I agree. It's needed mostly for
ballast so in theory you could add other forms of counterweight but in practice it is hard to replace a 700-1000 lb hunk of ballast projected that far forward. Also, if needed, the bucket can be positioned to serve as an anchor to prevent the BH from dragging the tractor backwards as you dig. Finally, there are not too many BH operations that can be completed without using the bucket/FEL to either move whatever it is you are digging (stump, rock, dirt) or to clean up the mess you've created by filling, leveling etc.