Bucket hooks

[dkmc]

There are 'companies' selling these bucket hook attachments on Facebook with 'fab shop/ weld shop' sounding names. What they sell look identical
to the product sold on Vevor, made in China

VEVOR Tractor Bolt on Hooks, 1/4\" Compact Bolt on Grab Hooks, Max 4700LBS G70 Forged Bolt on Hooks for Tractor Bucket with 1/2\" Shackles, Work Well for Tractor Bucket, RV, UTV, Truck Hardware Includ | VEVOR US

VEVOR Tractor Hooks with 4700lbs capacity and G70 forged steel for easy lifting and dragging, perfect for tractors, trucks, and RVs.

www.vevor.com

Really has me skeptical but the facebook 'companies' claim Made in USA, claim the 'forged' hooks are made in USA, etc.
Are these fake usa companies just selling the China products at a 300% markup?

 

[Chiefwebb]

Check out an American made product from Home - BoltOnHooks LLC which is a company selling some high quality products for tractors etc... Ken is the owner. You can email him at boltonhooks@gmail.com Many users from the forum Orange Tractor Talks (OrangeTractorTalks | Kubota Tractor Tips, Classifieds, Specifications and Discussion) are using his products as I do.

 

[BlueKnife]

Really has me skeptical but the facebook 'companies' claim Made in USA, claim the 'forged' hooks are made in USA, etc.
Are these fake usa companies just selling the China products at a 300% markup?

Well, it is Facebook so......... To be fair though, that design is not exactly revolutionary and all of the components are readily available. It's not implausible that they're making something like that in the US.

 

[5030]

Most of you have light gage material buckets, not heavy duty (double sheet) excavation buckets (though your dealer probably had them as an option), Kubota does I know.

The problem is, with a light gage bucket you need to use Kenny's bolt on or weld on hooks, and place them as close to or in line with the location of the bucket cylinders to mitigate bending of the upper lip of the bucket, itself. In lieu of that, you can buy just the forged hooks from many sources online or local hardware store and weld them on yourself, if you have a welder of sufficient amperage and have that skill as well, but again, place the hooks inline with the bucket cylinders, NOT in the middle of the bucket because in the middle of the bucket (if it's not a heavy duty bucket where placement of the hooks don't matter. If I need to lift something I just put a chain around the bucket and use that. I have NO hooks on any of my buckets, never have and I have multiple buckets bit excavation (double sheet) and material buckets (single sheet).

 

[BlueKnife]

Most of you have light gage material buckets, not heavy duty (double sheet) excavation buckets (though your dealer probably had them as an option), Kubota does I know.

I'm not sure I know what you mean by "double sheet"? To what does that refer?

 

[WranglerX]

You get what you pay for.... VEVOR products are cheap entry level onto marketplace product made in India or Pakistan.... Not impressed with their quality....

 

[Torvy]

There are 'companies' selling these bucket hook attachments on Facebook with 'fab shop/ weld shop' sounding names. What they sell look identical
to the product sold on Vevor, made in China

VEVOR Tractor Bolt on Hooks, 1/4\" Compact Bolt on Grab Hooks, Max 4700LBS G70 Forged Bolt on Hooks for Tractor Bucket with 1/2\" Shackles, Work Well for Tractor Bucket, RV, UTV, Truck Hardware Includ | VEVOR US

VEVOR Tractor Hooks with 4700lbs capacity and G70 forged steel for easy lifting and dragging, perfect for tractors, trucks, and RVs.

www.vevor.com

Really has me skeptical but the facebook 'companies' claim Made in USA, claim the 'forged' hooks are made in USA, etc.
Are these fake usa companies just selling the China products at a 300% markup?

I don't deal with FB companies. If they don't have a real website or a local storefront, no money from me.

 

[Torvy]

Check out an American made product from Home - BoltOnHooks LLC which is a company selling some high quality products for tractors etc... Ken is the owner. You can email him at boltonhooks@gmail.com Many users from the forum Orange Tractor Talks (OrangeTractorTalks | Kubota Tractor Tips, Classifieds, Specifications and Discussion) are using his products as I do.

I'm 90% sure Ken is a TBN member.

 

[oosik]

So.... bought my bolt on bucket hooks at the Kubota dealer. They are cast iron. Made in Korea I think. I've used them for six or eight years and they haven't broken yet. I sling a chain - side to side and under the bucket - when I plan to lift something heavy. Paid about $8.50 per hook.

Held on the bucket with four - grade 8 - 1/2" bolts.

 

[dkmc]

Most of you have light gage material buckets, not heavy duty (double sheet) excavation buckets (though your dealer probably had them as an option), Kubota does I know.

The problem is, with a light gage bucket you need to use Kenny's bolt on or weld on hooks, and place them as close to or in line with the location of the bucket cylinders to mitigate bending of the upper lip of the bucket, itself. In lieu of that, you can buy just the forged hooks from many sources online or local hardware store and weld them on yourself, if you have a welder of sufficient amperage and have that skill as well, but again, place the hooks inline with the bucket cylinders, NOT in the middle of the bucket because in the middle of the bucket (if it's not a heavy duty bucket where placement of the hooks don't matter. If I need to lift something I just put a chain around the bucket and use that. I have NO hooks on any of my buckets, never have and I have multiple buckets bit excavation (double sheet) and material buckets (single sheet).

I bought some of the forged weld-on hooks on Ebay due to constant frustration of no anchor points or place to hook a chain on the bucket. I think the hooks were like $4 each. They sat for a couple years till last month when I got frustrated again for the umpteenth time. So after I found them....I spent 20 minutes welding 1 on each front corner inside the bucket. "Game changer" for sure. I considered the top surface of the bucket, but it seemed so thin, I didn't think it was a good idea. Discretion is the key to using a modern tractor with loader attachment, not much room for overloading.

 

[dodge man]

I have a single Ken’s Bolt on hook in the middle of my bucket. It’s a quality product but I should have gotten two more and put them near where the cylinders are like 5030 says. I don’t use it very often and when I do I’m just careful.

 

[5030]

In the center is not a good spot because that is where the bucket is weakest at.

 

[DarkBlack]

There are 'companies' selling these bucket hook attachments on Facebook with 'fab shop/ weld shop' sounding names. What they sell look identical
to the product sold on Vevor, made in China

VEVOR Tractor Bolt on Hooks, 1/4\" Compact Bolt on Grab Hooks, Max 4700LBS G70 Forged Bolt on Hooks for Tractor Bucket with 1/2\" Shackles, Work Well for Tractor Bucket, RV, UTV, Truck Hardware Includ | VEVOR US

VEVOR Tractor Hooks with 4700lbs capacity and G70 forged steel for easy lifting and dragging, perfect for tractors, trucks, and RVs.

www.vevor.com

Really has me skeptical but the facebook 'companies' claim Made in USA, claim the 'forged' hooks are made in USA, etc.
Are these fake usa companies just selling the China products at a 300% markup?

For $58, I seriously doubt it’s made in the USA.

 

[DarkBlack]

I have a single Ken’s Bolt on hook in the middle of my bucket. It’s a quality product but I should have gotten two more and put them near where the cylinders are like 5030 says. I don’t use it very often and when I do I’m just careful.

I welded on a grab chain hook in the center of my 40 hp Massey bucket. Never had an issue with the bucket not being strong enough.
I ended up welding on 2 more grab hooks to the sides near the loader arms , for a total of 3.
I use the 2 outermost when looping around something too large for the bucket. For single chain pulling it’s always the one in the middle.

One time I chained to just one of the side hooks. As I started pulling, I could see it twisting my loader arms. Never again.

 

[big bubba]

curious i don't see mention of welding reinforcement back up plates on bucket location for the hooks, rather than commenting on lightweight buckets & cheap hooks, etc. of course, err to the strongest hook you can find
angle & 1/4" back plates work fine

 

[scootr]

I bought weld on hooks from Amazon.

 

[BlueKnife]

For $58, I seriously doubt it’s made in the USA.

They're not claiming that it is. @dkmc was saying that there are other companies who sell a similar product for three times as much and claim it's made in the US.

 

[BlueKnife]

In the center is not a good spot because that is where the bucket is weakest at.

That depends on the machine. Some of these little compact tractors have pretty flimsy loaders. Pulling from just one side, like @DarkBlack, mentioned, can cause twisting issues. In that case, if a hook is deemed necessary, it's better to reinforce the center of the bucket and put the hook there. I've fabbed up hooks on a few light material buckets that way and they hold up fine. As you said though, you can't just weld it direct to the bucket.

 

[kenmbz]

I have 2 Ken's bolt ons hooks, both with backing plates , aligned with cylinders.
Bottoms have shackles attached, so extra thickness.

 

[dodge man]

This is a picture of my Ken’s Bolt on hook. It doesn’t have any kind of backing plate, just large washers. You can get backing plates among other things. If I had two hooks lined up with the loader arms and I was doing a heavy pull I’d just loop the chasing through both hooks, but that means you’d need a lot of chain. My bucket has a rolled edge on the front that I’m sure strengthens it but most probably do.