round bucket vs square bucket

[Time to Play]

Looking for comments on advantages/disadvantages of using a round bucket vs square bucket for backdragging and grading. All comments appreciated.

 

[Gary Fowler]

I dont think I have ever seen a square bucket. Regardless, you only use the blade edge or the flat bottom in back dragging, so the shape of the back is irrelevant. All bucket have a flat bottom pan at least till the start transitioning to the vertical section at the back. I suppose if you made a homebuilt one and couldnt roll the back plate, it could be square at the back but , as stated, NEVER SEEN one.

 

[sizzami]

a rolled bucket works better for scooping full buckets of semi hard material because it allows the load to roll up the back of the bucket ,this is why bucket loaders have rounded buckets but a small tractor with an angular bucket is fine ,as for never seening one I think just about every compact tractor made after 1990 has squarish bucket , probably because they are easier to build and more rigid on wider buckets because of the strength gained in the linear beds , I have fixed more round buckets with torn out ears than square ones . as allways this is just my opinion

 

[goneandbrokeit]

Not sure it this applies to all buckets but in my case the round back (Kubota L3830/LA723) is the HD option. Bucket has a "round back" inside and aids filling the bucket when digging into a more compact pile of material. The round back hold less material than the square back. The bucket is a litte heavier so this may aid in back dragging/grading. The round vs square geometry is on the inside of the bucket so grading operations are not directly affect by this distinction.
Hope this helps.

Sizzamin posted while I was typing, his take agrees with my experience.

 

[bpattie]

I think what is being referred to is a square back bucket vs round back bucket. I have a "square back bucket" I have attached a generic web picture. It shows the 45 degree angle at the bottom leading to the back.. I recently got a new Kubota and the LA463 loader has a square back bucket. This design is somewhat new to me but have found it does a great job spreading a pile going forward with the bucket rolled back so that the 45 degree piece, maybe 4-5 inches is resting on the ground. I figured it would just float over the top but it seems to spread/smooth the pile nicely. I also use the the front edge to backdrag.

 

[Time to Play]

I'm looking at getting the Bota MX5000 with the LA852 loader which I'm told is round and is supposed to be very rugged

 

[Johndeere3720]

For grading, they both are alike, but rounded ones when diging are nice since you will empty out more dirt since it isnt a flat surface.

 

[Country1]

Round vs. square as far as backdraging...
With a round you'll have to have more down pressure to "pull" the material. If you try to "float" it, the bucket will just skim right over. The square will pull the material better with less down pressure and less wear on your bucket heal. A true square heal bucket doesn't have that 4" 45 angle on the back and comes straight down to the bottom plate. I had one on the Newholland backhoe and it would cut grade while backdraging (w/ down pressure). I also had a square back 4 in 1 on a 953 loader, but that's a whole nother animal.

The best bet is to not to use the heal on these small tractor buckets (because it wears them out quickly), but tilt your bucket forward some and use the cutting edge to pull the material. Then when you have everything pretty much level use more heal to "fine grade".