I wish I had known about this site prior to buying my JD. I would have ordered the CX loader and the heavy duty bucket. For those that are shopping, don't buy the standard bucket (see picture) unless you exclusively loading manure! If you plan on picking up a big rock in the standard bucket... it will bow. If you bump a tree stump with the top of your bucket... it will bend. Spend the extra $$ and upgrade to the CX and heavy duty bucket. I'm thinking of drilling holes in the base plate, and ordering/installing the flat heavy duty bar on the bucket. I'll probably have to have some steel welded on the top lip also. Any other ideas are welcomed!
My bucket sucks!
- Thread starter deererunr
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Super Member
This is what JD calls a materials handling bucket. It is stronger than the materials handling bucket they put on their older tractors. You would have to get a real heavy bucket for rock work and almost any bucket that has a top on it will bend with a boulder in it without some reinforcement. That's why you see skid steer buckets open right to their back plate. You may want to consider this type of bucket but be careful of the weight factor. A 60" skidsteer bucket that is heavy duty will approach 500Ibs which uses about half of our loader potential. Right now I'm in the process of asking a couple of skid steer bucket companies if they'll make me a custom 54" bucket that comes in under 325Ibs with a 22" floor. Some of these buckets have a floor of over 32" which is way too big for my tractor. At any rate, for the lifting you're doing rock wise, its my opinion one is better off with an open top bucket such as a skid steer has. A bolt on blade will bolster the bottom lip but you'll also need a pretty thick top plate added if you want to minimize warpage at the top of the bucket
EdC
Gold Member
deererunr
Have you thought about a toothbar? Not only does it stiffen up the bucket but it helps digging out those pesky rocks.
Have you thought about a toothbar? Not only does it stiffen up the bucket but it helps digging out those pesky rocks.
ScottK
Silver Member
Add a toothbar. I have the 2320 with the 53" bucket and I beat the snot out of it and it is not bent yet - but I have kept my tooth bar on it the whole time. I certainly have been afraid of bending it. Some people weld kind of a long rectangular box to the top (and then put their hooks on top of that) to keep the top from bending. I use pallet forks for moving large rocks though. I keep wondering why the teeth on my toothbar don't break off. I use them for all sorts if things I shouldn't.
kennyd
Advertiser
Another vote here for a toothbar...
Egon
Epic Contributor
My little Kubota bucket had the cutting edge wore off and the bottom worn thin.
A new much heavier cutting edge was welded on. Several reinforcing plates were welded to the bottom and a full length piece was welded to back edge of the bottom. Cutting edge material was also welded to the front sides of the bucket. It is now very much stiffer.
I'd suggest a much larger welded on cutting edge and a piece of square tubing welded to the top lip of your bucket. Also reinforce the bucket front sides with cutting edge material. It will make a much stiffer bucket for you.
A new much heavier cutting edge was welded on. Several reinforcing plates were welded to the bottom and a full length piece was welded to back edge of the bottom. Cutting edge material was also welded to the front sides of the bucket. It is now very much stiffer.
I'd suggest a much larger welded on cutting edge and a piece of square tubing welded to the top lip of your bucket. Also reinforce the bucket front sides with cutting edge material. It will make a much stiffer bucket for you.
JasonMac
Gold Member
John Deere Shouldn't even offer the standard bucket in my opinion. As a matter of fact, I think all of the buckets should come beefier than the standard duty's they offer. I often thought of getting a good High Volume Snow Bucket for my tractor, but I know I would have to have somebody beef it up for me. Nothing I hate more is when John Deere pushes the standard buckets, and sells it with a brand new tractor, and it warps within a month of use. And As you all know, by now how I feel about the 300x vs 300cx. The 300x shouldn't be offered either on the new 3000 Twenty Series tractors. What they should offer is the 300cx, and a "300cxSL" Self Leveling. I feel so bad for the guys that got stuck with a 300x instead of the 300cx. The 300cx is such a better loader compared to the 300x, and for what only $400 more.... it's a no-brainer....
Team_Green
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Some people just use thier units to move soil and such. not for digging. why force a heavy bucket on them? If you want to beat on your machine have at it, just buy what you need. I use my units harder then they should be but i also expect some "wear" that most would be unhappy with.
Dargo
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I don't know what size bucket your tractor will take, but I have a John Deere HD 84" skid steer bucket on my tractor. Shown here WORKSITE PRO Attachments : Buckets for Skid Steer Loaders and it seems to be pretty strong. It seems to be pretty heavy though. It's not the easiest thing to scoot around the barn floor when I drop it off the tractor. It is a "Heavy Duty Utility" bucket according to it's label. I think it says it weighs something like 560 pounds or something like that.
