4-in-1 Cutting edge sharpness. Angle

[tricky74]

Need to do some drainage work with my little tractor.
How sharp should the cutting edge be on the bucket?
I guess the sharper the better? Mine has a few mm radius.
What is a bit confusing is all pics I see on google the bevel is on the top with the bucket opened up used as a bulldozer blade.
Mine the bevel is on the bottom so the cutting edge is the thickness of the steel above the ground unless angled way forward.
Maybe they welded it on upside down?
Will take a couple of pics soon. There may be no point in sharpening it without flipping it over?

 

[4570Man]

The bevel should definitely be on the top side of the bucket.

 

[homesteader13]

The bevel should definitely be on the top side of the bucket. View attachment 673706

Your cutting edge should look like 4770Man post even if you dont have teeth.
If its not, something is wrong.
Can you post a pic of yours?

 

[tricky74]

Well it is Chinese! The bevel is on the top when back dragging.
You can see in the first pic the angle I need for the cutting edge to actually touch the ground.
I am thinking about adding teeth so may be able to change the bevel location to the top.

 

[BukitCase]

It's a 4 in one bucket; they get used quite a bit different than a standard one. Note that the cutting edge (as far as I can see by the one pic) of the clam is beveled the right way.

With a 4/1, usually backdragging is done with the clam shell NOT the dozer part of the bucket. The two normal ways of backdragging are clamshell CLOSED, bucket bottom flat or slightly raised in back - clamshell OPEN (all the way), bucked dumped far enough that the REAR edge (where the two halves meet) of the clam can drag. The first way is kind of a more gentle drag, would usually give a smooth surface with some compaction.

The second way (clamshell OPEN) is more useful to move a bit more material.

You do NOT wanna add teeth to the INSIDE cutting edge, especially if you wanna carry sand or loam in the bucket; Teeth in that area will almost guarantee that granular materials will leave a trail from the pile to the spreading area.

HTH... Steve

 

[tricky74]

I realised later I meant fitting teeth like in 4570Man pic. That is an entirely different edge.
I use it like a bulldozer quite a lot.
Maybe I should just sharpen the cutting edges and see how it goes then.
It was worn when I bought it.

 

[FastEddieR]

You might actually be better off if you get another bucket or even a blade instead of modifying your 4-way bucket. You put teeth on it and it won't close properly anymore. Go to an equipment graveyard, find a bucket or blade cheap, take it to a welder and have him fabricate a mount on it for your tractor.

 

[RalphVa]

Would not want it sharp, in case I ran into it. I even had a handy man come over and round off the corners because I was afraid I'd hurt myself hitting the corners some time.

Should be about like a bush hog blade.

Ralph

 

[FastEddieR]

Would not want it sharp, in case I ran into it. I even had a handy man come over and round off the corners because I was afraid I'd hurt myself hitting the corners some time.

Should be about like a bush hog blade.

Ralph

What Ralph said. But, "sharp" can be relative. Like the difference between a steak knife and a butter knife. You want your bucket blade to be "sharp" but like a butter knife with a rounded edge. Too sharp (aka thin) and you will chip it and have jagged edges after hitting even the smallest rocks. For moving earth you want strong more than you want sharp.

 

[deezler]

Why wouldn't you just close the bucket and put a toothbar on the front edge?

A toothbar increases digging power by a near order of magnitude; highly recommended.

 

[PILOON]

YEP, toothbar makes for a whole new experience.
It turned my CUT into a serious digging machine.
The advantage is more pronounced if your soil is rock infested as a 3-4 inch stone is enough to deflect your bucket.
With my tooth bar I always get a full bucket load.

 

[tricky74]

Yes the tooth bar will be good for digging and I am looking at ordering teeth soon.
The reason I have the bucket open is I push a lot of branches etc and with it closed they go over the bucket.
With it open the branches can be forced down.
I really need a rake or grapple bucket as well.
But just trying to make it as useful as possible without changing too much.

 

[CoyPatton]

I suspect your angle in the bottom of the cutting edge of the back part of your 4’n’1 bucket is to assist in the 2 parts mating when closing. That is just my 2-cents as I can not see that in any of the photos.
If you haul any fine materials in your closed bucket, DO NOT Modify that edge as the chances of a good mate when closed will likely be destroyed, which will likely lead to bucket damage. A new from dealer standard bucket would be cheap compared to repairs or replacement of the 4’n’1 bucket.
Of course a used boneyard bucket or other attachment that you may want would probably be cheaper still.