Four in One bucket recommendations

[Gary_in_Indiana]

I've been thinking of getting a four in one bucket for my John Deere 4200 with a 420 loader. Anyone have any suggestions as to what I might want to consider? Thanks. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Jim_Fisher]

Gary,

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Anyone have any suggestions as to what I might want to consider? )</font>

I bought the one marketed by John Deere when I bought my 4300 and 430 loader. It appears to be very much like the ATI 4in1 bucket. I also opted for the Fasse valve and joystick control. There is also another manufacturer of 4in1 buckets (can't remember the name) who has posted here recently - he has pictures of a very interesting belly mount grader blade in the photo section. Perhaps he'll jump in here and help.

I use mine for a lot of grapple type work - rooting out and piling brush and moving logs for firewood. The Fasse valve and joystick control was expensive but in four years (over 1000 hours on the tractor) I have replaced one o ring. When I took delivery, the hoses on the bucket were poorly secured. One got pinched between the connector block and the bucket. Deere replaced the hose and I secured both hoses with heavy tie wraps. I have since had one other hose fail. I had my local hydraulic shop make a replacement out of a heavier walled material. The made it up while I waited and charged me about $6.00.

Does your 4200 have the three position lockout on the DSCV? If you are going to use the DSCV to control the bucket, it's nice to be able to lock out the regenerative dump (middle position). Otherwise you will need to pipe it so that the same action that dumps the bucket closes the grapple. Mine was delivered that way and I knew after about a half hour that it was counter intuitive and needed to be reversed.

 

[Ursushorribilus]

I am in the process of putting together a tractor package, and was given a recommendation by a very knowledgeable membe on this site to get a 4 in 1 bucket.

I talked to a dealer about it, and the dealer doesn't like them, claiming that they bend and warp and have mechanical problems.

I like the idea of the versatility of such a bucket, but my question is if you can get a 4 in 1 bucket that's as heavy duty as a heavy duty standard bucket? Strength and durability are important to me, and I wouldn't want to spend thousands of dollars on an attachment if its going to fail. Tony

 

[Jim_Fisher]

Tony,

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I talked to a dealer about it, and the dealer doesn't like them, claiming that they bend and warp and have mechanical problems. )</font>

The only bending problem that I have had is the two teeth on the top section that act as grips when using the bucket as a grapple. I have bent them several times while handling logs that were probably too long and too heavy for the bucket and had to be picked up at a point other than the center. About three swings of an eight pound hammer and the bent tooth is no longer bent. The teeth are probably no more than three inches long and I doubt that I would miss them if they weren't there.

Perhaps your dealer has had experience with another brand or has sold one to a customer who thinks that a compact tractor is a cross between a bulldozer and a battering ram.

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I like the idea of the versatility of such a bucket, but my question is if you can get a 4 in 1 bucket that's as heavy duty as a heavy duty standard bucket? Strength and durability are important to me, and I wouldn't want to spend thousands of dollars on an attachment if its going to fail. )</font>

I agree with you about strength and durability but I'm not sure how to answer your question. I can only offer the experiences that I have had over the last four years of owning and using my 4in1 bucket. I have been able to accomplish a whole lot more than I could with a conventional bucket and my repair parts cost hasn't exceeded ten dollars. That meets my criteria for durable and strong. Your mileage may vary /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif.

 

[KennyV]

Gary,
Strange… I just left you a PM reply about this, but I’ll edit that reply to fit the questions here. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

I have used crawler tractors and wheel loaders with 4n1 buckets. When I thought I needed one for my Kubota, I figured I would find a very strong bucket…

Really not that necessary, I do not think a tractor has either the horse power or traction to hurt any of the 4n1s that I have seen. You might look at WR Long, http://www.carverequipment.com/wrlong_loader_attachments.htm They look adequate for most 4n1 uses…

If you think you need a very heavy duty type, look at skid steer attachments. I bought a Thomas made in Canada. You do not have to spend a couple thousand to get a heavy duty 4n1. KennyV.

 

[MarkV]

Gary,
Also keep in mind the extra weight of a 4in1 bucket over the standard bucket. A few years ago I looked very hard at a 4in1 bucket for my Kubota B21. As I remember it would have added almost 250 lbs which in my case is about a quarter of the loaders rated lift capacity. I just didn’t feel like I would be happy losing that much capacity the way I use my loader. There have been several members who have installed them on the same tractor as mine and been very happy so it all depends on your uses and capacity needs.

MarkV

 

[eee]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( <font color="blue"> Also keep in mind the extra weight of a 4in1 bucket over the standard bucket. A few years ago I looked very hard at a 4in1 bucket for my Kubota B21. As I remember it would have added almost 250 lbs </font> )</font>

I considered size and weight before I purchased my 4 in 1 and believe me...once I started using the 4 in 1 I NEVER looked back.

 

[MarkV]

Roughcut, I sure don’t question how useful the 4-in1 is and often think how much it would help during some of my projects. If I up grade to a larger tractor in the future it is high on my list of options. I just wanted to point out that with as many benefits a 4-in-1 system offers there are some sacrifices in lift capacity.

MarkV

 

[eee]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( <font color="blue"> I just wanted to point out that with as many benefits a 4-in-1 system offers there are some sacrifices in lift capacity. </font> )</font>

In my use the weight is not an issue,because I use the 4 in 1 for some many other uses as grappling and grading,clearing brush. I do not think it is a weight issue as much as it is a volume issue and one that is very small. For all around use to me the pro's far outweigh the con's in the small sacrifice in volume. If a person was in a situation where day after day they were loading mulch/gravel etc and productivity was important I would say yes volume is an issue,but for the occasional gravel pile/manure pile and all the other things you can do with the 4 in 1,on a farm the 4 in 1 is far more beneficial than a standard bucket. I guess the key word is on a farm.
But I can see where a 4 in 1 would be a major asset to a land scape or construction/home builder.

 

[gray]

Tony.

HI, it's me again. My 4in1 is about 150lbs more than the HD bucket so not much was given up. I have not noticed any time I could not lift a full bucket of anything to date. Not even close.

I did bent the front lower lip just a bit doing something stupid. Lifting a very large stump/root ball over the side of a 12yd dump truck. My guess is it was about 2200lbs and extending out about 3.5 ft beyond the jaw. I curled it up over the truck edge and into the box. The tremendous leverage caused a tweek. I straighted it out in 1 min. Never had that issue agian. Mine is an ATI and i have seen a couple that looked lkike they would be less likely to have that issue. I think one of them was a Woods and one was a Bradco. Check them out.

BTW, I was lucky to only pay 750 and my original bucket for my 4in1 when I purchased my L48. That seams like the time to get all you can in the deal.

Gray.