500K_773
Well-known member
- Joined
- Mar 5, 2004
- Messages
- 342
Just wanted to share my experience. If you own a skidsteer loader and don't have teeth on you bucket, you are not fully utilizing the capability of you machine. When I bought my Bobcat it came with the 74” Low Profile bucket. This was great because it offered great visibility and carried lots of material. I began excavation of a building foundation in semi-hard, compacted silts and was dissapointed with my loaders performance. I would really have to work the bucket with the tilt cylinder to fill it, and would sometimes stall the machine when taking a big bite. I looked at adding a BiteBar (a bolt on bar with teeth) to this bucket, but the cost was about $350.
I really starting looking at my setup and realized that the LowProfile bucket was working against me. The length of the bottom of the LP bucket is 33.2” and the teeth would stickout even further. I then looked at the Construction and Industrial (C&I) bucket which was only 29.4” long on bottom. 4” shorter would increase my leverage, thus increase my breakout force. The dealer had the teeth for a bucket in stock, but not the C&I bucket, so I bought the teeth and ordered the bucket (about $950 for everything). I mounted the teeth on the LP bucket and saw an increase in digging performance, but not what I was expecting. When the C&I bucket arrived, I mounted the teeth and went to work. WOW, what a difference. I could fill the bucket almost effortlessly and did not stall the machine. My cycle times increased because I didn't have to work the tilt cylinder as much as with the LP bucket. The C&I bucket holds a little less than the LP bucket (15.4 ft^3 vs. 17.6 ft^3), hardly noticeable. If I have to move the material much distance, I excavate with the tooth bucket, then move the entire pile with my larger LP bucket.
I really starting looking at my setup and realized that the LowProfile bucket was working against me. The length of the bottom of the LP bucket is 33.2” and the teeth would stickout even further. I then looked at the Construction and Industrial (C&I) bucket which was only 29.4” long on bottom. 4” shorter would increase my leverage, thus increase my breakout force. The dealer had the teeth for a bucket in stock, but not the C&I bucket, so I bought the teeth and ordered the bucket (about $950 for everything). I mounted the teeth on the LP bucket and saw an increase in digging performance, but not what I was expecting. When the C&I bucket arrived, I mounted the teeth and went to work. WOW, what a difference. I could fill the bucket almost effortlessly and did not stall the machine. My cycle times increased because I didn't have to work the tilt cylinder as much as with the LP bucket. The C&I bucket holds a little less than the LP bucket (15.4 ft^3 vs. 17.6 ft^3), hardly noticeable. If I have to move the material much distance, I excavate with the tooth bucket, then move the entire pile with my larger LP bucket.