one cubic yard loader bucket

[dfkrug]

Ever wish your loader bucket was WAY bigger, like when you
want to haul trash or firewood? Well I've been there...often.

So I decided to build a replacement bucket for my loader, a bucket
that could carry 1 cubic yard of material (heaped). Of course,
this won't be a cy of rocks or wet dirt, and it lends itself to manual
loading, not driving into a pile.

I needed to make this strong enough, yet not so heavy that I use
up most of my loader lifting capacity empty. If I built this of 1/8" steel
and thicker edges, It would probably weight 600-700lb. Too much.

The result is a bucket that is probably 300+ lb, constructed mostly of
1.5x1.5x1/8 angle and .060 galvanized sheet. It is welded to 2x4
rectangular tubing so I can drive my pallet fork attachment into it
for easy use. The paint job will have to wait for warmer, less humid
weather.

My use of this Kioti CK30's loader is what I call fork-centric. Since my
primary FEL use is lifting stuff, I have custom-built dedicated forks,
built for strength and light weight. They do not adjust side-to-side, but
I have not found that to be a significant limitation. Attachments fit on
the forks, which is opposite to putting attachmnts on the loader bkt.

[john_bud]

Nice project! Good photos too.

That looks larger than a yard. What are the dimensions of the bucket? Looks like it's 36" tall, 36" deep and 72" wide. Wouldn't that make the capacity a yard, not heaped? Maybe a yard and a half heaped? So confusing!

jb

[SPYDERLK]

Great idea. I have a 275G leaker fuel oil tank that I cut in half years ago and painted. Ill mod half of it for something like that.
Larry

[dfkrug]

Originally Posted by john_bud

Nice project! Good photos too.

That looks larger than a yard. What are the dimensions of the bucket? Looks like it's 36" tall, 36" deep and 72" wide. Wouldn't that make the capacity a yard, not heaped? Maybe a yard and a half heaped? So confusing!

jb

Thx.

Dims are 30x36x72 for a volume of 22.5 cf not heaped. That's .83 cy.
Heaping needed to get that last 4.5 cf. Heaping split firewood is
generally what happens.

[3RRL]

Hi Dave,
I see you finally got that giant bucket together and all fabbed up. It looks real good and pretty sturdy too. It should work great for what your intended it for. Can't wait to see the paint job on it.
Your tractor looks pretty good too. I'd also like to see more shots of those forks when you get a chance.

[dfkrug]

Originally Posted by SPYDERLK

Great idea. I have a 275G leaker fuel oil tank that I cut in half years ago and painted. Ill mod half of it for something like that.
Larry

A tank....I like that idea. Hope it is not too heavy. I have a current
project where I will be able to weigh all my implements. I will report
what I come up with for this bkt.

[dfkrug]

Originally Posted by 3RRL

Hi Dave,
I see you finally got that giant bucket together and all fabbed up. It looks real good and pretty sturdy too. It should work great for what your intended it for. Can't wait to see the paint job on it.
Your tractor looks pretty good too. I'd also like to see more shots of those forks when you get a chance.

Well, Rob, you embarassed me into getting it posted. You are so ****
productive! Thx for the support.

Still, the paint job is missing, I know. My humidity and low temps make
the oil-based stuff I use not want to harden.

I will dig up more fork attachment shots.

[dfkrug]

Originally Posted by 3RRL

I'd also like to see more shots of those forks when you get a chance.

Here is the first set of these I did for my earlier main tractor (Kubota).
The fork tines were 1.75x6 originally and were HEAVY. I first adapted
them to hang from my FEL bucket, then decided I do not like bucket
forks (can't see what you are doing!). I paid a steel warehouse to
use their large plasma cutter to cut the forks the long way. Then I
welded up a pin-on frame with lifting hook. Works great!

[MadReferee]

Here is a picture of a side by side comparison of a 1 1/8 cu yd dozer bucket and a 60" Kubota bucket. There is a BIG difference.

[jinman]

Originally Posted by dfkrug

Ever wish your loader bucket was WAY bigger, like when you
want to haul trash or firewood? Well I've been there...often.

So I decided to build a replacement bucket for my loader, a bucket
that could carry 1 cubic yard of material (heaped). Of course,
this won't be a cy of rocks or wet dirt, and it lends itself to manual
loading, not driving into a pile.

My first impression of seeing your new bucket was to think the front should have been a 6" to 1' high lip. Since you are not pushing this into a pile, it doesn't really have to have a thin lip, does it? I think it's a terrific idea for all kinds of carrying jobs, but I think if it is sitting flat on the ground while you are filling it, you may have things falling out the front until you get it curled back. That's my only suggestion on what seems like a great idea to me.