dltimmons
Bronze Member
Kevin,
On my 4310, I mounted two slip style tow hooks, one on each side of the top of the bucket. I used these cause I already had them, taken off a 4 wheel drive truck I had sold a long time ago. I drilled holes through the top of the bucket as close to the side as I could get, and still leave room for the mounting bolts/washers. I cut two pieces of 1/4" X 2" X 2" angle iron and fit them into the inside upper corner of the bucket to reinforce the mounting points for these hooks. The angle is welded to the underside of the top and the inside side of the bucket, and the tow hooks are bolted through both. This really gives me a strong mounting point, and I don't worry so much about bending the top of the bucket if I have a heavy off-angle pull on the hooks.
For the center of the bucket, I bought a bumper mount, receiver hitch, for a pickup truck from Wall Mart. About $35.00. This is bolted through the top of the bucket at the center, and is mounted upside down. I am going to cut a piece of 1/4" flat steel to weld into the underside of the bucket, under this hitch, as the center of the top of the bucket is not very strong and will bend/deflect under much of a load. I can hook my chain hooks to the safety chain holes in this hitch, mount a tow hook adapter into the hitch hole, or use a trailer ball mount in the hitch to move trailers. I also plan on making a boom pole that will mount into this hitch, bear on the bottom edge of the bucket, and be braced to the two outside tow hooks, to set light wood trusses, etc., but haven't gotten to that yet.
Having this hitch mounted to the center top of the bucket will allow me to use many different attachements on the bucket. So far I have used a tow hook, trailer hitch ball mount, electric winch mounted in a receiver cradel, and chains with hooks on the ends run through the outside edge hooks and hooked to the safety chain holes on the hitch to hold them in place.
This set up can be as versatile as your imagination, and it's easy to make your own impements to mount to it.
Just my variation on what a lot of others here have done.
Have fun,
DT
On my 4310, I mounted two slip style tow hooks, one on each side of the top of the bucket. I used these cause I already had them, taken off a 4 wheel drive truck I had sold a long time ago. I drilled holes through the top of the bucket as close to the side as I could get, and still leave room for the mounting bolts/washers. I cut two pieces of 1/4" X 2" X 2" angle iron and fit them into the inside upper corner of the bucket to reinforce the mounting points for these hooks. The angle is welded to the underside of the top and the inside side of the bucket, and the tow hooks are bolted through both. This really gives me a strong mounting point, and I don't worry so much about bending the top of the bucket if I have a heavy off-angle pull on the hooks.
For the center of the bucket, I bought a bumper mount, receiver hitch, for a pickup truck from Wall Mart. About $35.00. This is bolted through the top of the bucket at the center, and is mounted upside down. I am going to cut a piece of 1/4" flat steel to weld into the underside of the bucket, under this hitch, as the center of the top of the bucket is not very strong and will bend/deflect under much of a load. I can hook my chain hooks to the safety chain holes in this hitch, mount a tow hook adapter into the hitch hole, or use a trailer ball mount in the hitch to move trailers. I also plan on making a boom pole that will mount into this hitch, bear on the bottom edge of the bucket, and be braced to the two outside tow hooks, to set light wood trusses, etc., but haven't gotten to that yet.
Having this hitch mounted to the center top of the bucket will allow me to use many different attachements on the bucket. So far I have used a tow hook, trailer hitch ball mount, electric winch mounted in a receiver cradel, and chains with hooks on the ends run through the outside edge hooks and hooked to the safety chain holes on the hitch to hold them in place.
This set up can be as versatile as your imagination, and it's easy to make your own impements to mount to it.
Just my variation on what a lot of others here have done.
Have fun,
DT
