Bucket hook mounted on a plate & predrilled

[thcri]

My bucket doesn't make it as easy. I will have to weld a hook on the upper part and then weld something underneath also. Otherwise I think I would just bend the top over.

See Picture attached. I don't need nothing big, just to mostly lift my 72" MMM for cleaning and some other odds and ends.

Murph

[OkieG]

Most of the time, the weight savings of a light materials bucket make it a great deal, especially for lifting "stuff", which is what a bucket is made for in the first place. But, when you want to do some tugging with a hook, the light duty construction works against you. I believe the reinforcement necessary to adequately stiffen the bucket around the hook adds little weight, but allows increased functionality. If your bucket is as light duty as mine, you will definitely benefit from extra steel around the mounting site.

OkieG

[powershop]

Hi Bill: Here is how I did it. Don't think the BX has the power to break the hook or hurt the bucket where it is mounted. Also you can curl the bucket the whole way down and hook the ball socket on a trailer and move it around.

[thcri]

Okie,

I am not so sure if my bucket is light weight, but it has this upper lip on it that really is not part of the bucket that has lighter metal on it. If I could get underneath the lip then I would be in some pretty tough stuff. So I am thinking, well the hook to the cheap upper plate and weld a good spacer from the cheap stuff to the good stuff.

Murph

[OkieG]

I think you are on the right track. You can always escalate the reinforcement if your first trial uses indicate. That's what I had to do. My bucket "hook" is pretty well supported now, for what I use it for (which is anything that comes along). [img]/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

Could you post a snapshot of more of a side view of your bucket top? I don't get a good feel for it from your other picture.

OkieG

[jyoutz]

Why mess around with just a plate? What I did was to buy a piece of angle iron 2"x2"x1/4" the length of the top of my bucket lip. I also bought a piece of flat steel 2" x 1/4". I welded the hook to the top of the angle iron (you could just take them to a welding shop for about 15 minutes worth of shop time). Then I drilled 4 holes in the angle iron. and through my bucket lip. I also clamped the flat iron on the underside of the bucket lip and drilled through the flat piece too. Then 4 grade 8 bolts complete the job. Easy, cheap and this really, really reinforces your bucket lip.

[Slippy]

That sounds like a great idea, but I'm sorry, I don't understand how the angle iron part works with the welded hook. If you have on side flat to the top of the bucket, is the other side sticking up, and how do you weld the hook on? Got the part about the reinforcement on the other side. Got a picture?

[CTyler]

If his is like my bucket the top lip of the bucket is more like a rounded square. The flat part would be on top with the angle going down and welded to the lip.

You could have it sticking up as well. This would allow you to cut slots in it to act as a grab hook for different sized chain etc..