smaller backhoe bucket

[2manyrocks]

Thanks for all the details about what you're doing. Might just have to copy your work.

Wonder if there's some miracle nonstick coating that would help? What makes clay stick so well in a bucket?

 

[john_bud]

Wonder if there's some miracle nonstick coating that would help?


What makes clay stick so well in a bucket?

Question 1, Spray on Pam. Seriously, it helps. But you need to be on and off spraying often. You know it's not often enough when you are getting the shovel.....

Question 2, Suction and compaction. The dirt if moist will form a vacuum tight seal and won't come out. If it gets compacted, it is too strong materially to crumble and fall out. A larger bucket gives enough unsupported span that the soil breaks and falls out. There is also a relationship of adhesion to surface area with the volume of the stuff in the bucket. Small buckets have lots more surface area per unit volume than large buckets do. And adhesion is a surface property.

 

[RedDirt]

Question 2, Suction and compaction. The dirt if moist will form a vacuum tight seal and won't come out. If it gets compacted, it is too strong materially to crumble and fall out. A larger bucket gives enough unsupported span that the soil breaks and falls out.

For the suction aspect would drilling several holes in the back of the bucket help relieve the suction? I'm thinking 4 or 6, maybe 3/8" dia holes.

Would increasing the "draft" (taper front-to-back of the bucket sides) also help release clay?

My bx 12" bucket is about 1 3/8" wider at the front than the back. I did not realize it was that much until I measured it just now. From earlier posts I had thought I'd increase the draft but if I'm starting with 8" in the front anything less than 6 1/2" wide in the back seems pretty small. I may mock-up with a 6 1/4" back an see what it looks like.

BTW - when I made my template for the back plate I just bent a piece of cardboard around the radius of my bucket and scribed flush with the side plates. When the template is laid flat the shape is a shallow hourglass. If I connect a chord line between the ends of one of the arcs I can find the area of maximum draft. Then I'll use a "bendy-stick" to eyeball more (or less) draft.

Another thing I'm gleaning from this discussion is to make the insides of the bucket smooth. The bx bucket skin is only 1/8" but has 2"x1/4" plates at the front edge sides and a 4"x1/2" cutting edge. All these plates are added to the 1/8" skin, butt welded flush (inside faces align) and fillet welded on the outside. The butt welds on the inside have unfinished weld crowns. Seems these crowns could inhibit dirt evacuation especially if the clay was moist and compressed. On narrow buckets it may prove valuable to finish grind these inside welds flat.

 

[shvl73]

For the suction aspect would drilling several holes in the back of the bucket help relieve the suction? I'm thinking 4 or 6, maybe 3/8" dia holes.

My hoe has these holes drilled in the bottom of the standard bucket (pic attached).
I'm still considering buying the 8" trenching bucket.

 

[Team_Green]

Very nice work. I think i can build the unit i was going to buy after reading and looking at your pics. I have a 9 inch bucket for ripping and trenching i would love a 12 or 16 inch for cleaning out holes i have ripped up with the 9 inch bucket.

 

[2manyrocks]

Didn't have any Pam in the kitchen, but the ingredients on our other nonstick sprays list canola oil as the primary ingredient. I guess I could buy a quart or two and spray it on with the garden sprayer.

I remember reading once to spray plows with vegetable oil after use to keep them shiny and from rusting.

 

[sandman2234]

Around here, those holes in the bucket would let sand out faster than you could dig it! Guess you better make sure of what your digging before drilling.
David from jax

 

[shvl73]

Around here, those holes in the bucket would let sand out faster than you could dig it! Guess you better make sure of what your digging before drilling.
David from jax

Good point.

 

[wedge40]

Good point.

I would drill the holes and then have a plug made that I could bolt on. Basically something like and very big carriage bolt, with the head inside the bucket.

Wedge

 

[oldhippy]

You could use a chain that is attached to the bucket and to the dipper. As the bucket (curled) is filled it will push the chain to the bottom of bucket. When you dump the bucket (uncurl) it will drag the chain through the dirt in the middle of bucket and will help with dumping. This might work and is a pretty simple and cheap way if this works for you. big dan