My New 4in1 Bucket Came In!

[RDrancher]

Thought I'd share some pics of the 4in1 bucket I purchased from High Rock Skid Steer Attachments - High Rock Skid Steer Attachments. It's an 80". Of course, at 1025# it's way too much for my tractor, but just right for my T320. It's much beefier than the Bradco or Bobcat versions and a whole bunch less expensive. Shipping was fast too. I'll post action shots on my photo thread soon.

 

[Rustyiron]

Nice bucket! I miss mine.

 

[Green Power]

Nice Bucket! It looks very stout.

 

[kevin37b]

Heavy duty , be hard to bend those side plates . Why the 4 in 1 instead of a grapple ? Just curious .

 

[RDrancher]

Kevin - Yep, the side plates are beefy. I like the way the clamshell jaws ride inside the side plates too. To answer your question, I'll have more grading and swale jobs than brushwork and the 4n1 will get used a lot. My employer back in the 70's had them on all of their International track loaders. Real handy. Also, there are only 68" and 72" 4n1's available for rent nearby and I need a minimum of 78". There are a host of grapples around and the width doesn't matter as much.

Here is the bucket attached to the ctl. I need to figure out a setup for the hose run to keep them out of the way of the bucket, tracks and keep them from getting pinched by the cylinders/loading arms. I've seen heavy springs and the welded rod w/circle type, but I'm open to suggestion.

 

[ovrszd]

I'm so jealous. I want one of these really bad, but I'm cheap..... I've been searching for a used one for about six months. It's an attachment that just isn't sold often. Once an owner has one, they don't want to give it up.

I've thought about building one so am gathering photos. Thanks for posting yours!!!

 

[RDrancher]

Richard - There are a lot of things to think about when it comes to building one. Of course there's material thickness/weight , but there's also hinge angles, cylinder length of stroke and optimizing cylinder pressure/size to machine pressure. Too much for me to think about! :laughing: You're a brave man!

The 4in1's from Bradco, CAT and a bunch of others are lighter in weight. I've used them on ctl's before and didn't want to go there with this machine. The paint on mine might not be as nice as CA's (comparable in weight), or the name brands, but we know what happens to that.

 

[rasorbackq]

I am aware what a normal bucket does but what is there a 4 in 1 does that a normal bucket can't do?

 

[RDrancher]

A lot! Here are just a few off the top of my head.

If you're pushing out dirt, instead of rolling the bucket forward to dump, you can open the clamshell and doze the rest out with the push of a button. Another push of the button closes the clamshell for backdraging on the way out. With an open clamshell you can use it kinda like an excavator bucket to create a swale. Open it just a smidge with a load of gravel and you can sprinkle it while you move. Pick up rocks/boulders and sift out the soil the same way. With the clamshell open (usually in float), you can backdrag with the front edge while using the back dozer blade and curl function to set the depth of cut. Anything you can grab within the limits of the machine and opening of clamshell can be picked up, from trees to that last little shovelful of dirt at the end of a pile. You can also do a better job of loading dump trucks that are just a bit too high.

 

[7879fordman]

I am aware what a normal bucket does but what is there a 4 in 1 does that a normal bucket can't do?

The only thing I see is grapple alittle .

Sent from my iPhone 5 using TractorByNet

 

[nc redneck]

A friend of mine who runs a full time land clearing dirt moving operation told me years ago. If it is not 4 wheel drive and no 4 in 1 its not worth having. A 4 in 1 can pick up logs, dirt, gravel and do it clean no pushing a pile around. It can spread gravel better than scrape or box blade. Pull 4x4 or 6x6 or fence post out of the ground. Plus a lot more
You will love it. The only problem is once you have one and get good with it you will never have a tractor without.
Enjoy

 

[Xfaxman]

-----------------------------

Here is the bucket attached to the ctl. I need to figure out a setup for the hose run to keep them out of the way of the bucket, tracks and keep them from getting pinched by the cylinders/loading arms. I've seen heavy springs and the welded rod w/circle type, but I'm open to suggestion.

My tilt-tach came with a long spring, with a clamp on top to hold the hoses. I don't have any good pictures of it, but you can see it here: Tilt-Tach for Skid Steer Buckets | Berlon Industries

 

[RDrancher]

Thank you Xfaxman, I found that one for sale here SkidLoader Source-0.50" ID Hose for Hose Saver Spring Kit | Skid | Loader | Industrial - SkidLoaderSource.com made by Paladin. The weld-on base is at the bottom of the page. That looks like the one I'm going with.

 

[Xfaxman]

Thank you Xfaxman, I found that one for sale here SkidLoader Source-0.50" ID Hose for Hose Saver Spring Kit | Skid | Loader | Industrial - SkidLoaderSource.com made by Paladin. The weld-on base is at the bottom of the page. That looks like the one I'm going with.

Yep, that is the same style that I have.

 

[ovrszd]

Richard - There are a lot of things to think about when it comes to building one. Of course there's material thickness/weight , but there's also hinge angles, cylinder length of stroke and optimizing cylinder pressure/size to machine pressure. Too much for me to think about! :laughing: You're a brave man!

The 4in1's from Bradco, CAT and a bunch of others are lighter in weight. I've used them on ctl's before and didn't want to go there with this machine. The paint on mine might not be as nice as CA's (comparable in weight), or the name brands, but we know what happens to that.

I've gathered about 50 pictures of buckets. There are several ways to go about this. I look at it as a challenge. I'll give it a try someday. Thanks for sharing your pictures, they are in my file for sure. I really like the way yours is built. Only thing I couldn't determine from the pics is how the bucket apron is built, as in what thickness, is it doubled somewhere to add strength, etc. I can see how it's built at the teeth, was more concerned about the back end where it meets the blade.

 

[RDrancher]

I've gathered about 50 pictures of buckets. There are several ways to go about this. I look at it as a challenge. I'll give it a try someday. Thanks for sharing your pictures, they are in my file for sure. I really like the way yours is built. Only thing I couldn't determine from the pics is how the bucket apron is built, as in what thickness, is it doubled somewhere to add strength, etc. I can see how it's built at the teeth, was more concerned about the back end where it meets the blade.

I'll get pics and thickness measurements for you tomorrow. I think that I have some info in my emails with the builder as well.

 

[VTFireftr]

I have a W.R. Long 4 in 1. I don't know how I lived without it. It is extremely versatile and very well built. And my 7.5 foot snow plow hooks right into the aux. hydraulics on the loader arms. Well worth the investment I made a few years ago.

 

[EverythingAttachments]

It doesn't look to have a bolt on cutting edge for grading while the clamshell is open like the Construction Attachments 4in1s.
How much of an advantage would it be to have that feature?
Travis

 

[kevin37b]

Could those hoses be shortened 6 - 8 " and still be able to fully dump the bucket ?

 

[RDrancher]

It doesn't look to have a bolt on cutting edge for grading while the clamshell is open like the Construction Attachments 4in1s.
How much of an advantage would it be to have that feature?
Travis

If you've ever used a dozer blade on a ctl for very long, you know it's marginal at best for dozing anything other than soft material, like trench backfilling. Even on a six-way, the blade is so close to the operator that you can't see the edge like you can on a dozer. That results in poor, uneven cuts and you can push more dirt with the bucket anyway. Look in any rental yard that has a dozer blade and you'll see that it does more sitting than anything. Operators use it once and don't bother to rent it again. I know I did. People think that since a ctl has tracks that it'll act like a dozer...it doesn't, it's a small track loader. Now, attach a set of wheels to a dozer blade like this Grader Attachment - Bobcat Company and it's a whole different animal. This will be the next attachment I purchase for grading out gravel roads, pads and arenas. Whichever one I choose will have detachable wings and have the ability to upgrade to laser capability.
.
The HR model uses a welded on 3/4" edge instead of a bolt on in this position. That's more than enough for clamping and pushing out material at the end of a run. The inside edge of the clamshell will actually get more wear from backdragging hard material and I don't see many of those edges worn out for a long, long time. In my opinion, a bolt on edge on the dozer edge is an expensive add on and not really needed on a 4in1 attached to a skid steer or ctl.

Granted, the CA bucket is extremely well built and it is prettier. But, I'm not one of those guys that complains about a paint chip or painted over weld splatter on an attachment...I'm going to use and abuse it. At $1,000+ difference, the High Rock bucket choice was a no brainer.