Best approach to grading/smoothing in a 26g

[Acwa]

Hi all,
I just got a 26g, it has an 18” heavy duty dig bucket. A lot of the work I need to do is creating pathways and raised garden walls. I live on a semi steep hill (15 percent avg).

The 18” bucket with teeth really tears into things, what’s the best approach to smoothing out areas and grading? Was thinking a 36” ditch bucket however I could use advice on the most useful buckets to have. I’d love an articulating one but unless I hear that’s a huge upgrade it’s likely not worth the money. Thoughts or suggestions/advice appreciated.

Thank you

 

[laurencen]

years ago picked up a 42 inch with the angl feature, works great for grading ditches and burms, problem with just a fixed bucket is it only grades the same path the machine is sitting

 

[Acwa]

So worth the extra expense to get an angle capability? That was my initial thought but they are a lot more expensive. What size machine do you have that on?

 

[laurencen]

hi Acwa, my machine is a E32, it runs the angled bucket quite well I was fortunate to find the bucket at auction on a day when no one wanted it as bad as me, paid $2000 for it and worth every penny, only think I did was add a restrictor in the fitting to slow it down, I found the speed it angles was too quick.

the thing about the 42 inch bucket its not a high volume and sides are shallow, it will move dirt but not as a regular bucket, if it did the setup would be a handful for the machine

 

[Acwa]

Thanks! Assume it uses the thumb hydraulics? Sounds like a 36 is the right size for my 26g.

 

[laurencen]

its using the auxiliary hydraulics, never ordered the thumb on mine instead built a clam setup to pick rocks and such, not a lover of a thumb on my old 442 it was in the way it seemed all the time