so kubota insurance gave me a new bucket for my M59

[Hersheyfarm]

I've welded the crap out of the original bucket. Teeth and cutting edge have broke several times. This last time it broke 3 teeth/shanks off. So I called kubota insurance and they gave me a claim number that I gave my dealer and they ordered a new one. Also, I needed a bucket now so they told me to weld the old one up best I could to get by, but that they needed it for ins adjuster....And said I could get it back when they are done with it, which is good because its lasted digging through the frozen tundra we have.

So I need this new one to be stronger. It seems they skimped on the build of it, the shanks are not welded to front of cutting edge, the supports that run the length of bucket are not welded continuously.

 

[Hersheyfarm]

the tooth on the right is the one that broke off first, then the the middle one that broke off again.

 

[craigbaill]

Wow...glad they are taking care of you! Good thing you know how to weld huh?

 

[2458n]

You need the single ripper on the hoe to rip up frozen tundra. I have been on jobs where the six foot blades used for trenching with carbide teeth were used to get below frozen ground. Breaking one off should have told the operator something.

 

[Hersheyfarm]

The 3 broke teeth I, the operator, broke off was from digging under a rocky footer. I assume the cutting edge had cracks in it already. After patching them back on is when I dug through the tundra with no issue.

 

[Hersheyfarm]

Wow...glad they are taking care of you! Good thing you know how to weld huh?

I just took a chance with that, was completely surprised they did it.

 

[Gary Fowler]

I've welded the crap out of the original bucket. Teeth and cutting edge have broke several times. This last time it broke 3 teeth/shanks off. So I called kubota insurance and they gave me a claim number that I gave my dealer and they ordered a new one. Also, I needed a bucket now so they told me to weld the old one up best I could to get by, but that they needed it for ins adjuster....And said I could get it back when they are done with it, which is good because its lasted digging through the frozen tundra we have.

So I need this new one to be stronger. It seems they skimped on the build of it, the shanks are not welded to front of cutting edge, the supports that run the length of bucket are not welded continuously.View attachment 354586View attachment 354587View attachment 354588View attachment 354589

I wonder why they didn't set the bucket teeth all the way down on the bucket lip prior to welding. It looks like that would have made them a bit stronger. I have a sneaky feeling that you will be doing some repair work to this bucket also if you keep abusing it with rocks and frozen ground.

 

[rScotty]

I wonder why they didn't set the bucket teeth all the way down on the bucket lip prior to welding. It looks like that would have made them a bit stronger. I have a sneaky feeling that you will be doing some repair work to this bucket also if you keep abusing it with rocks and frozen ground.

Well you got me curious so I just went out and looked at my bucket. I think it's the same 24"? bucket you are showing. Yes, on mine the teeth are set all the way down against the bucket lip and the weld to the bucket lip is continuous...right up and around the tooth mount. Yours don't look right to me. I've used mine for years on lightly frozen ground and on lots of rocks without any problems. The M59 is such a brute for power that it continues to surprise me. We rarely run over 1500/1800 rpm. Even at an idle if I stick the BH bucket teeth under on a rock it will pick up the whole front of the tractor - guess it would rotate the entire kit and caboodle upside-down if I didn't ease up. This week the ground is finally frozen so hard that the crust just seems to explode when the bucket rotates through it. That's a signal for me to quit and do some other chores. Just because it will do it doesn't seem reason enough to stress things.
About the support strap welding - they aren't necessarily skimping; an interrupted weld is the proper way to weld two formed parts like that together. However, on mine the welds are slightly longer than on the one in your picture.
luck, rScotty

 

[Hersheyfarm]

"Just because it will do it doesn't seem reason enough to stress things."

We need a paycheck.

 

[repete]

"Just because it will do it doesn't seem reason enough to stress things."

We need a paycheck.

Need a bigger tractor.

I got tired of buying tractor parts because of the "if it can do it, we will do it." attitude. Things are rated for a purpose. If you want a bucket to lift 1000 pounds buy one rated for at least 1000 pounds. My little 2550 will lift 1000 pounds, but it is rated at 700 pounds. But trust me, over use will eventually break the little tractor.

I have a 1 ton dump truck that I have hauled in excess of 16,000 pounds (GVW). It pulled it, but it sure smoked the brakes trying to get it stopped on a grade.

My 2 cents.

 

[rScotty]

"Just because it will do it doesn't seem reason enough to stress things."

We need a paycheck.

Hershey, that's a powerful statement. Not many things in the last few decades have caused me to pause and think like what you just wrote.

It reminded me of when I was in my 20s and doing manual day labor with a bunch of other men. One day the boss came over and said something like, " You're certainly a hard working guy. You're a self-starter, you do good work and you get a lot done." and I said, "thanks", and he just sort of shook his head as he walked away and said I'd missed the point .

I've thought about him and what he said to me a lot since that time. It's taken half a century, but I think some understanding is beginning to creep in through the cracks.
rScotty

 

[The Fred]

Hershey, that's a powerful statement. Not many things in the last few decades have caused me to pause and think like what you just wrote.

It reminded me of when I was in my 20s and doing manual day labor with a bunch of other men. One day the boss came over and said something like, " You're certainly a hard working guy. You're a self-starter, you do good work and you get a lot done." and I said, "thanks", and he just sort of shook his head as he walked away and said I'd missed the point .

I've thought about him and what he said to me a lot since that time. It's taken half a century, but I think some understanding is beginning to creep in through the cracks.
rScotty

Sounds like the boss was telling you that you're lazy. Don't take it the wrong way but that's what it sounds like to me.

The unfinished welds on his bucket seem like a weak link.

Fred

 

[rScotty]

Sounds like the boss was telling you that you're lazy. Don't take it the wrong way but that's what it sounds like to me.
The unfinished welds on his bucket seem like a weak link.
Fred

Yeah, that's real close to the conclusion I came to as well. You put it differently than I would have, but it's about the same. It took me a long time to figure out that the boss was saying I was doing most of the physical work but leaving him to take the responsibility. Even if it wasn't quite the same thing as being physically lazy, it came down to pretty much the same thing. So I changed it & started working for myself. Much nicer for both of us.

Around the teeth on the edge of the bucket lip I agree. But on the curve of the bucket I see those welds as being "interrupted" instead of "unfinished". Interrupting those welds makes a space between the beads where the unwelded part can work like a spring to soak up the stresses between those two pieces of steel. Stitch welding.
rScotty

 

[Herkypilot]

Yeah, that's real close to the conclusion I came to as well. You put it differently than I would have, but it's about the same. It took me a long time to figure out that the boss was saying I was doing most of the physical work but leaving him to take the responsibility. Even if it wasn't quite the same thing as being physically lazy, it came down to pretty much the same thing. So I changed it & started working for myself. Much nicer for both of us.

Around the teeth on the edge of the bucket lip I agree. But on the curve of the bucket I see those welds as being "interrupted" instead of "unfinished". Interrupting those welds makes a space between the beads where the unwelded part can work like a spring to soak up the stresses between those two pieces of steel. Stitch welding.
rScotty

Well I thought the Boss's point was you have a good work ethic that will take you a long way - why are you doing all this manual labor - work smarter, not harder...