fel bucket repair

green yanmar · Jan 30, 2008

hey guys been using my new 240,man yard work has never been such fun.i have been trying to kit a feel for her and have been very pleased.i would like to straighten out the bucket though as you can tell by the pics the bucket is a little tweeked,any ideas or suggestions on a good way to straighten?i own torch,welder and have some steel laying around if needed.any ideas?

Dougster · Jan 30, 2008

green yanmar said:
hey guys been using my new 240,man yard work has never been such fun.i have been trying to kit a feel for her and have been very pleased.i would like to straighten out the bucket though as you can tell by the pics the bucket is a little tweeked,any ideas or suggestions on a good way to straighten?i own torch,welder and have some steel laying around if needed.any ideas?

If it's top only... how 'bout trying a hydraulic bottle jack (with judicious use & appropriate placement of steel and/or wood for best effect). Then get out the welder, get some angle iron... and reinforce that top edge like most of the rest of us have to do!

Dougster

green yanmar · Jan 30, 2008

unfortunetly its the cutting edge as well,most of you do need to reinforce the stock buckets?i would like to put grab hooks on each corner as well.ifigure that heavy lift done from two points on each side should be better than just from the middle,imo

Mith · Jan 30, 2008

I straightened the edge of my bucket by welding a 3/8" thick strip of steel to it. The 3/8" was enough to hold it in shape.
You might need thicker steel, my bucket is only 42" wide, but had a very big warp on it.

I clamped the edge of the bucket and the steel strip to a steel I girder, and welded it whilst clamped up. Kept the heat low to stop it warping. It seemed to do the job, its 1/4" out at most along the length.

For the top edge, you could do a similar thing, clamp it to a heavy it of steel to pull it straight (and use a BFH) weld on steel when its help straight.

You'll never get it to hold its shape without adding some straight steel, now its bent its very hard to get it to unbend (you have to compress the steel to get it to take its old shape as it is now stretched).

irwin · Jan 30, 2008

green yanmar said:
unfortunetly its the cutting edge as well,most of you do need to reinforce the stock buckets?i would like to put grab hooks on each corner as well.ifigure that heavy lift done from two points on each side should be better than just from the middle,imo

Sure is better to have more than one hook. If mine was as bent as yours, I'd reinforce it.

For the cutting edge, maybe a toothbar will be what you need?

The toothbar is a big help scratching for rocks here in Connecticut. The downside of a toothbar is when backblading. If I'm doing alot of smoothing with the FEL, I take it off.

Dougster · Jan 30, 2008

irwin said:
Sure is better to have more than one hook. If mine was as bent as yours, I'd reinforce it. For the cutting edge, maybe a toothbar will be what you need?

Or time to get a 545 lb super-ultra-heavy-duty CAT skid steer bucket like I did!

Trust me... It doesn't bend.

Dougster

Nicahawk · Jan 30, 2008

green yanmar said:
hey guys been using my new 240,man yard work has never been such fun.i have been trying to kit a feel for her and have been very pleased.i would like to straighten out the bucket though as you can tell by the pics the bucket is a little tweeked,any ideas or suggestions on a good way to straighten?i own torch,welder and have some steel laying around if needed.any ideas?

Mith has the right approach for the lip and Dougster is right on for the top. If you've got a heavy piece of channel or something H for stout you can place a piece of flat stock under the lip, clamp it, and weld it on. You won't necessarily need a continuous weld. Weld about 3" skip a little and weld another strip. You will need some good size clamps to pull the lip and stiffener together. I wouldn't put the stiffener right at the edge, maybe in an inch or so. For the stiffener I would try to find a piece at least 3/8 or 1/2" thick and 2-1/2 or 3" wide. Build it heavy enough now and you won't have to mess with it down the road. Send some "after" pictures to compare when your done. Hope it works out.

irwin · Jan 30, 2008

Dougster said:
Or time to get a 545 lb super-ultra-heavy-duty CAT skid steer bucket like I did! Trust me... It doesn't bend.

Dougster

Hey good idea, and I'd still have 155lbs before the lift was maxed out.. :shitHitsFan:

When I decide to go back into debt, I'll just get one of those red beasts.

I wouldn't have to go around as many obstacles.. :applause:

It's still only a nice dream Doug. Someday .. someday.. :beer:

Dougster · Jan 30, 2008

irwin said:
Hey good idea, and I'd still have 155lbs before the lift was maxed out.. When I decide to go back into debt, I'll just get one of those red beasts. I wouldn't have to go around as many obstacles.. It's still only a nice dream Doug. Someday .. someday..

You must have that infamous Deere Model 70 FEL. That monster CAT bucket is 66" wide with downright vicious bolt-on teeth. Maybe you can get a narrower one that doesn't weigh so much!

Dougster

green yanmar · Jan 30, 2008

thanks guys thats pretty much what i was thinking but i thought id throw it out there to see if there was any other ideas

mongoose · Feb 15, 2008

Quick attatch teeth, back drag blade, the way to go www.loaders.com you can also get a new bucket if you're interested.

Bindian · Feb 16, 2008

green yanmar said:
hey guys been using my new 240,man yard work has never been such fun.i have been trying to kit a feel for her and have been very pleased.i would like to straighten out the bucket though as you can tell by the pics the bucket is a little tweeked,any ideas or suggestions on a good way to straighten?i own torch,welder and have some steel laying around if needed.any ideas?

Green Yanmar,
I understand your pain. I bent my upper lip up.

I took it to my welder and asked him if he wanted to weld it on the trailer, as I had it boomed down tight and that took the bend out. He took it and forked it to his work table :stupid:

and they welded it with a 3/8x2x2 angle and didn't get all the bend out.
I am still fuming over that. :furious:

I was going to suggest what Dougster did with the bottle jack. Anyway, good luck. :wink:

hugs, Brandi

California · Feb 16, 2008

green yanmar said:
hey guys been using my new 240,man yard work has never been such fun.i have been trying to kit a feel for her and have been very pleased.i would like to straighten out the bucket though as you can tell by the pics the bucket is a little tweeked,any ideas or suggestions on a good way to straighten?i own torch,welder and have some steel laying around if needed.any ideas?

I've read that an experienced auto bodyman can draw that cutting edge up level by applying a torch to the bowed part and letting it shrink when it cools.

My cutting edge is straight but the top is well, 'experienced' after 30 years of abuse. I don't see any reason to straighten the top on either yours or mine, the dirt won't fall out or anything. Mine has a trailer ball in the center. I recommend adding one.

I think it is a good idea to add hooks at the outer corners, but I don't think reinforcement is needed for either the hooks or the trailer ball, and a new bar across there just makes the tractor more nose heavy for no advantage.

On mine I added simple hooks, ('cold shuts' for splicing chain) at four points. Now I can drive around with a suspended load without it swinging around. These little hooks are sufficient for the 800 (??) lbs these things will lift safely.

This attached photo illustrates some forks I made, but it also shows the 'cold shut' hooks I'm describing. They are simply bolted through existing holes, and are free to swing around. They are also a good place to carry chain.

http://www.nettractortalk.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=276&d=1185757849

Bindian · Feb 16, 2008

California said:
I've read that an experienced auto bodyman can draw that cutting edge up level by applying a torch to the bowed part and letting it shrink when it cools.

My cutting edge is straight but the top is well, 'experienced' after 30 years of abuse. I don't see any reason to straighten the top on either yours or mine, the dirt won't fall out or anything. Mine has a trailer ball in the center. I recommend adding one.

I think it is a good idea to add hooks at the outer corners, but I don't think reinforcement is needed for either the hooks or the trailer ball, and a new bar across there just makes the tractor more nose heavy for no advantage.

On mine I added simple hooks, ('cold shuts' for splicing chain) at four points. Now I can drive around with a suspended load without it swinging around. These little hooks are sufficient for the 800 (??) lbs these things will lift safely.

This attached photo illustrates some forks I made, but it also shows the 'cold shut' hooks I'm describing. They are simply bolted through existing holes, and are free to swing around. They are also a good place to carry chain.

http://www.nettractortalk.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=276&d=1185757849

California, :wave:

Yes, a bowed upper lip will still carry dirt, but it is the jobs where you almost abuse your bucket that makes it nessecary to reinforce it. I am talking large stumps and logs. Especially when trying to rearrange them in large burn piles. They do things to a bucket only when you can not see what is happening on the front side of the bucket. Like working a burn pile at 2 A.M. :pat:

hugs, Brandi

fel bucket repair

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