Rear Blade For Loader Bucket

[npalen]

https://docs.google.com/viewer?url=patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/pdfs/US5456028.pdf
I ran across this expired patent and thought it looked like a good way to do some leveling with the FEL bucket. (See figures 5, 6 & 7) Perhaps someone already manufactures something like this? It brings to mind the possibility of other attachments that might be utilized on the rear of the bucket so as to be out of the way when using the normal bucket functions. I'm thinking in terms of a hinged attachment such as the rear hinged blade on a box scraper. Just seems like the rear blade would be easier to control when backing and using the front of the bucket for a depth control for the blad.
I also noticed, just recently, a picture of a CAT dozer blade with ripper teeth mounted on the back of it and facing to the back. Looks like some hinged ripper teeth facing to the rear on the backside of a FEL bucket would be useful when loading or grading hard ground. Mode of operation would be to back up to engage the ripper teeth and then drive forward to load the bucket while the teeth hinge upward to disengage them.
Am I making any sense here?

 

[xzcVAbc5]

Looks like it has merit, but is somewhat mitigated in necessity by teeth on a bucket. Or someone with a box blade on the back as ballast already.

 

[wolftree]

Westendorf loaders offers a removable set of teeth for mounting similar to this.

 

[Gary Fowler]

Patented in 1995 and no one has jumped on it yet, so I would say that it has no merit in real world use. A box blade is much more efficient in doing these chores albeit a separate piece of equipment. Tractors have limited traction and steering in reverse when you put down pressure on the FEL.

 

[RDrancher]

Interesting...I was discussing the feasibility of the blade idea with my father in law just a couple of months ago to reduce wear on the heal of my bucket when back-blading pure rock. I came to the conclusion that it would get in the way when curling the bucket, loading out of a pile. A hinged blade would just tick me off, and having to jump on and off the machine to pin it would tick me off even more. I still may take a whack at it with an old bucket just to see.

The ripper idea looks to be a great way to break a loader arm.

 

[npalen]

I was thinking in terms of a hinged blade or ripper shanks that didn't require pinning like on the hinged rear blade of a box blade. The blade or ripper would only engage when backing up. But the option of pinning in an "up" position might be a desirable option. I agree that a rear box blade is much better suited for doing it's job but sometimes another attachment is on the back and need to do just a little ripping or "back-blading". Example would be when bush-hogging and need to scrape up a little loose dirt to fill a hole.

 

[RichardM]

I have front teeth on my bcket that do some of that. With the teeth pointed down when I back they rip about 6 inches deep. Also good for making planting rows in the garden. I do remove them when I plow snow, but they are really easy to attach/detach.

 

[npalen]

Can you show us a picture of the ripper teeth on the bucket? (Above post)

Here are a couple links I found after reading a discussion in ACMOC (Antique Caterpillar Machinery Owners Club):
Vail Products
Caterpillar D8 Workin - YouTube (Using rippers at about 3:15 in the video)
Backup Rippers
The ACMOC site has some interesting discussions on older CAT equipment.

 

[RichardM]

I will post a pix of teeth, but they are about 6" long and spaced about 10 inches. They are mounted on a bar that attaches to the bucket with a 1/2 bolt at each end. I added them mainly to do some digging and grading and they work great. They also make it easier to haul branches and to attach lifting chains or ropes. I finally also added a hook to the top of the bucket for lifting chains or ropes.
I bought a rear blade, a rear rake and a box blade to try and do some grading. The box blade worked well but I couldn't do much with the others. Now I find with the teeth and the bucket I can dig and grade very well.

 

[parkgt]

All those extra stresses can't be good for FEL over time. Most of us find plenty of ways to stress them enough without designing new ones. Let the back end do the work it was designed for.