The other thing to consider here is even if you have a "manufacturers rating" what does that actaully mean and what kind of safety factors were they using? Some people think a 2:1 safety factor is fine. In the wire rope industry I've seen 4 and 5:1 safety factors on parting strength. Also, having a bucket full of some weight is different than putting forks that extend out past the bucket with the same weight. This will tend to load the members where your lift cylinders attach much more than the full bucket scenario (assuming you are preventing tipping as you mentioned). In any case as a side-note, I would not allow anyone underneath a load suspended by a tractor loader for these reasons - it's just too risky. Even if it is structurally strong enough you could have a failure due to a weakened hydraulic hose ready to burst or some other problem. I think forklifts, manlifts, etc. get around some of this by having special (check) valves that lock in case of a hose rupture.
500 lbs is probably a good number to keep in mind although I'm sure you'll find you'll be able to handle more than that. Your experience/judgement will probably be your best guide though.