Reinforced my Loader Bucket

[TractorGuy]

I've been fixing up a John Deere 4310 I bought at auction. One thing I added was a junk yard loader that needed cylinders and hoses. I outlined that in the JD section. It came with a standard 5 ft bucket that was in fair shape. I wanted to add the reinforcements that come on the HD bucket and weld some hooks on. John Deere's HD bucket is the same but has a piece of metal welded on the top and some strips of metal welded to the side lips.

This bucket had some surface rust, a slight bow in the top, and the right lip had some deformations.

I had a piece of 4x4x1/4 angle left over from my landscape rake rebuild so i decided to put it to use on this bucket. I cut 3" off of one leg of the angle and used the rest for the top.

I just bought a couple of 2 packs of HF brand 3/8" chain hooks. I cut one ear off of those and shaped that edge to follow the bottom of the hooks to weld onto the angle. I didn't have much luck getting the bow out of the top but I was able to straighten the right lip edge.

I made some patterns out of cardboard and cut up some of the 3" strip I cut off the angle to make the side strips.

Should be a little stronger than stock and the hooks will come in handy.

I am still planning to get some metal to reshape the bottom. The way it turns up in the back makes it fairly useless for back dragging. I will need some plate that is 61" by 10" and another that is 61" by 4". I will probably close in the corners on that addition. I bet a lot of curl cylinders would have been saved if the factory made the bucket flat bottom and extended down from the attachment point. People are probably curling the bucket forward to back drag and bending their cylinder rods.

The bottom of my backhoe bucket is flat and can be used for back dragging with the bucket level.

 

[dieselcrawler]

Nice work.

Good point on the bucket bottom and risk to curl cylinders, mine is shaped like yours, and back dragging puts pressure on the curl cylinder, a risk I pay close attention to...

I welded hooks on my bucket shortly after I got it, but only on the outter ends, neglected to put one in the middle. Thats gotta happen soon, many times a single center lift point is needed, which requires extra chain work, or getting lazy and lifting off one side only.

 

[shooterdon]

You have done a nice job JD855guy!!

 

[dfkrug]

I am still planning to get some metal to reshape the bottom.

That looks pretty straight, and the green paint is great.

If you can't bend the bottom lip back with a couple of come-alongs, then cut a kerf in the bottom of the carcass (not the cutting edge), then bend and reweld. Works for me on all of my rental tractors.

As for the lift hook in the middle of the bucket, I like something like this is the photo. It can be used above or below the bucket, does not bend the upper lip, and will detach from the seat. Got the idea from a grading contractor I hired many years ago. I also have one on my excavator bkt.

 

[Zebrafive]

Nice work. A bow in the top is not a problem, I'd rather it be there than the cutting edge.
I like to put the outer hooks inline with the boom arms, probably doesn't matter, but I think it centers the load with the boom arm.
I used a snow plow cutting edge to make a bolt on cutting edge for my bucket. I am hoping it is better/harder steel than CRS or HRS you can buy.

 

[TractorGuy]

That's a good thought on the outside hooks. I was copying my hook placement on my backhoe.

The cutting edge on this bucket is straight. It sits flat all the way across when lowered.

 

[SmallChange]

[...]

People are probably curling the bucket forward to back drag and bending their cylinder rods.

[...]

Beautiful work. Looks like a whole new bucket.

I didn't understand the bit about bending the curl cylinder rods. Does the side of the cylinder hit the top of the loader arm before the bucket hits a stop? Or is it something else?

 

[pmsmechanic]

I think that all you need to do is weld on a piece of 2" angle iron to the bucket at the back. That would be enough for back dragging. I've always wanted to do it to mine but have managed for almost 20 years now without it. i'm thinking it's not going to happen.

 

[Seven Gables]

Well done, I've seen a quite a few loader buckets that have been tweaked out of shape by a grab hook welded on to the bucket without first reinforcing the top side of bucket. What I've done to 2 of my loader tractors and works very well is; reinforce top side of bucket like JDguy, then instead of grab hooks I take about a 6" length of 4"x6"x 1/2" angle and cut a 3/8" wide slot in the center of 4" side bout 2 1/2" deep. Weld this to center of bucket slot up, welds along 6" sides. Here's why, I haul a lot of stumps to my brush pile with a chain slip hooked cinched round trunk and other end of chain dropped in slot. Drive up to brush pile set stump on tip bucket forward all the way and back away, chain pulls right out of slot, self releases. Makes it a lot easier to walk up and quickly unlasso my stump. I've also just used a heavy enough angle for the top reinforcement and cut my slot directly in the center of it. B

 

[Zebrafive]

Beautiful work. Looks like a whole new bucket.

I didn't understand the bit about bending the curl cylinder rods. Does the side of the cylinder hit the top of the loader arm before the bucket hits a stop? Or is it something else?

The force on the cutting edge back dragging when hitting something solid transfers to the curl cylinder. It could flex either way; towards the boom arm or away. Either way damage can be done to the curl cylinder.