bent loader bucket

[robert23239]

hey everyone, I was chopping down a tree and try to push over with loader and I bent the heck of the bottom. It is a wide bucket and it has a large dip in it now. Pretty heavy steel too. How can I ever can it back in shape ? Would I neen to heat it up ? Help ? Thanks robert

 

[wvpolekat]

hey everyone, I was chopping down a tree and try to push over with loader and I bent the heck of the bottom. It is a wide bucket and it has a large dip in it now. Pretty heavy steel too. How can I ever can it back in shape ? Would I neen to heat it up ? Help ? Thanks robert

Some blocks of wood and bottle jack.

 

[Diamondpilot]

Place a large floor jack under the bucket and feed a chain under the jack and around the bucket. Jack it just a little at a time, usually have to go beyond strait, to get it back in place. I use a 6 ton jack.

Chris

 

[rd_macgregor]

I curled the bucket and pushed on a tree until it looked about right. At least I got it close enough to straight so my toothbar would go on.
I suspect the jack and chain method would give a bit finer control, though.
BOB

 

[Egon]

Taking off the old cutting edge, straightening the bucket and then welding on a much heavier cutting edge will help stiffen the bucket and reduce those smilies!:thumbsup:

 

[Mace Canute]

Place a large floor jack under the bucket and feed a chain under the jack and around the bucket. Jack it just a little at a time, usually have to go beyond strait, to get it back in place. I use a 6 ton jack.

Chris

X 2. :thumbsup: This works about the best and a person can sneak up on the amount needed to get it straight again.

 

[LD1]

The bottle jack method should definatally work.

When we bent the one on the 2040 (ironically doing the same exact thing) we used a 6ft peice of heavy steel I-beam for a straight edge, dumped the bucket all the way (which made it near vertical) and then used the logsplitter as a press.

 

[simonds]

Thanks for the ideas. I bent mine too on my 420 JD. Trying to pop up some shale rock and tree stumps. A neighbor who does welding told me not to heat it because I might make it worse. I'll give the jack and chain a try.

 

[Craig Clayton]

I also enjoy watching PBS type shows about blacksmithing. When they shrink a steel tire over the rim they heat it and cool it suddenly. This causes the metal band to shrink. I know it was made under size then heated then cooled suddenly. You have stretched the metal of the bucket and the jacks are the correct method for getting it back into shape but the metal is still stretched. If it were heated and cooled with a bucket of water a section at a time this might shrink the bucket tight. Stay away from the high carbon cutting edge, you will temper it to soft steel. I have done successful steel harding and drawing the temper back ( the colour of straw ).
Craig Clayton