4 in 1 Deal or No Deal??

Hey guys, I'm looking at a 4 in 1 bucket that I found on craigslist. It's a Construction Attachments (CA) brand bucket. It is showing a little from what I can tell in the pictures, but doesn't look terrible. 2 of the 6 teeth are missing (shank and all). Also, the flange on the passenger (right side when sitting in machine) side of the back "dozer" blade is bent in slightly keeping the bucket from closing all the way. I think I can probably bend it back and make it work again with a little heat and hammer therapy. Just wanted to get a couple other opinions on whether or not this might be a good deal before I drive the sum 4 hours to get it! Here is the link if it will open and cooperate. http://wyoming.craigslist.org/hvo/4765043728.html Thanks for the input!

Too hard to tell from the photos what kind of shape it's in. The teeth are bolt on so that's not a problem but they are not cheep. 4 in 1 bickers are great. I actually bought one just from the photos I was sent in much worse condition then the photos of the one you want and I had to pay almost as much for shipping as I payed for the bucket. If you really want it your just going to have to make the trip and check it out in person. Who knows it might be in better shape then you think and you can probably haggle the guy down a bit.

brdgbldr said:

Too hard to tell from the photos what kind of shape it's in. The teeth are bolt on so that's not a problem but they are not cheep. 4 in 1 bickers are great. I actually bought one just from the photos I was sent in much worse condition then the photos of the one you want and I had to pay almost as much for shipping as I payed for the bucket. If you really want it your just going to have to make the trip and check it out in person. Who knows it might be in better shape then you think and you can probably haggle the guy down a bit.

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Thanks for the input brdgbldr! I'm with ya, I think I'm going to have to bite the bullet and go check it out. I definitely think I could put a 4in1 to good use, and this seems like a fair deal from what I've researched.

thieb said:

Thanks for the input brdgbldr! I'm with ya, I think I'm going to have to bite the bullet and go check it out. I definitely think I could put a 4in1 to good use, and this seems like a fair deal from what I've researched.

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1K in that sort of shape seems a little much to me.
a 4 in 1 bucket is awesome, pretty much every machine sold in .au has one, it's very rare to see one without actually.
Don't be fooled into thinking a little heat and a hammer will straighten the rear part of the bucket, it is a LOT stronger than you may think. I have tried and failed to straighten buckets like that.

Tazza said:

1K in that sort of shape seems a little much to me.
a 4 in 1 bucket is awesome, pretty much every machine sold in .au has one, it's very rare to see one without actually.
Don't be fooled into thinking a little heat and a hammer will straighten the rear part of the bucket, it is a LOT stronger than you may think. I have tried and failed to straighten buckets like that.

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Thanks for the input Tazza. Do you have an estimated fair price in mind? He did say he was willing to negotiate some. I don't have any experience in the attachment industry, and the best thing I have to go off of is some research I've done online. I've found new ones from 2500-4500 depending on brand and structure, and used ones from 1400-3200, but none of the used ones that I've found were bent or beat up like this one. And thanks for the advice on the bending. I've had my share of bending bent steel that was not supposed to bend in the first place. I'm a pretty avid steelworker with some time in a machine shop as well, so I figure worse case scenario I can always cut pieces away and weld straight back on or relief cut and weld when straight again.

thieb said:

Thanks for the input Tazza. Do you have an estimated fair price in mind? He did say he was willing to negotiate some. I don't have any experience in the attachment industry, and the best thing I have to go off of is some research I've done online. I've found new ones from 2500-4500 depending on brand and structure, and used ones from 1400-3200, but none of the used ones that I've found were bent or beat up like this one. And thanks for the advice on the bending. I've had my share of bending bent steel that was not supposed to bend in the first place. I'm a pretty avid steelworker with some time in a machine shop as well, so I figure worse case scenario I can always cut pieces away and weld straight back on or relief cut and weld when straight again.

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Used prices are dependent on location. In my location used 4in1 buckets are extremely rare. I have a 76 inch CA4 bucket and have no complaints. One thing you will want to check is whether the pan is twisted. When you grapple an object, you need to grab it in the center of the bucket so both cylinders are applying equal force. If you grab an object near the side of the bucket, the opposite cylinder has tremendous leverage on the pan and can twist it. That maybe what happened to this bucket. Even if the side is bent back, it may not close completely against the back cutting edge. Factor this into your offer if you have to cut both sides off the pan off to straighten it.

TriHonu said:

Used prices are dependent on location. In my location used 4in1 buckets are extremely rare. I have a 76 inch CA4 bucket and have no complaints. One thing you will want to check is whether the pan is twisted. When you grapple an object, you need to grab it in the center of the bucket so both cylinders are applying equal force. If you grab an object near the side of the bucket, the opposite cylinder has tremendous leverage on the pan and can twist it. That maybe what happened to this bucket. Even if the side is bent back, it may not close completely against the back cutting edge. Factor this into your offer if you have to cut both sides off the pan off to straighten it.

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If you have the gear, you stand a far better chance of getting it straight again.
Can't really say what a fair price is, see if you can get a few hundred knocked off it.
Even if you can't get it just right, it will still work. The most common problem is wear on the two parts the close together, they wear and allow sandy soil to run through it.

Tazza said:

If you have the gear, you stand a far better chance of getting it straight again.
Can't really say what a fair price is, see if you can get a few hundred knocked off it.
Even if you can't get it just right, it will still work. The most common problem is wear on the two parts the close together, they wear and allow sandy soil to run through it.

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Thanks for all of the input guys! I ended up pulling the trigger on the bucket after a little negotiation. The side flange on the back dozer blade part of the bucket was the only thing that was bent. The pan is not tweaked at all. I was able to bend the side flange back in less than 10 minutes with a large pipe wrench and an even larger sledge hammer. Works like a champ, and the back edge closes tight enough that I'm sure sandy soils will not slip through! Just need to pick up some teeth and replace the two main hoses and it'll be good as new!

thieb said:

Thanks for all of the input guys! I ended up pulling the trigger on the bucket after a little negotiation. The side flange on the back dozer blade part of the bucket was the only thing that was bent. The pan is not tweaked at all. I was able to bend the side flange back in less than 10 minutes with a large pipe wrench and an even larger sledge hammer. Works like a champ, and the back edge closes tight enough that I'm sure sandy soils will not slip through! Just need to pick up some teeth and replace the two main hoses and it'll be good as new!

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Glad you got it straight, you will love it.
Sadly teeth aren't cheap, but if you are digging, it makes a huge difference.