What Bucket SIze?

[LMychajluk]

My new Kioti CK3510se will be delivered next week. The dealer says it'll probably come with a 66" bucket, but some of the CKs on his lot have 60" buckets (seems random - not like the ones with more HP have the larger buckets). The CK w/ R4 tires is ~63" wide. The 66" bucket is about 1 cubic foot more in capacity. Dealer says he'll give me whichever I want at same price.

I won't be using it to move tons of material regularly, so the max capacity doesn't matter to me much. I won't be using it (in the near future, anyway) for snow removal. What I may be doing is clearing brush and saplings from the forest surrounding our place (adding a Piranha bar), and maybe cutting some trails for the UTV (Polaris Ranger, 60" wide). I know the general consensus is to go wider than the wheels, but given my use, would the narrower width of a 60" bucket be more beneficial working in the forest and also for 'concentrating' cutting / scraping power along a narrower edge, or would the extra 6" not matter much? (FWIW, I'm also getting a 55" Wicked Root Rake / Grapple, which I may end up using more for the clearing tasks).

If I can find one cheap, I may even want to get a second 48" bucket for smaller jobs, allowing me to load the bed of my Ranger and/or the small lawn utility trailer with mulch or topsoil when needed so I'm not driving the big, slow and heavy CK across the lawn. Should I be concerned about the weight / power of the CK destroying a smaller / lighter bucket if used with lighter materials?

I'm kind of leaning towards keeping the 66", but just curious if anyone had any other thoughts on this?

 

[Billy Jackson]

My CK 2610 came with a 66" bucket. I have used it for snow, and dirt. I would guess in the woods you would still want to go wider than your wheels. From what I read on here, with the Piranha it would do fine, and have more use later.

 

[newbury]

You've got narrow covered with your grapple, go wide with your bucket.

 

[Freep]

I also need to make the same choice. The dealer indicates that the 60" CK series is described as 'heavy duty' but that he feels it is generally similar and suggests the 66". If it truly were a tougher bucket I could get down with that at the cost of 6".

 

[LMychajluk]

When I looked at the buckets at the dealer, there didn't seem to be much difference between the 60" and 66" in terms of 'heavy duty' - they both seemed to be made with the same thickness of materials, and I didn't notice any extra reinforcement anywhere. My dealer pretty much said the same - there was no real difference other than the 6". I'm thinking I'll just stick with the 66".

 

[wassup8687]

My 2610 came with the 66" and it's very strong. I like the wider width especially when moving snow. It was also really helpful in picking up debris that I raked up with my landscape rake.

I've got a Piranah Bar on it that really digs in well when working with the newly worked soil for my garden.

 

[4570Man]

I find tractor buckets to be on the small side anyway. I’d get the bigger one.

 

[goeduck]

I would go with the 66 to cover my tracks and to know if my bucket fits between trees (or whatever) my tractor will as well.

 

[Stimw]

Here was my plan "B" for pine needles.
2 3/8" bolts hole the side braces to the bucket and a strap underneath to hold it to the bucket.
I threw it together in a hurry with junk laying around.