etpm
Veteran Member
Boy, this winter is gonna have me busy working on the tractor. I have a Yanmar YM2310 with a Bulldog 285 FEL. Besides adding power steering and wheel weights I have decided it could use another upgrade. The bucket is tiny. I have a Case 580CK and the front bucket on it puts my little Bulldog 285 FEL bucket to shame.
So, after talking it over with my son we are both of the opinion that adding some sort of bucket extension makes a good deal of sense. This added cubic capacity is only for carrying brush and branches and wood rounds. I would not be loading the FEL beyond rated capacity. The tractor would be parked, loaded by hand with the wood and/or woody material, transported, and then driven somewhere and dumped. We have lots of stuff that fits the woody category, like berry canes, pine and alder branches, and various invasive plants that need pulling up and burning.
I could use the Case but it is big and long and I always have to worry about the backhoe hitting things. That's one of the reasons I bought this smaller tractor.
So, opinions about construction? My idea is to keep the sides and bottom of the extension in the same planes as the existing bucket. I may or may not have the top angle upward for even more capacity. The extension will need some sort of frame to hold the sheet steel, which will be either 1/16 or 3/32 thick. The frame might just be 3/8 thick flat bar at the mouth. But since I won't be scooping material it might be better to use 1 x 1 x 1/8 angle. It would be lighter and stiffer. I don't know yet how to interface the extension to the bucket itself. I'm not too keen about drilling holes in the bucket but i could. It would be best if there were no fasteners or clamps or any other obstructions at the interface that would catch stuff when I am either dumping or pulling stuff out. A smooth transition from extension to bucket is best. I think I figured out just now how clamping could be done. Tomorrow, when it is light out, I will take a look at the bucket. If my idea for clamping looks good I'll make a to scale drawing and post it here. Anyway, once again, opinions? About construction and the whole idea in general.
Thanks,
Eric
So, after talking it over with my son we are both of the opinion that adding some sort of bucket extension makes a good deal of sense. This added cubic capacity is only for carrying brush and branches and wood rounds. I would not be loading the FEL beyond rated capacity. The tractor would be parked, loaded by hand with the wood and/or woody material, transported, and then driven somewhere and dumped. We have lots of stuff that fits the woody category, like berry canes, pine and alder branches, and various invasive plants that need pulling up and burning.
I could use the Case but it is big and long and I always have to worry about the backhoe hitting things. That's one of the reasons I bought this smaller tractor.
So, opinions about construction? My idea is to keep the sides and bottom of the extension in the same planes as the existing bucket. I may or may not have the top angle upward for even more capacity. The extension will need some sort of frame to hold the sheet steel, which will be either 1/16 or 3/32 thick. The frame might just be 3/8 thick flat bar at the mouth. But since I won't be scooping material it might be better to use 1 x 1 x 1/8 angle. It would be lighter and stiffer. I don't know yet how to interface the extension to the bucket itself. I'm not too keen about drilling holes in the bucket but i could. It would be best if there were no fasteners or clamps or any other obstructions at the interface that would catch stuff when I am either dumping or pulling stuff out. A smooth transition from extension to bucket is best. I think I figured out just now how clamping could be done. Tomorrow, when it is light out, I will take a look at the bucket. If my idea for clamping looks good I'll make a to scale drawing and post it here. Anyway, once again, opinions? About construction and the whole idea in general.
Thanks,
Eric
