real bulldozers have short stubby arms and massive blades and they also travel more slowly.

 

[jmfox]

I think the problem is weight. My experience with full size construction grade equipment was that a bent bucket meant abuse. Enter compacts and "attachments" and you can't assume if it will lift it you can move it. Even at an idle I bet I can bend any 4n1 bucket without help of speed, momentum, sudden movement or stop. Strength of compact attachments is limited by weight. When I put my 4n1 over my head and crawl up there, it is pretty scary to see that I can shake the machine with very little body movement.

jmf