Bucket hooks

[dodge man]

I have a single Ken’s Bolt on hook in the middle of my bucket. It’s a quality product but I should have gotten two more and put them near where the cylinders are like 5030 says. I don’t use it very often and when I do I’m just careful.

 

[5030]

In the center is not a good spot because that is where the bucket is weakest at.

 

[DarkBlack]

There are 'companies' selling these bucket hook attachments on Facebook with 'fab shop/ weld shop' sounding names. What they sell look identical
to the product sold on Vevor, made in China

VEVOR Tractor Bolt on Hooks, 1/4" Compact Bolt on Grab Hooks, Max 4700LBS G70 Forged Bolt on Hooks for Tractor Bucket with 1/2" Shackles, Work Well for Tractor Bucket, RV, UTV, Truck Hardware Includ | VEVOR US

VEVOR Tractor Hooks with 4700lbs capacity and G70 forged steel for easy lifting and dragging, perfect for tractors, trucks, and RVs.

www.vevor.com

Really has me skeptical but the facebook 'companies' claim Made in USA, claim the 'forged' hooks are made in USA, etc.
Are these fake usa companies just selling the China products at a 300% markup?

For $58, I seriously doubt it’s made in the USA.

 

[DarkBlack]

I have a single Ken’s Bolt on hook in the middle of my bucket. It’s a quality product but I should have gotten two more and put them near where the cylinders are like 5030 says. I don’t use it very often and when I do I’m just careful.

I welded on a grab chain hook in the center of my 40 hp Massey bucket. Never had an issue with the bucket not being strong enough.
I ended up welding on 2 more grab hooks to the sides near the loader arms , for a total of 3.
I use the 2 outermost when looping around something too large for the bucket. For single chain pulling it’s always the one in the middle.

One time I chained to just one of the side hooks. As I started pulling, I could see it twisting my loader arms. Never again.

 

[big bubba]

curious i don't see mention of welding reinforcement back up plates on bucket location for the hooks, rather than commenting on lightweight buckets & cheap hooks, etc. of course, err to the strongest hook you can find
angle & 1/4" back plates work fine

 

[scootr]

I bought weld on hooks from Amazon.

 

[BlueKnife]

For $58, I seriously doubt it’s made in the USA.

They're not claiming that it is. @dkmc was saying that there are other companies who sell a similar product for three times as much and claim it's made in the US.

 

[BlueKnife]

In the center is not a good spot because that is where the bucket is weakest at.

That depends on the machine. Some of these little compact tractors have pretty flimsy loaders. Pulling from just one side, like @DarkBlack, mentioned, can cause twisting issues. In that case, if a hook is deemed necessary, it's better to reinforce the center of the bucket and put the hook there. I've fabbed up hooks on a few light material buckets that way and they hold up fine. As you said though, you can't just weld it direct to the bucket.

 

[kenmbz]

I have 2 Ken's bolt ons hooks, both with backing plates , aligned with cylinders.
Bottoms have shackles attached, so extra thickness.

 

[dodge man]

This is a picture of my Ken’s Bolt on hook. It doesn’t have any kind of backing plate, just large washers. You can get backing plates among other things. If I had two hooks lined up with the loader arms and I was doing a heavy pull I’d just loop the chasing through both hooks, but that means you’d need a lot of chain. My bucket has a rolled edge on the front that I’m sure strengthens it but most probably do.