430 light material/snow bucket

[mlip]

I'm thinking of buying a large volume bucket for my 4300/430 FEL. JD wants about 800 for their large volume bucket. Can anyone point me to a better deal on a bucket for this tractor/FEL set up? I'll be using it to move split firewood and horse manure. Thanks.

 

[Adiredneck]

I've been throwing this same thing around. I would also use mine for snow removal & firewood. How big is the JD bucket compared to your current one? Do you have a skid steer QA? I think that 800 from JD is a pretty good deal, as the ones from Northern tool are up there in price, plus shipping.

 

[AKfish]

I use my FEL for moving snow and horse manure. I got tired of having both spill over the top of the bucket onto the hood of the tractor.

So, I bought some 1/4" steel plate 73" inches long x 8" wide and welded it to the top edge of my bucket (reinforced in the middle with 2 pieces of 1-1/2x1-1/2x10" pipe).

Then I bought some 3/8" steel plate 24" inches long (I think..) x 6" inches wide and cut it into a long triangle shape and welded them to the side of the bucket.

The base of the triangle (widest) connects to the top edge of the 1/4" plate and angles down to a point at the cutting edge of the bucket.

I'm guessing that I increased the capacity of my bucket by 20-25%.

AKfish

 

[AKfish]

Oh yah, I think that the materials cost was around $80. My time cutting and welding --- priceless!

 

[mlip]

AK, that is an option, I have some experience with arc welding...

Its raining too har for me to go measure....but my current bucket is 66" wide and about 18" tall. The JD snow bucket is 73" wide and 24" tall. Not sure about depth....