who uses them?...im thinking about one but i have never used one before... i run a small bobcat service: grading leveling land clearing small excavation of driveways etc...i work by myself i have a couple of jobs where i will need a grapple of some kind to grab tree branches, brush etc and haul away... do you guys think i should be looking at a 4 in 1 bucket instead of a grapple bucket?
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bobbie-g
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Bob, I have both a Thomas 60 inch 4-in-1 and a home-fabricated brush grapple. I have 20 or 30 hours on each one. Tazza will tell you that you ain't a real Bobcat person in Australia unless you have a 4n1 bucket! I would not be without mine. I think used ones go for $800 to $1400 on ebay. I like to use mine for pulling up shrubs, scrub oak, and picking up that last little bit of dirt that I can't get with a normal bucket. It will also do a bit of grading with the "clamshell" open, but it's impossible to see what I'm doing down at the work surface so I don't have the hang of that yet. It's just grand for grabbing things, and obviously works as a standard bucket also. I have done a great job of spreading gravel with it by getting a bucket full, then just cracking it open an inch or so and driving forward as the gravel trickles out. Works wonderful. However, it's not great for moving large piles of brush, as the "jaws" don't open really wide enough to get a good bite. Works best if you open the bucket, then rotate it forward and press down on the brush pile, then clamp it shut. But I've found for picking up big piles of brush, the grapple is supreme. I borrowed a guy's Bobcat brush grapple, and liked it so well I made my own. It can grab a pile of brush so large it makes the Bobcat a bit tippy. With both the grapple and the 4n1, you can dump brush on a pile, then push down on the pile to compress it, very handy. And the good part is, you can yank the pile apart again with either (more easily with the grapple), but it would be a mankiller to try to separate the pile by hand. -- Each bucket has its place, and both have a place in my lineup. 
---Bob
---BobI personally can't live without mine.Bob, I have both a Thomas 60 inch 4-in-1 and a home-fabricated brush grapple. I have 20 or 30 hours on each one. Tazza will tell you that you ain't a real Bobcat person in Australia unless you have a 4n1 bucket! I would not be without mine. I think used ones go for $800 to $1400 on ebay. I like to use mine for pulling up shrubs, scrub oak, and picking up that last little bit of dirt that I can't get with a normal bucket. It will also do a bit of grading with the "clamshell" open, but it's impossible to see what I'm doing down at the work surface so I don't have the hang of that yet. It's just grand for grabbing things, and obviously works as a standard bucket also. I have done a great job of spreading gravel with it by getting a bucket full, then just cracking it open an inch or so and driving forward as the gravel trickles out. Works wonderful. However, it's not great for moving large piles of brush, as the "jaws" don't open really wide enough to get a good bite. Works best if you open the bucket, then rotate it forward and press down on the brush pile, then clamp it shut. But I've found for picking up big piles of brush, the grapple is supreme. I borrowed a guy's Bobcat brush grapple, and liked it so well I made my own. It can grab a pile of brush so large it makes the Bobcat a bit tippy. With both the grapple and the 4n1, you can dump brush on a pile, then push down on the pile to compress it, very handy. And the good part is, you can yank the pile apart again with either (more easily with the grapple), but it would be a mankiller to try to separate the pile by hand. -- Each bucket has its place, and both have a place in my lineup.
The dirt we have over here isn't nice and soft, you simply can't fill a bucket by plowing into a mound. I open the bucket tilt forward and drive back wards closing the bucket. It fills it full every time. Great for clean up and for grabbing stumps and logs. Great on mulch and brush.
They do weigh more than a standard bucket but its a price i'm happy to pay.
No machines are sold over here without 4 in 1 buckets, or so it seems i have never seen an operator without one.
Wow , "no machines are sold without one over here " ----4 in 1 buckets are pretty rare here in New Orleans , you see a few but mostly on rubber tire loader backhoes such as Case 580's or cat 420's , I think I have seen maybe 2 on a skidsteer in the past 30 plus years , I do like it for cleaning up concrete that has been broken out , does a nice job of getting the last crumbs
Seriously, every machine you see being hauled on a truck has a 4 in 1.
The way most operators have gone is to use a tip truck with a skid steer and a backhoe. They fit really cozy in the tray of the tipper. This way they can dig trenches and fill them back in with the skid steer. Its a lot of money to throw out but it obviously works for them to run 2 machines. I'd suspect they get a good deal as they would buy them together and are generally the same brand.
The 4 in one is good for some types of grappling, but it is not a grapple bucket. For the type of work you are doing it would be invaluable. It will handle gravel real well, and get the last few pinches off the ground where a standard bucket would just have you spreading it around. (Or shoveling your bucket full.) The option to open it, and use it as a box scraper will really add to your cutting ability. Finally the weight can be a bonus. If you backdrag the extra weight can really help grade vs. a standard bucket. And if you fill it to backdrag it will be that heavier as well. I think the latest Bobcat 4 in one is the best design. (It has been revised a few times, to improve it.) I bought the Bobcat one. The Thomas brand looks pretty good, and had a price that had me looking hard at it. The swaying factor for the Bobcat one was bucket accessories, that could be attached to it. The teeth were removeable, and you could attach a bucket rake toothbar, whisker pushbroom, etc. A.G.
thanks all...a few more ?...i have an S185...and its 68" in width...would you go w/ a 72" or 66"?...im assuming 72" to cover my tracks... but thats more weight and im already running Mclaren Rubber over the tire tracks which are heavy do i need to worry about the weight issue on the engine?
skidsteer.ca
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The weight on the engine (especially with your turbo) is less of a concern then the reduced lift capacity of a heavier attachment imho.
Our 66 weighs 800lbs and the 72 is only 840 lbs. I'd go with the 72
Let me know if I can be of any help
Thanks
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I agree, you really need the bucket to be wide enough so when you dig it clears the tracks/tyres. With a hydrostatic drive, if you are feeling the extra weight don't push as hard on the controls. Thats the beauty of hydrostatics, you have equal torque if you go fast or slow if you can keep the revs up.
Hey TAZ also from australia . Same here if you dont have a 4/1 customers think your a weirdo .On the recent construction of a car park i used my skin bucket to do the corners ass it has no teeth and the builder asked in a huff wheres your proper bucket? To me the 4/1 is an excellant attachment it can do every thing post puller/clamshell/boxscraper/loading muddy dirt/clean up work . As for weight i have never had a problem on the s150 loading trucks etc.
Exactly!
I guess we are all just spoilt with them. When you are selling a machine the first thing they want to know is does it have a 4 in 1?
Good to see more aussies invading the forum!
i found this company on ebay that sells a 4 in 1 bucket...however not sure of the quality the price seems good...anyone know of this company? http://cgi.ebay.com/New-66-Skid-Steer-Bobcat-Loader-4-in-1-4-n-1-Bucket_W0QQitemZ110098014155QQihZ001QQcategoryZ50908QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItem
The design looks like the flat floor "norm" branded ones that are over here. They are regarded as one of the best buckets available. However, theirs have a gusset welded where the floor meets the sides, which this ones does not. Everything else looks the same, its the same basic design that they have all gone to. Not all buckets have greasable pins, most use nylon bushings that are not greasable. I am modifying a bucket i have to use renewable pins and bushings that will take grease!.
skidsteer.ca
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That is a good price on a 4 in 1, but I'd be asking about the grades of steel used in its constuction, the weight, how many sharpend cutting edges it has.
Visit http://www.skidsteer.ca/15combobucket.pdf and take a look at ours. Notice how the floor is bridged to give it extra strength, it has a 3/4 by 6" drilled cutting edge on the front and 2 1/2" by 4 cutting edges in the rear positions. 3000 psi cylinders, weights 800 lbs. Wrapped hoses and Couplers
Comes with a serial #, in the event you ever need parts we will know what you bought. Available bolt on cutting edge and tooth bar. They are a few hundred more, but I recommend checking all the features before you buy.
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Those gussets in the corners are the ones i was talking about.
I have never owned a flat floor style bucket, mine have a flat base and then a ridge inside for strength so they don't need this support in the corners. For a flat floor style i do believe they are needed.
I too would check on steel grade, most buckets are built with bizaloy 300 or 400 over here. Do NOT buy one made out of standard mild steel, it simply won't last, even with hard cutting edge it will bend. Bolt on cutting edge is a good idea, removing a worn weld on blade is murder!!!! believe me, i have tried removing one before.
Grease points are a plus too, mine have no grease points and its now all sloppy from pin wear.