Another Bucket Hook Idea

[Fjord]

When I bought my B7800, I had the dealer reinforce the top lip of the bucket with angle iron and weld on a couple of hooks. The hooks are close to the bucket edge which is good for strength but not always the best spot for lifting. I was going to weld on some more hooks but couldn't decide where to put them so I made this hook bar. Basically it's a piece of 1 1/2" sched 40 pipe with a piece of flat bar running through it that extends out the ends and fits into the existing hooks. My new hooks are welded on to some 2" pipe and can slide back and forth to where I want them.If necessary to hold the hooks apart a bar with holes to fit in the clevises of the two hooks can be made.A piece of angle iron welded on the back in the middle fits tight against the bucket lip to provide extra support.A nut tacked inside the clevis of the fixed hooks allows it to be bolted down so it doesn't rattle around.To test the strength I put the hooks fairly close the centre and chained them to the frame of a car that just had the fenders and hood missing but still had the 350 in it. The loader wouldn't lift it by raising, but curling the bucket got the front wheels off the ground and there didn't appear to be any flexing of the pipe. If I was going to do it again there's a few things I'd do differently but as usual it's just made out of whatever I had laying around, and yea, I know it needs paint.

 

[lp333]

Fjord, thanks for the photos.
Keep up the great work!

 

[jfay]

I would be a little worried about your hooks sliding sideways under a load the way you have it set up.

 

[Fjord]

I would be a little worried about your hooks sliding sideways under a load the way you have it set up.

I had thought of drilling a hole in the 2" pipe and welding a nut on so I could put in a bolt and tighten it down against the 1 1/2" pipe, but my gut feeling is that for the type of lifting I do it won't be an issue. If it is I guess I'll make the necessary modifications.The thing I like about having the hooks adjustable is that I can adjust them to get a straight lift.Also if I build a set of forks, I can adjust them to the same width as the forks and use a turnbuckle to help distribute some of the weight away from the bottom lip of the bucket. It looks a little better painted. The TSC Allis Chalmers orange isn't a perfect match, but at $7.99 a quart it's close enough for me.