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

[Lamdscraper83]

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.

 

[Fallon]

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.

 

[Milo]

Here's one similar by W.R. Long being used on a 1025 John Deere. Tree Spade - YouTube

 

[Lamdscraper83]

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.

 

[jeff9366]

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.

 

[JNA]

I like having a straight bucket.

 

[jeff9366]

I like having a straight bucket.

I like having a straight bucket too.

 

[jeff9366]

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.

 

[jeff9366]

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. ;-)

 

[k0ua]

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.

 

[jeff9366]

Here is Titan Attachment's 83 pound Bucket Spade:
Titan XL Chain-On Quick Spade 36.6" x 17.75"


Here is Paumco's 78 pound, chain-attach Bucket Spade which fits on pallet forks or attaches directly to FEL bucket.
https://www.amazon.com/Paumco-Products-Quick-Spade-Combo/dp/B001EA411E

Weight is your friend in ground contact work.​

 

[Usmc68]

Good thread, thanks. I am going to be trying out the Titan on my MF GC1715 as opposed to spending big $$ on a Backhoe; which I can get but would void my warranty since it did not come with the tractor. Just trying to dig some smallish drainage trenches and save my back.

Semper Fi

 

[Usmc68]

The Titan arrived and it is a hunk of steel!!! I cannot wait to try it!!

Semper Fi

 

[MikeR 2018]

All these bucket spades look nice. Will any of them fit over a piranha bar?

 

[waendo]

Good Q?

 

[Imold]

Good Q?

Yes it is. Also would like to hear how Usmc68 likes it, I could see using it for planting small lilac bushes and small evergreens and more on my property.

 

[Diggin It]

I'm still looking for something to attach to a backhoe bucket with digger teeth to yield a rounded edge for scraping ditches.

 

[rgr33]

I bought a bucket spade last year, to help digging out 5 old fruit trees that stopped producing I don’t have a backhoe, and I didn’t want to put my fel through the stress. . I was dubious at first, but it worked really well, other tan coming a bit loose a couple of times.

The price was right, and it did the job, glad I have it.

 

[Bullwinkle123]

I am a fan of Bucket Solutions' clamp-on Bucket Spade.

Hi Jeff, I really like the idea of the bucket spade, I have small trees to plant and/or transplant, don't plan on a backhoe.
My dealer says these spades are a bad idea here in New England because of all the rocks. Just curious if you or anybody else can shed light on that, though I guess you're in Florida so perhaps not.
This is partly a "which bucket should I get" question along with "should I get the spade" and "is pallet fork better for spade mount".

I'm trying to figure out my bucket and pallet fork options on what I expect to be a MX5400 purchase.

My primary (demanding) task for the bucket is moving gravel. It may also be called upon to move snow and mulch (I suppose the light materials bucket is bigger for mulch, does it work for gravel? )

I'm guessing the L2296 is best for that spade, looks like a $300 or so upgrade from the L2235A, $400 from the L2236 light material bucket, based on the Kubota "build your own" estimate.
What about pallet forks, I have an HLA HD4248 pallet fork frame in the quote, which seems to be the go-to thing for Kubota dealer quotes. Would the pallet forks be a safer way to use the spade than potentially bending a bucket when I hit rocks?

The types of rocks in new england soil are two. First, the loose rocks, which might range in size from an egg to a bolder, sometimes you never know what you'll hit (I had one removed from my road last year that required heavy machinery, had no clue that the tip sticking up through the soil was really one of the great pyramids underneath). The second rock problem is where the bedrocks is hiding under minimum soil. So there's no moving that.

So what I envision happening is I go out to dig a new hole for a tiny tree in my field, and there's a 50/50 chance I'm going to hit either those variable size rocks (which _suck_ when you're digging with shovel and pick), or bedrock such that I'm going to have to try digging elsewhere.

Can the spade force out those smaller loose rocks without breaking my bucket/forks? Is it possible to do a reasonable shovel probe and and back off if I hit rocks too tough to dig through, without breaking my attachments?

Any New Englanders out there with experience with these rocks and shovel spade attachments?

Oh yeah, incidentally, and probably not for the spade, I'd like to use my bucket or _some_ attachment to help keep my bedrock lined driveway drainage trenches clear of debris, advice on that welcome too. The bucket is probably too rigid to do much there. Maybe some front-mounted loader attached rake?

 

[jeff9366]

Bullwinkle

I like the idea of the bucket spade. I have small trees to plant and/or transplant, don't plan on a backhoe.
My dealer says these spades are a bad idea here in New England because of all the rocks. Just curious if you or anybody else can shed light on that.

Some bucket spades are pressed steel, which are not nearly as robust as bucket spade forged from a billet.

My primary (demanding) task for the bucket is moving gravel. It may also be called upon to move snow and mulch (I suppose the light materials bucket is bigger for mulch, does it work for gravel? )

Unless you have huge amounts of mulch to move on an ongoing basis , L2296 will be ample. L2296 capacity is 1/3 cubic yard = 9 cubic feet. A bag of mulch from Walmart is 2 cubic feet. Light materials bucket not recommended for gravel, the leading edge will abrade. I do considerable work with lime-rock as road material, pretty similar to gravel.

I'm guessing the L2296 is best for that spade, looks like a $300 or so upgrade from the L2235A, $400 from the L2236 light material bucket, based on the Kubota "build your own" estimate.

I have the L2296 HD, RB bucket on my L3560, which also has the optional on L3560 L805 Loader. L2296 is a rock-solid mount for a bucket spade. The forged bucket spade from Bucket Solutions is the one for you. I have been digging with mine for seven years, including excavating weed saplings yesterday, and it still looks like new, as does the L2296 HD, RB bucket except for paint sun fade and dirt/lime rock scrubbing of paint.


What about pallet forks, I have an HLA HD4248 pallet fork frame in the quote, which seems to be the go-to thing for Kubota dealer quotes. Would the pallet forks be a safer way to use the spade than potentially bending a bucket when I hit rocks?

Potential pallet fork mounts are primarily for skid steers. I have SSQA pallet forks but have never mounted the bucket spade to pallet forks. I can dig to over 48" deep with the bucket spade mounted on the bucket, which is all I need.


So what I envision happening is I go out to dig a new hole for a tiny tree in my field, and there's a 50/50 chance I'm going to hit either those variable size rocks (which _suck_ when you're digging with shovel and pick), or bedrock such that I'm going to have to try digging elsewhere.

Is it possible to do a reasonable shovel probe and and back off if I hit rocks too tough to dig through, without breaking my attachments?

YES With experience you develop a lot of "feel" through the bucket hydraulic joystick control. The 100 pound bucket spade is a much more powerful tool than a two pound manual spade.

Incidentally, I'd like to use my bucket or _some_ attachment to help keep my bedrock lined driveway drainage trenches clear of debris, advice on that welcome too. The bucket is probably too rigid to do much there. Maybe some front-mounted loader attached rake?

YES I suggest a Ratchet Rake. If you buy L2296 bucket you may wish chain "Forestry Binders" rather than straps for attachment. PHOTOS

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