I didn't want to start my tractor today just to raise the bucket. But I think these two pictures will show the small size and shape of the bucket. And just to reiterate, this extension is just to add capacity for bulky but relatively lightweight vegetative material. I have a lot of it every winter.
I am a 65 year old guy with 20 year old crushed wrists injuries. Bone on bone joints in both wrists. I get by but tractors help. I was using my Case 580CK backhoe for this type of work, loading stuff into the front bucket, along with my wife, she is no slacker, but the Case is big and long. My new to me 40 year old YM2310 is a great machine. But the FEL bucket is so small. Loaded with sand or rocks it is the correct size, loaded with pine branches from the latest blow it is woefully undersized. So I want a bigger front bucket that I can dump.
I appreciate the suggestions about forks et al. But I don't want to use forks. I have them. Stuff falls through them. I am not picking this stuff up with the tractor because of what needs to be picked up. I am loading by hand. All sorts of sizes in all sorts of places. Lots of the branches are too long for the bucket and get sawn shorter. Much of the stuff is already short enough to fit. When clearing salmon berry and blackberry bushes they often need to be compressed into whatever we are using to transport them to the burn pile. A big bucket, like the one on my Case, is good for this. But I'm not gonna use the Case because I have the much smaller and more maneuverable Yanmar YM2310. Hence the bucket extension question.
I am newly retired. I have a machine shop on my property 300 feet from my house. I want to make my life easier. My shop, besides the CNC and manual machines, also has 1 plasma cutter, 2 bandsaws, 2 TIG welders, and 2 MIG welders. So I have the equipment to build the extension. Fortunately I also managed to acquire the skills to use these machines. So I can make the extension. I just wanna do it right. I kinda hoped someone had already done this and could give me pointers.
See the two pictures.
Eric