Bucket Hooks FEL hooks

[John Weaver]

I am thinking of adding grab hooks to my FEL bucket. I had a thought I wanted to share. I am planning to use "eye" type hooks. Figure I can use the "eye" hole to tie a rope to or connect a shackle, etc. I mostly see clevis grab hooks used around here, but don't see any reason for them except being cheeper. John.

 

[smilingreen]

John,
What size bucket do you have? I have a 60" on my #70 loader and do not have hooks. I feed the binder strap through my tube above the loader bucket. The only thing I can think of that may cause problems with the eye hooks is they are not made for pulling at a side angle, due to the fact that only one bolt goes through the hole, they are made for vertical lifts. I could be wrong, but I would think that the bucket material would get bent if you put a big strain on the eye bolt. Just my humble opinion.

 

[Thomas]

John,
About year ago there were many post on this topic w/photos,which had lot of new and interesting ideas.
One thing you might consider if you weld or bolt the hooks etc.. to your bucket,strenghten in the area in which the hooks etc...shall be install,for seen many buckets damage.

 

[Egon]

John:

I used eye hooks on my B7100 bucket. I bolted them on to the bucket sides so the hook extends beyond the bucket side. They do bend the side at times but a hammer fixes that. Using two chains allows you to pick up a log Or??? One can also carry larger items in the bucket by using a chain between the two hooks to hold the item with the bottom resting on the bottom of the bucket and tilting the bucket forward.
Attaching a reinforcement plate to the sides of the bucket would probably be a good idea.

Egon

 

[John Weaver]

Thanks for the ideas. I have a # 70 loader also and the metal is not very thick. I think that reinforcing the edge of the bucket is a good idea. I don't want to bend the bucket (it is still new). John.

 

[JRP]

Dave is right that eye bolts are designed for vertical lifting. Some industrail companies make special ones that swivel and are made for angle lifting of, for example, big dies. Very expensive.

A welded grab hook can be very strong. The slot accepts chain and lets you take up excess chain slack very easy. Extra chain drops into the bucket. "System 7" chain is alloy, extra strong. Hooks for System 7 are orange color and cost about $6. The instant adjust of a grab hook would be a significant thing to pass up if you choose an eye.


I like a system 7 chain because you get a smaller, easy to handle chain that is very strong. A 1/4" chain would work well for small tractors. I use a 5/16" on my M6800. The 5/16" grab hooks will also hold 1/4" chain.

JRPoux

 

[John_Mc]

<font color=blue>A welded grab hook can be very strong. ... Hooks for System 7 are orange color and cost about $6.</font color=blue>

Just curious. Do you have to take any special precautions when welding on such a hook to avoid destroying it's strength? I would think the heat might have some effect on it.

I'm planning on adding hooks to the bucket of my Woods 1012 loader. Any suggestions on precautions to take would be appreciated. (I'm a lousy welder, so I'm bothering a friend with more experience to do it for me.)

John

 

[Egon]

eye bolts are designed for vertical lifting

Should this not be, major stress along the main axis of the hook? If the hook is left free to rotate this will happen.
I also use one on a home made three point tool bar to which chains can be attached. It is free to rotate and definetly is not vertical.

Egon

 

[Boondox]

I welded hooks on the side of my bucket, with just the slot that accepts the chain protruding. That way I was able to take advantage of the reinforced metal on the side to skirt the bending problem, plus the instant adjustability for using chains. Since I move a lot of logs, that was particularly important for me.

Never had a bit of bending.

Pete

 

[GlueGuy]

Somebody had posted pictures of a hook arrangement that I thought was superior to just about all the other arrangements I've seen. Unfortunately, I don't remember who it was, or where it was. /w3tcompact/icons/crazy.gif

It was on a Kubota, at least I remember that. He had welded three brackets to the top of the bucket; left, right, & center. Each bracket was drilled transversely to the center-line of the tractor (holes went side-ways). Into these holes, he could mount either grab hooks or slip hooks as the job required. Looked simple, strong, and versatile. I liked it. When I install hooks on my bucket, I think I will follow a similar strategy.