Front-End Loader BUCKET SPADE TODAY // FEL BUCKET ATTACHMENT

   / BUCKET SPADE TODAY // FEL BUCKET ATTACHMENT #21  
Probably better on a Skid Steer or Compact Track Loader than a tractor.

Tractor FELs are not designed for application of leverage.

How is it different from the bucket spade? Seems to me it’s pretty similar in function, except it’s a dedicated tool rather than a clamp on attachment. If anything it should work better I would think.
 
   / BUCKET SPADE TODAY // FEL BUCKET ATTACHMENT #22  
How is it different from the bucket spade? Seems to me it’s pretty similar in function, except it’s a dedicated tool rather than a clamp on attachment. If anything it should work better I would think.
A skid steer has 1 method of engagement, which is the boom. Its balanced & engineered for it & will roll the machine as the weakest link. A tractor is designed to pull. Beefy rear axle, light expensive front axle up front under the heavy engine. The loader on a tractor is a light weight addon on the wrong end of the tractor. The front axle is usually the weak link, either in strength or stability (you likely roll if you lift the back off the ground & are only on the fronts). They definitely have their value, but they aren't as optimized or strong as what you find on a better optimized machine.
 
   / BUCKET SPADE TODAY // FEL BUCKET ATTACHMENT #23  
   / BUCKET SPADE TODAY // FEL BUCKET ATTACHMENT #24  
A skid steer has 1 method of engagement, which is the boom. Its balanced & engineered for it & will roll the machine as the weakest link. A tractor is designed to pull. Beefy rear axle, light expensive front axle up front under the heavy engine. The loader on a tractor is a light weight addon on the wrong end of the tractor. The front axle is usually the weak link, either in strength or stability (you likely roll if you lift the back off the ground & are only on the fronts). They definitely have their value, but they aren't as optimized or strong as what you find on a better optimized machine.


I understand FELs on tractors are weak. I understand both tools are less than ideal on a tractor. I’m confused why the root puller would be any worse than the bucket spade on a tractor.
 
   / BUCKET SPADE TODAY // FEL BUCKET ATTACHMENT
  • Thread Starter
#25  
I dug three stumps from the earth 2/18/2019, then transported stumps to the burn pit.

Stump #1. Photos #1-#4
Small Water Oak cut one year ago. Cut immediately treated with undiluted 2,4-d herbicide.
Roots significantly decayed during one year interval.
Digging time: 10 minutes.
Three Point Hitch Tool Bar Cultivator used to fill/level hole.

Tree/stump #2. Photos #5-#7
Unknown small tree with long tap root.
Digging time 20 minutes.

Stump #3. Photos #8-#10
Six inch diameter Water Oak cut five days ago.
Cut immediately treated with undiluted 2,4-d herbicide.
Zero root decay.
Digging time: 60 minutes.
I had to excavate all sides of stump 4'-6" deep in order to remove stubborn stump from earth.

I have used this Bucket Spade regularly for seven years on two tractors. It looks the same today as it did seven years ago. No visible wear. No deformation.
 

Attachments

  • fullsizeoutput_19a.jpeg
    fullsizeoutput_19a.jpeg
    6.1 MB · Views: 193
  • fullsizeoutput_197.jpeg
    fullsizeoutput_197.jpeg
    5.3 MB · Views: 243
  • fullsizeoutput_198.jpeg
    fullsizeoutput_198.jpeg
    4.9 MB · Views: 244
  • fullsizeoutput_199.jpeg
    fullsizeoutput_199.jpeg
    5.3 MB · Views: 200
  • fullsizeoutput_19b.jpeg
    fullsizeoutput_19b.jpeg
    5.9 MB · Views: 205
  • DSC00154.JPG
    DSC00154.JPG
    7.8 MB · Views: 173
  • fullsizeoutput_19c.jpeg
    fullsizeoutput_19c.jpeg
    6.6 MB · Views: 191
  • DSC00159.JPG
    DSC00159.JPG
    7.8 MB · Views: 187
  • fullsizeoutput_19d.jpeg
    fullsizeoutput_19d.jpeg
    5.3 MB · Views: 202
  • fullsizeoutput_19e.jpeg
    fullsizeoutput_19e.jpeg
    3.3 MB · Views: 265
Last edited:
   / BUCKET SPADE TODAY // FEL BUCKET ATTACHMENT #26  
I like having a straight bucket.
 
   / BUCKET SPADE TODAY // FEL BUCKET ATTACHMENT
  • Thread Starter
#28  
As far as the bolt on front mounted spade as one member suggested, it wouldn't last 10 minutes on a larger tractor maybe on a sub compact.

Bucket Spades, like other attachments, come in various builds. Some are pressed steel. In contrast the Bucket Spade from Bucket Solutions is 100 pounds of forged steel. I have been punishing mine for eight years, mostly in tree work and Palmetto removal in Florida sandy loam but occasionally in Lime Rock. A Kubota 'B' is the minimum weight tractor that can insert it and you need moist soil for rapid excavation with a light tractor. On a 'B' one has to be careful not to distort the thin factory Loader bucket with exuberance.

My Kubota L3560 weighs 3,700 pounds bare tractor and has the optional L2296 heavy-duty, round-back bucket. I have unreservedly recommended Bucket Spade for use on tractors with 5,000 pounds bare tractor weight and a Loader, such as the Kubota M5660/M6060/M7060. Tractor weight is much more important factor inserting the Bucket Spade into challenging ground than is Loader hydraulic power.

Your M8540 might be too much.


LA805 FEL weighs 1,279 pounds.

Some of the LA805 weight bears on the BS/BS, say 400 pounds.

LA2296 SSQA H-D, R-B bucket weighs 180 pounds.

Bucket Solutions' Bucket Spade weighs 110 pounds.

So FEL + L2296 + BS/BS total weight = 690 pounds bearing on the sharp 18" edge of the bucket spade.

Once the bucket spade is positioned in the ground, you insert it to depth by moving tractor forward.


Here is a photo of the Bucket Spade on my B3300SU in 2010, planting native hard Pears.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_0428.jpg
    IMG_0428.jpg
    189.6 KB · Views: 335
Last edited:
   / BUCKET SPADE TODAY // FEL BUCKET ATTACHMENT
  • Thread Starter
#29  
Had I a $7,000 Backhoe I would not own a $439 Bucket Spade.

The $7,000 Backhoe is unquestionably better for some applications, especially trenching. The max depth I can reach with the Bucket Spade on the bucket is 54". Bucket Spade is designed to accept Pallet Forks to dig deeper, but I have never had the need.

FALLON - 3/25/2019:

I agree completely. A bucket spade is a hunk of junk compared to a backhoe. But my back & a shovel are crap compared to a $200 bucket spade.

I have the Paulmco bucket spade from Northern Tool. It's the pallet forks one rather than an actual bucket mount one. I have yet to break or bend it with the old L3200 or the new L4060hstc. Have worn off a good chunk of the paint though. ;-)
 
Last edited:
   / BUCKET SPADE TODAY // FEL BUCKET ATTACHMENT #30  
I agree completely. A bucket spade is a hunk of junk compared to a backhoe. But my back & a shovel are crap compared to a $200 bucket spade
.

And my $6 bucket spade (home made from scrap) beats the $200 bucket spade, at least in price :). I have used it for years now, and our "soil" is soil in name only, it is mostly rocks. I have made ditches for neighbors and it beats a shovel and pick by a huge margin. Sure If I had a backhoe I would sure use it over a simple hunk of metal out front of my bucket, but the bucket spade concept is very viable and useful. Even where I live. It would be heaven if we actually had some dirt.
 
 
 
Top