How to lift from the center of the bucket

[Henro]

I welded a piece of 2 x 2 x 1/4" angle across the top of my bucket. I put grab hooks on the ends and a slip hook in the middle. This has worked very well for me. No bent bucket top lip here!

When using the slip hook I put the chain in one of the grab hooks. For me this set up is perfect. Never had a desire to change or modify it.

Edit: might be 2.5" angle...

 

[kebo]

My opinion... (and this is based on if I understood your OP correctly) Since you already have hooks welded on each end of the bucket, I would use a short chain attached from grab hook to grab hook, then another longer chain attached in the center of the short chain. However, I would NOT use a ring like the previous owner used, seems to me that the ring could slide back and forth and possibly cause the load to be pulled off center of the bucket. I would use a chain that had a grab hook attached to each end, and hook to the short chain. The other end obviously would be used to attach your load to the bucket.

 

[theg]

If you have a single hydroelectric center hook, you can cut a 2x4 the width of bucket and wedge it into it to add support.

 

[jodebg]

kebo-

Making sure that I understand this. You are attaching the "work chain" to the center of the draped chain on the bucket by using the grab hook as a fixed connection?

My opinion... (and this is based on if I understood your OP correctly) Since you already have hooks welded on each end of the bucket, I would use a short chain attached from grab hook to grab hook, then another longer chain attached in the center of the short chain. However, I would NOT use a ring like the previous owner used, seems to me that the ring could slide back and forth and possibly cause the load to be pulled off center of the bucket. I would use a chain that had a grab hook attached to each end, and hook to the short chain. The other end obviously would be used to attach your load to the bucket.

 

[Rustyiron]

On my B7800 I have an anchor hook welded to the center of the bucket.

We do a lot of landscaping with sizeable stones and have used to center hook
for lifting and placing stones around our property. The weight in the center has bent
the top of the bucket.

The B2650 comes to us with a pair of grab hooks welded near the loader arms.

The center of the bucket is the least supported area of the bucket (top). The side plates of the bucket are the support and without further reinforcement.... use your most "outward" hooks you mention. "Dumping" the bucket to a point where a center mounted hook is vertical to the load is the next best thing and won't put the downward bending stress on the bucket.

 

[Redlands Okie]

Kebo has a good point on that ring if its just sliding back and forth on the chain and was to slide and cause a balance issue if its not fastened.

 

[slivo]

I welded a piece of 2 x 2 x 1/4" angle across the top of my bucket. I put grab hooks on the ends and a slip hook in the middle. This has worked very well for me. No bent bucket top lip here!

When using the slip hook I put the chain in one of the grab hooks. For me this set up is perfect. Never had a desire to change or modify it.

Edit: might be 2.5" angle...

View attachment 516895

I cheat and use a thumb to move my rocks. Spoiled forever John Deere 69e excavator moving large rocks - YouTube

 

[Grandad4]

I have always liked using hooks at each side of the bucket as others describe and lifting objects with a chain going to each hook. It's a more secure hold for what you are carrying and keeps it from swinging while you're moving the tractor. With a single center chain, whatever you're carrying is a pendulum that can bash into something or come loose.

 

[DieselBound]

I need to take another look at the bucket on my B7800, but I've got three grab hooks, one centered and the other two are out toward the outer edges of the bucket, though I don't believe they are in-line with the loader arms. Funny, you'd think that after about 1,200 hours of seat time on my B7800 I'd know these things by heart! A Kubota dealer welded them on when I bought the tractor (used; they put on a new bucket because the previous one was worn out). Kioti dealer wouldn't install three hooks on my NX; they put one in the center of the bucket! Their "reasoning" was that people tended to tip over tractor using grab hooks out toward the outer edges of buckets. I'll make no further comments on this point! Anyway, the bucket on my B7800 has held up quite well, I've put the thing through war (I doubt many people can claim to working a tractor harder than I've worked my B7800) and there is ZERO distortion in the top part of the bucket: lower edge is slightly bowed- I even have a high-quality tooth bar on it, which I've popped off and bent moving huge tree trunks [said I work this thing hard]).

Not uncommon for me to run chain from two of the grab hooks. Reason is more to keep the tractor level than of a worry of messing up the bucket: again, I don't know if there's something special about the bucket on my B7800, but in general the tractor seems perfectly able to handle everything that you can do with/to it; in my mind Kubota engineers got everything right as pertains to strength and capabilities (bean counters got a lot wrong, but that's another issue).

 

[CalG]

Getting my B2650 work ready and have a question.

On my B7800 I have an anchor hook welded to the center of the bucket.

We do a lot of landscaping with sizeable stones and have used to center hook
for lifting and placing stones around our property. The weight in the center has bent
the top of the bucket.

The B2650 comes to us with a pair of grab hooks welded near the loader arms.

Not sure if I should buy weld one of Ken's anchor hooks in the center or use this set
up the way the original owner did. He used a 4' chain draped between the grab hooks
with a steel ring in the center for connecting to the chain doing the lifting.

Looking for some ideas as the best way to set this up.

chain in a "Y" lifts from both arms and centers on the bucket. Not rocket science.

I would change the weld on chain hooks that I put on the bucket for a slotted rail . With the rail, there is no directional limitations.