Bucket hooks with round top bar?

[torchroadster]

I have a NH TC29D with the heavy duty bucket which has a round reinforcing bar across the top of the bucket, like the one in this picture (picture is not my tractor). I need to mount some chain hooks on the bucket and am wondering what the best way to deal with the round surface is.

The easiest solution may be to mount them behind the bar on the flat part of the bucket and just drape the chain over the bar. Does anyone foresee any problems with that?

Alternatively I could fabricate something to provide a flat surface on top of the bar, but would rather avoid that. I've searched for what others may have done with this type of bucket but haven't found much.

Ideas? Thanks -

 

[square1]

Off hand, these two spots would seem to be heavier / better supported areas that would help avoid the tube, I don't know that avoiding the tube is necessary, but my bucket top is somewhat caved from the previous owner lifting something heavy with the weight on the bucket top leading edge.

 

[chim]

I'd weld a piece of flat bar between the top of the lip to the bend and mount the hooks to that.

There are alternatives. I used slotted heavy angle on the last two tractors for the past 22 years and prefer it over hooks. The chain drops into the slots easily. I can unhook the load by rolling the bucket fully, dropping it, and backing away. Extra chain can be dropped into the slots to keep it out of the way. They are bolted on against the back of the lip.

 

[square1]

^^^ Like ^^^

Have you ever had a chain pop out of the slot? thinking a 1/2" wide x 1/8" deep horizontal groove ground out at the bottom of the slots would grab the chain, but also thinking that would weaken the attachment. hmmmmmm...

 

[CNC Dan]

^^^ Like ^^^

Have you ever had a chain pop out of the slot? thinking a 1/2" wide x 1/8" deep horizontal groove ground out at the bottom of the slots would grab the chain, but also thinking that would weaken the attachment. hmmmmmm...

Use channel instead of angle to make it harder for the chain to lift out.

Or weld a few beads across the top edge to form a small lip that would stop the chain from slipping out of the slot.

 

[GPintheMitten]

I would weld angle iron in line with the loader arms. Then weld the hooks to them. Probably some 3 inch angle about 2-3 inches wide for each hook.

 

[Gary Fowler]

I would weld angle iron in line with the loader arms. Then weld the hooks to them. Probably some 3 inch angle about 2-3 inches wide for each hook.

I like this suggestion. Also a piece of channel iron laid flat on the top and welded to the rolled lip and the flat part of the bucket would work. Just about any piece of structural steel that you could fit into the space between the attachment gussets and the rounded lip of the bucket would work. You could even put them on the outside lip as Square1 suggested, however, I like to have mine in line with my loader arms to keep as much side twist as possible out of the pick up point.

Another option would be to put the angle or channel from lift arm to lift arm skip welding it on both sides to further strengthen the top lip of the bucket, then you could add a third hook in the middle without fear of bending the center of the bucket.

 

[Buckgnarly]

Take thick bar stock equal to width and length of hooks and deep as the round tube, cut a half circle the same diameter as the top round into the bottom. Weld that to the top, then use that to mount the hooks.

 

[varmint]

Gary Fowler's idea of welding a channel (say, 1" legs, 3" width?) on the round bar makes a lot of sense to me... easy to weld along the length, plenty strong, and a great surface for whatever you want to use... Chim's concept is nice, too, as long as the bucket is tilted back enough to secure the chain.

 

[V1Rotate]

I have the exact same tractor and bucket. The previous owner simply welded a hook to the center of the bucket right behind the curled piece with no reinforcement This has worked quite well but after dragging some heavy brush, the top of the bucket got slightly bent. It still works but if I were to install another hook I would reinforce the bucket like the other posters have said.