Bucket Size for the M371?

[chesterspal]

The M371 I purchased a few weeks ago came with both a 41" and a 48" wide bucket. I plan to use the smaller 41" as my main bucket and I have ordered a Piranha Tooth Bar for it to help with digging.

Wonder if that 48" is a bit too large for this M371. I'd be concerned it might flip me over with a full bucket.

Comments?

 

[brdgbldr]

The M371 I purchased a few weeks ago came with both a 41" and a 48" wide bucket. I plan to use the smaller 41" as my main bucket and I have ordered a Piranha Tooth Bar for it to help with digging.

Wonder if that 48" is a bit too large for this M371. I'd be concerned it might flip me over with a full bucket.

Comments?

It all depends on what you are loading in the bucket. You could use the larger bucket and just not fill it or only use it for liter materials.

 

[chesterspal]

I understand that but my question has more to do with the (larger ?) bucket on this small skid steer.

I know when we tried to move it into my pickup it took three of us. Can the M371 handle the larger bucket or is most of the power going just to lift the bucket is what I'm trying to find out.

BTW: The mounting on the back of these buckets... is there a standard for them or do all skid steers use their own?

Thanks

 

[brdgbldr]

I understand that but my question has more to do with the (larger ?) bucket on this small skid steer.

I know when we tried to move it into my pickup it took three of us. Can the M371 handle the larger bucket or is most of the power going just to lift the bucket is what I'm trying to find out.

BTW: The mounting on the back of these buckets... is there a standard for them or do all skid steers use their own?

Thanks

The original bucket for that machine was 36" wide.

The heavier the bucket, or any attachment, does reduce he weight of what you can lift. The machine has a maximum lift capacity and so the attachments take part of that away.

The newer machines are pretty standard quick attach systems. The older machines were different and different brands of machines could also be different. Some people on here have modified their older machines to accept the newer attachments. just make sure before you buy new attachments that they will work for your machine.

Hopefully someone on here with a M371 can show you some photos.

 

[mrbb]

OK the spec's on your machine are as follows,
so, you can use any sized bucket, but you need to subtract weight of bucket from lift capacity, heavier the bucket the less material you can put in the bucket
so if you have a 40 inch bucket that weights 200 lbs you can put 300 or so LBS of material in it, , if the 48 inch bucket weights 300 lbs maybe an(extreme example) you have a 100 lbs of less material it can lift based on OEM spec's!

think of things like this, you can use a 48 inch bucket and fill it fully if your lifting/loading LIGHT material that doesn't surpass lift spec;'s
same with smaller bucket, you can lift what the machine is rated for
and YES well ALL go past OEM spects at times, but repeated lifting is PAST spec's is where issues stsrat to show up and or damage to machine or worse an operator!

the wider the bucket, the more side hill unsuitability will be when lifting as well

• Manufacturer: Bobcat
• Model: 371
• Type: Skid Steer Loader
• Years manufactured: 1971 – 1977
• Engine power: 14.0 hp – 10.4 kW
• Rated operating capacity: 500 lb – 227 kg
• Bucket width: 36 inches – 91.0 cm
• Bucket capacity: Depends upon size of bucket attached to loader

and a link to this and more info for you on it

Bobcat 371 Specs - Skid-Steer Loader Specifications for Model 371

View the Bobcat 371 specs to help you better understand the capabilities of this skid-steer loader which was manufactured Between 1971-1977

wrenchiq.com

 

[cm2ncfsu2]

I used to have a 371. I had a 36" bucket that I widened to 48" and it worked fine with snow. I think that it would have been too much with a full scoop of dirt.

The 371 used a very specific bobtach mount that was only used on the 371, 310, 443 and 453 where the wedges that lock the bucket were operated by a single lever and traveled horizontally as opposed to the more modern where each wedge travels vertically and has its own handle.

 

[chesterspal]

Interesting. Thanks for this information.

I had a hunch this was not the OEM bucket at 41". Somewhere along the line of ownership it might have gotten lost or damaged.

My immediate needs are for digging and leveling dirt. The reason I purchcased the Pirahna Tooth Bar. Some removing of traprock but that will be a one-time job.

I'll take things slow and easy.

 

[cm2ncfsu2]

With floatation tires (8.5x23x12) that machine is right about 42" wide so the bucket could be factory. A picture of the back of the bucket would help.

I have a factory 3 point hitch adaptor/attachment for it if you're interested.

 

[Chris 8603]

My friends 371 has the floatation tires and has the 41" bucket on it. It came with the machine he says because of the tire configuration. His bucket will hook to the top of my bobtach, but like others said the wedges on those go the wrong way from the newer style

 

[chesterspal]

Not to beat a dead horse... but this seems to make no sense to me.

The M371 came equipped with a 36" bucket according to replies here and this page off the internet.

But the machine is just under 41" wide. The bucket on my machine is 41" wide so a tad wider than the machine is.

This would seem to be how it should come... not 36" and be less than the width of the machine.

Say you need to dig a shallow trench to move water away from an area. In fact, one of the jobs I need to use my M371 for is just that. They're called water bars and they're shallow (at least 6" deep) ruts dug into the slope of the land at a 30 degree downward angle to direct the rain water off and to the side where it can drain into the ground. Often they are filled with large size trap rock so you can easily travel over them.

If the bucket is less than the width of the machine as soon as you reach the tires you must stop and dump that bucket no matter how full it may (or maynot) be.

If the bucket is wider than the machine you can just keep moving forward until the bucket is full.

Am I missing something here?

 

[brdgbldr]

Not to beat a dead horse... but this seems to make no sense to me.

The M371 came equipped with a 36" bucket according to replies here and this page off the internet.

View attachment 4762

But the machine is just under 41" wide. The bucket on my machine is 41" wide so a tad wider than the machine is.

View attachment 4763

This would seem to be how it should come... not 36" and be less than the width of the machine.

Say you need to dig a shallow trench to move water away from an area. In fact, one of the jobs I need to use my M371 for is just that. They're called water bars and they're shallow (at least 6" deep) ruts dug into the slope of the land at a 30 degree downward angle to direct the rain water off and to the side where it can drain into the ground. Often they are filled with large size trap rock so you can easily travel over them.

If the bucket is less than the width of the machine as soon as you reach the tires you must stop and dump that bucket no matter how full it may (or maynot) be.

If the bucket is wider than the machine you can just keep moving forward until the bucket is full.

Am I missing something here?

It looks like you have wider tires than the machine originally came with. The machine with the original size tires is only 36" wide. These machines were designed to go through tight spaces like doorways and fence gates.

 

[chesterspal]

Interesting.

I wonder if a change was made at some point in it's manufacturing life to increase the tire width for more stability?

 

[chesterspal]

If you search Google >Images for "Bobcat M371" you will see lots of pics of this model and many appear to have wider tires.

Must have been an issue that many found needed addressing for some reason.

 

[brdgbldr]

If you search Google >Images for "Bobcat M371" you will see lots of pics of this model and many appear to have wider tires.

Must have been an issue that many found needed addressing for some reason.

Yes, these machines are very narrow and tippy on side slopes. Another issue with the narrower tires is that the machine will dig into and destroy a lawn more than wider tires. A drawback to the wider tires is less weight per square inch and thus less traction.

 

[mrbb]

I would gather, folks found out that wider tires made them more stable and as such, they took it ion there own to add them, to make the machine safer for them to use and be in general more useful at what it can do and where
Like most things in life, we find out better ways to make them work, than the OEM< some times does
thus why we have such a strong aftermarket world in most things
But I still doubt it came from the factory that way, typically when a OEM< designs something they, keep it that way and if they MODIFY things or alter things, they give it a new name/model number!
so, I'd say your's justy at soem point had wider wheels/tires added, and then a bucket to match things!

draw back again to larger bucket is, it will tax machine more when you fill it with heavier material,a s I gather you can over load a wider bucket past what the machine is rated for! NOT saying it will be an immediate killer, just that over time, it will add more wear and tear and can cause failures to parts on machine

 

[chesterspal]

Wonder if there is a "best" tire for this machine?

How much different are they from what is used on ATV's. There are some very grabby-looking tires made for the ATV market at about half the cost so if they will fit... and hold the weight... might be something to look into.

Just as a for instance.

 

[brdgbldr]

Good pneumatic skid steer tires are made for weight capacity, puncture resistance and the rubber is also harder so that you don't loose all the tread when turning. For example the tires I am running right now are 14 ply. This makes the part of the tire without the tread thicker. My machine is 9000 lbs without carrying a load.

So the main thing to look for in a tire is to make sure it can handle the weight of the skid steer fully loaded.

A cheap tire is just asking for trouble. If the tire is incorrect you could actually peal the tires off the rims when turning.

The smaller sized tires on the M371 were standard but there was an option to go with wider tires and bucket from the dealer.

 

[cm2ncfsu2]

They came standard with the 5.7x12 narrow tires that made the machine 36" wide and the 36" bucket was also standard. Floatation tires (8.50x12x23) tires have always be an optional (factory) add on. You would then logically also order the wider 42-44" bucket as well. I've always seen it that way in old Bobcat literature for these small models, all the way up to 463. The S70 is likely the same.

 

[chesterspal]

Appreciate the replies... and the history.

This model does seem to have a low tipping threshold especially going up an inclide. When I first got it running, I made the mistake of going up a slight hill in my yard without the bucket. I nearly flipped backwards.

Lesson learned .

I have some work to do that will involve digging into an incline to level it and I'm leaning towards bolting 50lb gym weights, one on each side, to the inside of the bucket.

Your thoughts?

 

[cm2ncfsu2]

For more stability and increased traction, put windshield wiper fluid in all four tires. Read up on "filling tractor tires".

It puts a decent amount of weight down low.