Bucket Hooks negatives

Fluid · Mar 25, 2015

They are the number one greatest mod on any tractor I have ever owned.

bcp · Mar 26, 2015

If you don't get hooks, this is what your bucket will look like.

Bruce

k0ua · Mar 26, 2015

You do have to evaluate where the hook is to be placed and decide if you need to weld in some extra metal to reinforce that area. A simple L shaped piece going down to the bucket body will often suffice to reinforce the top edge to prevent bending that edge. Many buckets don't need any reinforcement but some do.

Yes the hooks in line with your loader arms is a good idea and use both hooks to center the weight of the load. Or the center of the bucket to prevent twisting of the bucket when lifting very heavy loads. Just use common sense in the placement and usage of hooks or rings. But then again you must really use common sense for everything you do with a tractor now don't you?

Baby Grand · Mar 26, 2015

I get a fair amount of use out of my hooks.
They are great for securing a pile of brush to the FEL for moving if you don't have a grapple - and I don't.
Also great for securing other bulky or awkward objects: logs, pipes, barrels, etc.
I always keep 2 lengths of 12' x 5/8" rope on my tractor and with the hooks they make for a quick tie down.
Try to line your hooks up with the FEL loader arms to reduce bending on the top of the bucket.

Something I learned - to avoid a potential negative:
Before you weld or drill holes, temporarily attach the hooks where you intend them to go with magnets, duct tape, whatever you have on hand.
Cycle the bucket through it's full curl range and check that the bolts don't interfere with anything.
On our L3240 I got very lucky after not doing this check.
I discovering about 3/8" clearance between the top of the hook & the cylinder rod at full rollback after everything was drilled and bolted together. Dodged a bullet - maybe more like a pellet - the point is, it would have been painful, had things been 1/2" different.
"Measure twice, drill once".

Also, a third hook, located on the back of the bucket, can be very helpful in many situations.

J_J · Mar 26, 2015

Just a little curious why people mount the hooks so the opening is to the rear.

Is is so the chain can lay over the lip of the bucket and damage it?

Seem to me that a chain connected to hook with opening forward and chain dropping down the backside could lift more weight.

You can still secure a load by wrapping the chain around the bucket.

I would recommend two hooks close to the cyl pin mount.

One welded forward and one welded reversed for each side plus one or two hooks in the center.

riptides · Mar 26, 2015

The only negatives are poor placement, and poor use. Don't roll your bucket and put stress on the lips.

PILOON · Mar 26, 2015

If you fear distorting your bucket from a center only hook it must be made of tin.
I welded my hook to a 3" X 4" X 1/4" scrap and then that to the backside of the top behind the upper lip.
Now I have tried lift heavy enough things to raise my loader rear clear off of the ground and my upper bucket edge is not distorted.

The hook backer plate was intended to avoid tear out and spread the load.
Another point that I considered was that centered between cylinders would evenly distribute the work load between the cylinders as well as deter any bucket distortion.

OK, occasionally I do lift from a corner from pure necessity but it can get scary real fast at times.

Fallon · Mar 26, 2015

Opening forward means the chain goes behind the bucket. Closer to the tractor & hence more lifting capacity. Unfortunately they are not nearly as handy. Most of my use has been on the front side, so the openings on my hooks point back toward the tractor. Better for pulling, lifting things away from your grill & attaching things to the bucket.

varmint · Mar 26, 2015

I bolted on bucket hooks on my old L3130... found good, stiff attachment points, and used some grade 8 hardware. I put the lifting ring in the center, with backing plates. Soooo handy!