Tim, when you take a bucket to a welding shop, you have to consider what you will do to load the bucket (Do you have a pickup?) and what you will do at the welding shop to get it out. Most likely the welder will have something to lift the bucket, but I'd do a courtesy check with him first before showing up with the bucket.
I noticed in your profile that you have a backhoe. After you remove the bucket, I'd use the backhoe to lift the bucket into the pickup truck bed. If the backhoe isn't available, you can rig a chain to your loader's arms to lift the bucket. It probably weighs less than 300 lb. If you put a couple of 2x6s or a partial sheet of plywood inside the pickup bed and lay the bucket on top, it will make it easier to slide it out once you get to the shop and may save you from scratching your pickup bed.
Maybe someone else has some more/different/better suggestions. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif