cchoate
Gold Member
Same as all my other questions: anybody have any experience / comments on the KK dirt scoop. How well can you dig with it?
King Kutter dirt scoop
- Thread starter cchoate
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When I broke the loader on my old 8N in the middle of moving 100 tons of gravel I went and got a KK Scoop. I was able to finish moving obout 60 tons quite easily.
The one thing I was not to happy with was the trip lever. It was hard to trip and would get jammed with the stone.
Never did try digging with it. Went and bought a new tractor instead.
Jack
The one thing I was not to happy with was the trip lever. It was hard to trip and would get jammed with the stone.
Never did try digging with it. Went and bought a new tractor instead.
Jack
Soundguy
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I got one from TSC, and moved quite a bit of soil with it. Had to tinker with the trip a bit, but otherwise wasn't too bad once you got a rythm up. I was scooping out of old stockpiles, using the scoop as rear facing, and backing into the piles while lifting the 3pt. Most of them have a forward set of pins so that you can dig with it like a scrapper pan while going forward.
Soundguy
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Mrwurm
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I've used a King Kutter dirt scoop to back into the edge of a pond and reshape it a bit. Worked great.
Jerry
Jerry
Dobber30052
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Did you have issue with the trip lever? Seems to be a common problem that they don't dump and require some post engineeering...
Mrwurm
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I was digging by backing down the sloped edge of the pond. This alowed me to get down about 18 inches. As I dug into the edge of the pond the water would spill into the dug-out area. The whole operation was very wet and mucky. I did not own a FEL at the time.
Jerry
Jerry
Mrwurm
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The trip lever is always a pain to deal with. Sometimes it won't release, sometimes it won't reset. You get used to it and learn how to deal with it. I would'nt let it stop me from getting one.
Jerry
Jerry
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I have the King Kutter 30 inch scoop. It works real good - now. The first time I tried to use it, it wouldn't dump. With it full of dirt, there was too much resistance and the trip lever wouldn't slide. There is a roller on a bolt at the bottom that the bottom of the trip lever rides against and the bolt was too tight and wouldn't allow the roller move. I removed it, greased it real good, and put the bolt back on and didn't tighten it down as much so the roller can roll. Now it works great. Use nylon for the pull cord so it will slide easy. Some people have modified it by eliminating the rope and welding bar on the lever so it can be reached from the tractor seat, but that only works if you don’t ever reverse the scoop.
I’ve only used mine by going in reverse and have only dug down a little over a foot. I was able to dig in sod by angling it down. It is possible to dig deep with one, but only if it’s a wide hole because you have to get the tractor down in the hole as you go, so you can’t dig a hole with very steep edges. I’m planning to use mine to dig out a crawl space for a 14 x 16 foot room addition. I only have to go down about 2 feet, so I think I can do it with the scoop. But, I’ll have to do the edges by hand with a shovel. I’m also planning to add a hydraulic top link before I attempt this job, so I’ll be able to control the angle of the scoop from the tractor seat.
I’ve only used mine by going in reverse and have only dug down a little over a foot. I was able to dig in sod by angling it down. It is possible to dig deep with one, but only if it’s a wide hole because you have to get the tractor down in the hole as you go, so you can’t dig a hole with very steep edges. I’m planning to use mine to dig out a crawl space for a 14 x 16 foot room addition. I only have to go down about 2 feet, so I think I can do it with the scoop. But, I’ll have to do the edges by hand with a shovel. I’m also planning to add a hydraulic top link before I attempt this job, so I’ll be able to control the angle of the scoop from the tractor seat.
Anonymous Poster
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I bolted my "dump handle" to the trip mechanism on my Howse scoop. I drilled a 3/8" hole near the end of it and have no trouble dumping the scoop with a rope when set up to pull the scoop forward. And it really works great when pushing the sccop backwards.
Soundguy
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My scoop is a howse i believe too ( came from tsc ). Our trip handles dont had a roller or anything to facilitate easy movement for dumping. What I did, was lubricate the pivot point, take a file to the end of it to make less surface area contact, and add a little grease ( migrates, but what the heck ), and also added a weak spring to help the return a little... a very weak spring is all that is needed. I've though about adding a roller or small hanging pulley to help with the rope pull, as well as add a 6" section of pvc 1/2" sch80 to the end of the ( shortened) rope to act as a 'T' handle, etc, etc.
Soundguy
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Trev
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I love my KK dirt scoop.
Here are some things I've found:
-Adjust the release roller so it turns freely. This is easy to do.
-Often, you will try to dump a load, and can't move the lever with the rope. What usually works is to lower the scoop to the ground, then pull the rope to release the latch, and hold the rope while raising the scoop. Nine times out of ten this will work for me.
-On occassion the release device releases correctly, but there is a bit more weight in the front than the back of the scoop, so it doesn't dump. In these cases, I just get off the tractor, release the catch, and then just give the scoop a little tug with my hand to get it to dump.
-Once you've dumped your load, you can usually just lower the scoop while driving away and it will re-catch. Or you can just reach back and give it a shove and it will usually latch. It's pretty well-balanced.
-You really need to adjust your top link from time to time to get the proper digging angle. (A hydraulic top link would be great!) I've mostly used mine to move large piles of rocks so far, so can't comment too much on digging, but what I did find is that there is a "sweet spot" in terms of angle set by top link. You need it to be able to get underneath the stuff you are trying to lift, but you also need to keep it level enough so that once you lift your load it will stay inside the scoop. As you go driving away, you will often find some stuff falling off the back. That's just a matter of fine-tuning your top link.
-I've been very happy with mine.. it does what I need, and allows me to keep my front blade mounted permanently.. which is not only handy to have but also provides a perfect counterweight for rear mowers, tillers, etc., and it doesn't stick out far enough to interfere with vision or to cause problems with hitting things when turning. The combination of front blade and rear dirt scoop is also great for snow. Usually you just push the snow.. but if the piles get too deep the dirt scoop can be used to move the piles.
For the price, I don't know how you could beat a good dirt scoop for flexible functionality.
Bob
Here are some things I've found:
-Adjust the release roller so it turns freely. This is easy to do.
-Often, you will try to dump a load, and can't move the lever with the rope. What usually works is to lower the scoop to the ground, then pull the rope to release the latch, and hold the rope while raising the scoop. Nine times out of ten this will work for me.
-On occassion the release device releases correctly, but there is a bit more weight in the front than the back of the scoop, so it doesn't dump. In these cases, I just get off the tractor, release the catch, and then just give the scoop a little tug with my hand to get it to dump.
-Once you've dumped your load, you can usually just lower the scoop while driving away and it will re-catch. Or you can just reach back and give it a shove and it will usually latch. It's pretty well-balanced.
-You really need to adjust your top link from time to time to get the proper digging angle. (A hydraulic top link would be great!) I've mostly used mine to move large piles of rocks so far, so can't comment too much on digging, but what I did find is that there is a "sweet spot" in terms of angle set by top link. You need it to be able to get underneath the stuff you are trying to lift, but you also need to keep it level enough so that once you lift your load it will stay inside the scoop. As you go driving away, you will often find some stuff falling off the back. That's just a matter of fine-tuning your top link.
-I've been very happy with mine.. it does what I need, and allows me to keep my front blade mounted permanently.. which is not only handy to have but also provides a perfect counterweight for rear mowers, tillers, etc., and it doesn't stick out far enough to interfere with vision or to cause problems with hitting things when turning. The combination of front blade and rear dirt scoop is also great for snow. Usually you just push the snow.. but if the piles get too deep the dirt scoop can be used to move the piles.
For the price, I don't know how you could beat a good dirt scoop for flexible functionality.
Bob
