Tractor backhoe - homemade

[BFreaky]

On your backhoe ?

Yes. In my experience there is always a need to grab something while digging or demolition or pretty much any job. Also with a regular bucket it's next to impossible to pick up all material on the surface without using the shovel. With a jaw it will work. One more point is the fact that in some cases you need teeth to penetrate hard soils, but the bootom of yout ditch has to be flat, so you need a smooth cutting edge.
It's all in favor of building a 4in1 jaw bucket

 

[Renze]

It's all in favor of building a 4in1 jaw bucket

4 in 1 buckets are much heavier, they reduce the capacity quite a bit.

You know the thumbs that are very common in North America? In Holland its either a wide ditching bucket for grading, a skeleton bucket for stone digging, or a sorting grab for other jobs, we dont have thumbs, but its standard in North America

I see it making more sense in areas where you find big rocks while digging, but where i live we use a low cheek skeleton bucket so you can lay long slabs in it that stick out on either side

By the way, i designed the hydraulic extendible undercarriage on this ZX690

 

[Smokeydog]

Having a toothless bucket is indispensable digging around or near buried utility lines to reduce damage. Makes a good hard bottom. Good for grade work too.

Never seen a 4N1 backhoe or excavator bucket. If anyone can make it work it best be you!

 

[BFreaky]

It looks great, a really big machine. Soon I'll finish my design, then we can compare the weight of both buckets

 

[Renze]

Never seen a 4N1 backhoe or excavator bucket. If anyone can make it work it best be you!

Me neither, but from my payloader days i remember them having 20% less capacity due to the buckets own weight. Especially with a triple boom with extended reach, i would save the lift capacity for payload.. Especially the moving jaw of a 4 in one, has to be double walled for strength, thereby adding a substantial amount of weight.

I would go for one or two buckets on the quick attach coupler, and a thumb for picking.

 

[BFreaky]

I had a thumb on rk 525, but I think this will be a better solution. It will be built out of Hardox to reduce weight and increase strenght

 

[BFreaky]

Starting to make the bucket. Still waiting for teeth to arrive...

 

[KubotainNH]

Dang that's cool. Looking forward to seeing it in action.

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

Really nice design of teeth on the clamshell.

 

[BFreaky]

Thanks. The plan is to make it grab concrete, wood and debris equally well. I hope it will

 

[Smokeydog]

Could that feature also push out sticky material like clay?

 

[rScotty]

Thanks. The plan is to make it grab concrete, wood and debris equally well. I hope it will

The Amulet HoeClamp that Renze showed back in message #1605 uses the motion of the bucket to close. It isn't independent like most hydraulic thumbs are. I've never seen a HoeClamp in operation, but it made me curious enough to ask my JD dealer call about buying a HoeClamp from Amulet last year for my JD310SG. Amulet said they didn't have one to fit. Instead, they wanted to steer me towards their more tradtional thumbs which they felt were more versatile.

The operation of the HoeClamp is quite a bit different from the hydraulic 4n1 or even the standard hydraulically-actuated thumb that is common on backhoes here. But the hoeclamp is very clever.

So I'm wondering what you plan to use for the clamping force... hydraulics or bucket leverage?

 

[BFreaky]

I believe it could. Well I had hydraulic thumb on my previous backhoe and it's a great thing...with many downsides.

It has to have a pressure relief valve otherwise you can bend that cylinder in no time. Bucket cylinder is stronger and it has a leverage so it requires non stop attention while grabing stuff.
I think this type of bucket will be much more efficient and versatile.

It will dig with teeth, dig with flat edge, grade, grab objects, wood, stone, collect remaining soil, gravel etc which you can never collect without a hand shovel.

Clamp will have two cylinders, 6 ton force each. It should be enough

 

[Smokeydog]

Having to clean up with a hand shovel I see I the real advantage of your 4-1 type clamshell bucket. Very interesting. Thanks for taking the time to share and explain your build.

 

[rScotty]

I believe it could. Well I had hydraulic thumb on my previous backhoe and it's a great thing...with many downsides.

It has to have a pressure relief valve otherwise you can bend that cylinder in no time. Bucket cylinder is stronger and it has a leverage so it requires non stop attention while grabing stuff.
I think this type of bucket will be much more efficient and versatile.

It will dig with teeth, dig with flat edge, grade, grab objects, wood, stone, collect remaining soil, gravel etc which you can never collect without a hand shovel.

Clamp will have two cylinders, 6 ton force each. It should be enough

Yes, 12 tons should be overbuilt enough to satisfy anyone...depending of course on geometry.
I'm glad to see you making a new style of bucket. There aren't nearly enough special purpose buckets. I would love to have one of your style for our backhoes. I agree on the flat edge & need to grasp.

In fact, a good bucket for what I enjoy doing - building stone walls - would be the reverse of a digging bucket. the teeth would point away from the operator so it could slide under stones to pick them up, and the thumb would come down from above. It might also incorporate a "push-off". Sounds simple, but I've yet to see one.

As for the thumb downsides, I think there are solutions. I agree that it is critical for the thumb circuit to have a high quality relief valve. Otherwise it is destroyed by the stronger bucket curl.

I believe that it is also important for the bucket and thumb to rotate on a common main pivot so that both have the same center of rotation. Sharing a center or rotation allows the thumb and bucket to to be any shape. And making both thumb and bucket meet at their far ends will minimize rubbing forces as they curl together. After that, it's just a matter of getting the geometry right.... not always a simple task !

Enjoy your work,
rScotty

 

[BFreaky]

Teeth came in so I made some progress...

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

You have some skills!

 

[IH3444]

He's freaking awesome!

 

[BFreaky]

Just a few, not much, I make it up along the way...

 

[BFreaky]

Moving on with it. Cylinders are centered and tack welded on lower end. Jaw opens 90 cm at the blades and 82 cm at those side teeth. It should be enough to grab anything