Bucket hook help

[grwoolf]

I would like to weld some bucket hooks on my new tractor bucket and have a coulple questions. I will be using the hooks for misc. lifting/pulling. After reviewing many posts, there are a lot of variations, but it seems fairly common to have a catch hook near each end of the bucket and a slip hook in the center. My questions:

What advantage does a slip hook have over another catch in the middle? I can see that it would be easier to hook onto large nyon, bigger chain, etc., but can't think of any appliations off the top of my head where I would actually need/want the chain slipping through the hook.

If I do have a slip hook in the middle, In many cases I see myself using the slip hook in combination with one of the side catch hooks to "catch" the chain. All the photos I saw of this configuration shows all the hooks welded on straight front to back (90 degrees to the FEL cutting edge). Is there any concern for the chain slipping out of the catch hook when running through the slip hook since the chain and pulling force will be coming in directly from the side of the catch hook rather than the front?

I assume you could wrap the chain around the front of the catch hook and maybe eliminate this issue (if it is an issue). Would it be better to weld the catch hooks at an angle so that the chain from the slip hook is being pulled toward the front of the catch hook to securly lock it in place?

Does any of this make sense? This is very clear in my head, but hard to describe.

 

[TractorLegend]

Not sure if I can answer all your ponderings, but will give you me thoughts. I have a Kioti CK30HST. I think the compact tractors in general have thinner buckets than say a Case backhoe. So most guys either weld a 5/16 or 3/8 chain hooks to the top side corners of the bucket where its stiffer metal or use a chunk of 1/4 thick by 3" X 2" angle iron the width of the top of your bucket and weld chain hooks (5/16" weld on chain hooks are fine) on the 3" surface spaced out so ones on each end and ones in the middle. Then stitch weld the angle iron to the top edge of the bucket so the 2" side is facing down and the 3" side is flat across the top. I think 5/16 grade 40 chain is plenty strong for any he-man (er person) tasks the tractor is capable of.
See www.awdirect.com for chain and hooks. 3/8 is too heavy in my opinion, and costs more. They even have nylon chunks with chain hook ends.
You can angle the bucket to keep chain on.
Some guys use angle iron pointed up with 5/16 or 3/8 slits cut top to bottom for chain slots. You would have to be pretty good with a cutting torch--I tend to blob everything, or use a plasma cutter.

 

[jeffinsgf]

I went against the grain and installed two slip hooks on my bucket. I have two grab hooks on my Bobcat bucket, and I have to constantly adjust the position of the chain if I am lifting something that must be centered. By using two slip hooks, I can loop the chain ends through whatever I am hoisting, hook the chain back to itself, then throw the resultant loop of chain over the two slip hooks. Now the load will center itself automatically. I may find a situation where grab hooks would be superior, but in a couple of weeks since I installed them, I haven't run into to that situation yet. While it kills the fun of using your welder, I used bolt-on 10,000lb. rated 4WD tow hooks.