What are these holes for?

[picker77]

My new JD 305 loader bucket has two holes in the top (see arrows in photo). Anybody know what these are intended for? Not mentioned in the manual.

 

[pat32rf]

I have the identical bucket (without the holes). After the second day I welded a section of 3" channel (full width) across the newly dented section of top... The channel gave me a solid spot to then weld on some tow/lift hooks.
The holes might be used to hold the bucket during part of the manufacturing/painting process, but that section of the bucket is too flexible to mount a serious bracket on.

 

[beenthere]

The bucket looks new, but with the holes I'd question your dealer to find out if some other use for this bucket was intended previous to your purchase.

Looks like the heavy duty bucket, and if like mine that top piece could take a couple eye bolts for chain attachments. Or possibly a thumb is a Deere option now.
Which FEL model number is it?

 

[NOTV8]

When I was shopping around on tractor I saw a thumb grapple bolted on it. Like what he said ^^^.

 

[RoyJackson]

If you bought that tractor off the lot, I'm going to guess a previous buyer (who backed out of the deal) was going to have the dealer modify the bucket (probably for a hook).

Although that conjecture about using those holes in the manufacturing process is good thinking, it's probably not correct...otherwise all those buckets would have those holes in them.

Picker77 could ask his dealer...might get an answer.

 

[picker77]

It's a 305 loader (non-detachable arms, 60" quick-detach bucket). The metal thickness eyeballs at about 3/16", but I haven't measured it. I don't know if JD has an approved thumb grapple for it, but I'll sure find out. If so, I'd dearly love to have one, or an after-market version of same, but I have no idea what would be required to add the necessary hydraulic control valve.

In the meantime, I want hooks but I don't want to weld directly on the bucket. I don't mind drilling a few holes here and there, however. So I'm thinking of welding up a simple L-shaped bracket out of wide flat bar stock, something on the order of my 'engineering' drawing attached. This would allow a bolt-on hook installation (painted JD green, of course!) and using 3/8" flat bar stock should give me mucho plenty support across the top to avoid bending up the top of the bucket. What do you think?

 

[jmc]

What do you think?

If the angle between the top and back of the bucket were 90 degrees, you could use some angle iron. But that bucket looks like an odd angle. How were you going to bend something 3/8" thick?

After looking at a few John Deere buckets, even on the 5000 series, my impression is that Deere doesn't want hooks on them. Even what appears to be the heavy duty option looks like a double wall of thin stock with a gap between them.

John

 

[picker77]

What Deere wants and what I want don't always match up. BTW I just looked again more closely and there WAS something originally mounted on the top of that new bucket and removed by the dealer. I can see a couple of little places in the paint on the top about 18" apart that have been touched up. Almost looks like a flat bar of some sort was bolted to it. Wonder what it was? The bucket is otherwise perfectly new looking without a mark. Anyway, I wasn't planning to bend 3/8" flat bar, don't have the shop equipment to do that. I'll just use two pieces and weld them up at the correct angle to match the bucket. I'm just a shade tree welder, but I can make stuff stick together, and none of it has come apart in the past 30 years or so. However, I have the same problem with my welding that I do with my carpenter work, namely everything I build is twice as strong (and therefore twice as heavy) as needed. The end result always works and doesn't break--but it isn't as light and portable as some would build it, LOL!

 

[JohninCT]

I just looked again more closely and there WAS something originally mounted on the top of that new bucket and removed by the dealer. I can see a couple of little places in the paint on the top about 18" apart that have been touched up. Almost looks like a flat bar of some sort was bolted to it. Wonder what it was?

My guess is that it was a receiver tube to allow moving trailers around. It could also be used for a 2 inch square hitch hook adaptor.

 

[beenthere]

I've the HD bucket, and there is a double plate where those holes are drilled. The two plates are about an inch apart, and give a lot of strength to that piece. But I placed hooks at the straps where each QA attaching point is at.
For center lifting, I drilled a hole in the cutting edge for either a grab hook, a trailer ball, or a clevis.

I think the bucket will take any punishment the tractor and FEL can dish out.

Here is some rock hauling I was doing, and can see the placement of the hooks.