alternative to bucket hooks

[leaddog]

Alot of people are welding chain hooks on there buckets. I did it a different way. I welded a 2x2x1-4 angle iron on the top edge of my bucket that I cut 6, 3-8 slots in. This gives me 6 places that I can hook a chain plus it also makes my bucket stronger. I had this on my last tractor and I used it ALOT. I never had a chain come off but I ALWAYS mad sure that it was over center. Pic will explain it better

 

[leaddog]

here is another view. oh yes doesn't a fel save your back when you need to move cement blocks....

 

[Gary_in_Indiana]

That's a great idea that's been shown here before by another member, too.

 

[leaddog]

sorry, I hadn't seen it here before. I got the idea from a old family farmer friend long gone now that used it on an oliver at least 40 years ago. He was always coming up with ideas that would make life easier. sure wish I could remember more of them. He had a small kioti 4x4 in his later years that he used around the place to help him do things. He could hardly walk so he make some steps so he could get up on it and lots of little gagets to help him with his tasks. It was really something to see what he could do with that tractor when he could hardly get around. Up until the last he was a farmer at heart.

 

[gerard]

No apology necessary leaddog - great minds think alike /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif I did it the same way you did because I didn't have a welder at the time. Only thing I did different was I used 4 bolts and drilled holes to attach the angle iron. I agree - I like it better than hooks because it stiffen the top edge. I've seen too many buckets all bent on top from overstressing at the hook attachment point.

 

[Henro]

Back in the original thread on doing this, someone pointed out that the angle could bend and release the chain.

He suggested that a piece could be welded between the two edges of the angle, on each side of the slot, and that a pin could be inserted to pass through the chain to lock it in place.

I am sure this would be the way to make the slotted angle bullet proof...but in the end I decided just to reinforce the top edge with some angle and weld hooks to it.

The concept of the slotted angle is a great one though, and probably for use on a small tractor totally OK, safe, never to be broken, and so on...

 

[GSS]

The bucket on my old IH656 had those. Worked great too!

- Gerald

 

[Ben_W]

How about instead of angle iron use a section of U-Channel laid similar to original L-Channel with the opening facing the rear? The chain would be locked in by design.

 

[chim]

I went with the slotted angle iron on my setup. The angle is bolted to the bucket, with the upright leg of the angle resting against the rolled lip on the top of the bucket. The slots are only cut to where the angle meets the bucket. I've latched onto things that didn't want to move (lifted the rear of the tractor) and there was no bending of the angle iron.

On a few occasions, it was handy to be able to slip the chain into the slots from the rear. This allows you to have the chain near or on the ground in case you need to keep it low since it wraps around the back of the bucket. When the youngster got his Z28 a bit off course last Winter, it allowed me to pull him out without ruining the air dams, etc.

Extra slots make it handy to keep loose chain out of the way by simply dropping it into the slots.......................chim