Backhoe 9" or 12" BH bucket

[spo307]

I have an 18" BH bucket now, was looking to get a 9" or 12", I think there $750 new, anyone know of used buckets for kubota BH, I was thinking of welding one up, just have to figure a way to wrap the radius of the bottom of the bucket.

 

[ray66v]

If you have a lot of clay you will find anything smaller than a 12" very hard to empty.

To bend the radius on a bucket: I weld one end, push on the other end of the steel, and tack it an inch or so away from the area you just welded, (give it a wrap with a sledge if necessary), weld that section up, and repeat. You can also use heat if necessary, but I have not needed to yet.

The steel for the bottom does not need to be real thick on a narrow bucket.

 

[charlz]

I built one using method similar to what ray66v mentions, you can find my thread about it here:

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/build-yourself/111905-smaller-backhoe-bucket.html

Mine is a straight bucket and I don't really have sticky clay so it works fine. It has been suggested to make the smaller buckets with a taper so they (hopefully) empty better when digging in clay.

 

[ray66v]

Mine is a straight bucket and I don't really have sticky clay so it works fine. It has been suggested to make the smaller buckets with a taper so they (hopefully) empty better when digging in clay.

I used a dual taper, front to back, top to bottom, on my 6 inch. And unless the ground is very dry, it sticks in there big time.

 

[magicheater]

Here's my 2 cents, I had a backhoe, came with 12" and 16" buckets. I used the 12" all the time. What you lose in capacity you gain in breakout force w/ the 12". 9" seems a tad small unless you were trenching continually. I'm getting a bigger hoe this spring, sold my 7 1/2' and getting a 9'. Maybe then I will think about a bigger bucket..............

 

[tawilson]

I have an 18" BH bucket now, was looking to get a 9" or 12", I think there $750 new, anyone know of used buckets for kubota BH, I was thinking of welding one up, just have to figure a way to wrap the radius of the bottom of the bucket.

That seems pretty high. I was looking for the same thing for my NH 758 backhoe last fall. They had one for the 757 for around $350, didn't have one for mine. The pin sizes were different.

 

[GE222]

There are often deals on used excavator buckets in the width you are looking for on eBay or Craigs list. The drawback is having to torch off the old ones and fabricate new ones.

My standard bucket is an 18". I got a new old stock 9" Bobcat excavator bucket for around $175 on ebay. I wanted it for burying electrical and water lines. Fortunately for me the bucket being small was reasonably priced for UPS shipping.

Here is the almost completed bucket, I haven't drilled and tapped the bolt holes for the pins yet.