Portable Welding Charges

   / Portable Welding Charges
  • Thread Starter
#11  
Good idea, centex! I'll check the bucket out and see what's involved in removing it.
 
   / Portable Welding Charges #12  
I put grab hooks or each corner and a slip hook in the middle. Works great. I also welded a channel iron across the the top of the bucket and welded the hooks to it. This really made the bucket more rigid.
 
   / Portable Welding Charges #13  
Now that I bought a welder I could weld some hooks myself but before I could weld I just bolted on this piece of 4 inch angle iron and cut 3 slits in the vertical side. One each end and one in the middle. Have't found a need to redo with hooks as the slit's work like a grab hook, the added steel reinforces the top of the bucket, and all it took was a drill and a cutoff saw or grinder.
 

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   / Portable Welding Charges #14  
<font color=blue>"two 3/8" grab hooks at the two top corners of the bucket with a 3/8" slip hook in the middle"</font color=blue>

The only problem I see with that (and it's a big one) is that unless you're always hooked perfectly evenly to both those end hooks, you run a great risk of really torquing your bucket and loader arms from effectively pulling with just one hook at a severe angle to the strength of your loader. Remember, with anything other than a perfectly straight pull or lift, one hook is taking the load because the chain is locked into the hook.

I'm going with hooks on the bucket at the loader arm attachment points instead of the ends. It just makes more sense to me to have my areas of strength aligned. I'm not saying my way is right, mind you. I'm only offering this as an alternative for you to consider. I hope this helps.
 
   / Portable Welding Charges #15  
What a GREAT idea! I love it.

I still think I'd line up my outer connection points with my loader arms, though. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif
 
   / Portable Welding Charges #16  
As long as you remain aware of that I don't think you should ever have a problem. First of all I wouldn't PULL from the bucket. Use the drawbar for that - that's what it's for. As far as lifting things with the bucket I think you'd run out of lifting capacity long before you'd bend anything by the slight weight differential between the two hooks. I do agree that if you used an outside hook ONLY you could torque things pretty well (which is why I use the ecnter hook if only using one attachment point!) /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif
 
   / Portable Welding Charges #17  
<font color=blue>"I use the center hook if only using one attachment point!"</font color=blue>

And, on your setup it's even better because the load is distributed across the length of your angle iron as opposed to just your bucket top.
 
   / Portable Welding Charges #18  
Looks good Gerard!
 
   / Portable Welding Charges #19  
Mike, the 4 pins come out quite easy and also go back in reasonably well if you do it on the cement. I would take it off and bring it in to the welder yourself.
 
   / Portable Welding Charges #20  
MikePA,

I have three grab hooks and find that I use the center one 95% of the time. I personally don't care for slip hooks in this application because it takes away the ability to quickly adjust your chain length. As far as re-enforcing your bucket goes, I would need to see the backside of the top edge for a recommendation.

winchman
 

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