Bucket Hooks Where To Weld Hooks?

[MikePA]

Attached is a picture of the top of my FEL bucket with three different hooks resting on the upper lip. All are 3/8" hooks.

In the upper picture, from left to right are a weldable grab hook, a clevis grab hook and a clevis slip hook (the hook laying on it's side is just there to keep the slip hook upright).

Where should these hooks be welded, on the lip or on the top of the bucket?

Which grab hook would be better, the weldable one or the clevis?

My dealer is coming out on Thursday to perform the 50 hour service and several of their service trucks have welders on them. They said they'd weld the hooks on, I just have to tell them where! /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

 

[Gary_in_Indiana]

I'd weld one weldable hook even with each loader arm. I'd think that's where most of your strength would be and you'd be less likely to torque your loader that way.

There are a lot of posts in a number of threads on this very topic. Many of them have pictures of what members have done. I'm sure you can find them by doing a search. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[Rowski]

Mike

Is the back side of the lip open? If it is you may want to weld a small plate behind the lip where each hook is to keep the lip from bending. I like the weldable ones. I agree with Gary about placing them with the loader arms.

 

[wroughtn_harv]

I'd weld on the lip the weldable hooks. I'd weld three, one in the middle and two in about the cylinder line like suggested.

But just as importantly I'd cut some plates to be welded to close the gap on the lip under each hook. That'll stop the force on the hook from distorting your bucket.

If you cut these pieces, they only need to be a couple to three inches wide, I'd cut them so that the weld area at the lip is a V, lower edge to back edge. That gives the weldor a good area to make a good weld.

The reason I suggest three is times, like pulling posts for instance, when using one side or the other is going to put a ton of twist on you FEL, maybe more than it likes, make it sick even./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[MikePA]

Gary, Derek and w_harv, thanks for the replies. I'll search around. Derek - The back of the lip is open. I agree about boxing it in, or welding a pipe in there, but I'm not sure they will have any materials with them for doing this.

 

[MikePA]

<font color=blue>I'd weld three</font color=blue>

Three grab hooks? I got the weldable grab hooks from AWDirect, but they didn't have weldable slip hooks. /w3tcompact/icons/sad.gif

 

[cisco]

Yup, one hook at each end of the bucket, like Gary says. If you put a hook in the center, don't load it much, or the lip of your bucket will bend (have seen more than a few bent buckets). The alternative, as mentioned by others, is to reinforce the entire upper lip - there was a post last month from someone who had done a real fine job of such - welded a length of rebar to fill the entire space between the lip and the bucket from 1 edge (loader arm) to the other.

 

[Gary_in_Indiana]

<font color=blue>"one hook at each end of the bucket, like Gary says"</font color=blue>

Just to be clear, I don't recommend a hook at the outside ends of the bucket but rather one even with each loader arm. I think hooks at the very ends of the buckets would create too much torque on the loader itself.

 

[MikePA]

Thanks to all. I will have them weld one weldable grab hook even with each loader arm, one slip hook in the center and also ask them to box in the lip underneath the hooks.

 

[gordon]

If you do a search on buckethooks I took a picture of the one I installed on my tractor. My bucket also had to open end like yours. I boxed it in with angle. Then added another piece of angle iron to that, for the hook to set on. I mounted it in the center top of the bucket. I'll look for the picture tonight. Getting ready for work now so I gotta go. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Gordon