FEL Bucket Modifications

[texaslandman]

Just bought a new FEL, never had one before. I was at an auction and saw a trailer ball welded on a bucket. Also, saw hooks welded at the corners of another bucket.

Can somebody shed some light on their uses and best location for placement, etc.?? Thanks.

 

[shoppintractors]

Run a search for bucket hooks and you should come up with many threads on this subject.

Don

 

[BigAl]

Don't weld the trailer ball in place ! Drill a 3/4 inch hole thur your cutting edge in the middle so you can attach it when you need it to move something around . That way you can remove it when not in use . Some guy's set up a reciever tube style hitch and have multiple hitches set up for different uses .I use mind alot for moving my 20' equipment trailer into tight areas around my place .
If you have about 3 or 4 chain hooks across the top of your bucket they come in real handy for tie downs or lifting something .
Big Al

 

[JerryG]

Here is how you can attach everything to your bucket. Receiver hooks

 

[Henro]

JerryG,

That looks pretty nice.

My setup is simpler, but I can't tell you how usefull I find it. I don't know how I got along without the bucket hooks. The slip hook in the center and grab hooks on the end are a perfect combination for my needs...

Also can't say how glad I am I took an evening welding class last year! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[JerryG]

Bill,
With the receivers you can have several different hooks or attachments by just pulling a pin.

 

[AndyMA]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Bill,
With the receivers you can have several different hooks or attachments by just pulling a pin. )</font>

I think the receive would be useful for some things, but I would have a hard time towing a trailer with it as it seems way too high to get under most trailer tongues. I have the hole in my bucket and 4 chain hooks welded to the top edge of my bucket.
Just my thoughts.

Andy

 

[herdfan]

Bill;

What kind of welder did you use for those hooks?
I've been contemplating a welding purchase, but don't know which would be good for "farm use."

Thanks
eric

 

[bigpete]

Just to add another opinion...

I would rather "pull" in a forward direction with a trailer or any balanced and trailed load (3PH receiver hitch), and would rather use the full travel range and vertical curl and extension of the FEL for working with chains. Dragging is a low-centered operation that should typically be done at, or below, the drawbar (axle height) and in a forward direction.

If you want a Swiss Army knife-type setup, the receiver hitch attached to a very-reinforced bucket might be the answer. I have seen several good pics of just such a setup on another un-named tractor board. There are a few extra ways to get into safety trouble with such a set-up.

 

[herdfan]

I just built a "pusher" for my FEL to offload mud from some slips on my hillside.
I'm too in debt to get a dump truck or dump trailer, so I'm loading the mud onto my 8X13 equipment hauler, towing it off with my old 1972 Ford 2000 and then pushing/pulling the mud off with my Century's backhoe.
The offloading was taking 30 minutes at best and was really a time waster, so I built a "pusher" for the FEL out of pressure treated lumber. It extends the pushing range of the loader by about 5 feet and is 8 feet wide so it should clean the trailer in 2 swipes.
I just finished it up today, so I'll let yall know how it works tomorrow.
I'll probably post some pics (since I now have a digital camera again /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif) tomorrow as well.