Hooks on buckets are handy. I had a chain hook just laying around and I decided to weld it on the bucket of my home made excavator. I just left the ears on and just welded it right on. Taking the ears off would have been better but oh well it's working fine.
I figured it would come in handy some day. And it did. A few months ago me and my dad were taking out fence posts and straightening some out. He wrapped the chain around the poles and hooked the chain to the hook on the bucket and I lifted the poles out of the ground.
After we got the poles out, we went on to straightening the leaning poles. I dug around them and he wrapped the chain around the poles and once again hooked it to the bucket hook and I pulled them back straight.
The excavator held them upright while we threw some rocks down in the hole and packed dirt around it.
I will never do without a bucket hook ever again. lol
If I ever buy a mini excavator, and it doesn't have any hooks on the bucket. You better bet, I'm gonna welds a hook or 2 on right away. lol
Chad