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Need help choosing a skid steer bucket


blue83ranger

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I'm needing a new, or least different 72 inch bucket for my skid steer but I'm not in any type of construction, I have it for person use and there is an enormous amount of places making buckets and need some advice on either what to get or not to get. The skid steer is a John Deere, made by New Holland, 52 hp diesel with tires, but came with metal tracks too. I'll mainly use it for moving dirt, removing wild honeysuckle, moving stuff around, and loading and unloading stuff. The bucket that came with it is to tall and I can't see the cutting edge is the main reason I want a different one but it is in pretty bad shape and I thought about cutting the top off but the upper mount is part of the bucket, not a separate plate or strip welded on separate. The current bucket has a 3/4 cutting edge and I found a brand of Tomahawk but it has 1/2 inch cutting edge. The reviews on them say they're good buckets just thinner than normal. I'm not real sure if it'll be good enough or not. But they are made in the usa and I can get a brand new one for $670 shipped. Also I've seen low profile buckets and long bottom. I've heard new Hollands sit lower than most skid steers so i'm a bit lost on what I should get. And a side question, how do I determine the weight rating of what pallet forks to get?
 


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In theory, theory and practice are the same. In practice, they are different.
As far as cutting edge thickness goes, that is up to your operating habits. If you're not real hard on it, the thinner edge should be fine for personal use. It sounds like you know what shape you want - low back, long bottom.

Pallet fork rating should be determined by the machine capacity. Shorter forks will carry more weight than longer forks. When you put a load far out on the forks, the load has more leverage to tip the machine forward. We have a John Deere 260 here. I don't know the load capacity. I have picked up full pallets of sod but that "felt" like it was close to the limit. The forks we're about 4 ft long or whatever is average pallet size.

That's about the best advice I have. Check your operators manual for the machine capacity.
 

85_Ranger4x4

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My go to would be Westendorf, they are made in Iowa. We are a dealer so I am a little biased, give them a call and see what they say about fitment.


They are pretty much the go-to brand for feedlot tractors in my area.
 

blue83ranger

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Thanks for the suggestions. I wasn't real sure how important the cutting edge thickness is. If it's more for wear or strength for lifting. The bucket I have is pretty beat up and the cutting edge was broke and it had a bolt on one too that's bent. I'm going to be pretty easy on it but since I never had one before I wasn't sure for how beat up my bucket is if someone was extremely hard on it or if it doesn't take much to beat one up. I'll look into westendorf, I know they make loaders for tractors so mainly the price would be my only concern.
 

ElectraRider

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we run Bobcats and build rock walls, if we ran a thin cutting edge we would break the center of the bucket out. we also do a lot of prying out stumps,, asphalt, concrete. so I would go for a better cutting edge, just saying.
 

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