I’m looking for a 6 inch trenching bucket for our BH77 backhoe. Other than OEM Kubota, are there other options?
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6 inch bucket for Kubota BH77 backhoe
- Thread starter Wmoyer1
- Start date
GreensvilleJay
Well-known member
Equipment
BX23-S,57 A-C D-14,58 A-C D-14, 57 A-C D-14,tiller,cults,Millcreek 25G spreader,
Any half decent weld/fab shop can make one or a 'backyard bodger'. Only $50 in materials, plans off the net, took me a lazy day to make one.
GreensvilleJay
Well-known member
Equipment
BX23-S,57 A-C D-14,58 A-C D-14, 57 A-C D-14,tiller,cults,Millcreek 25G spreader,
sorry, bucket not with me....it got 'borrowed' last summer to lay in 4" pipes..dang I gotta call him before MY bucket becomes HIS bucket....sigh.....
I made sides out of 1/4" plywood and 2bymaterial to run on BH to see how all the angles and holes 'looked', 2nd one was better. Wood is a LOT easier to drill cut and screw together. That way NO time wasted in the 'metal shop'.
I made sides out of 1/4" plywood and 2bymaterial to run on BH to see how all the angles and holes 'looked', 2nd one was better. Wood is a LOT easier to drill cut and screw together. That way NO time wasted in the 'metal shop'.
6" bucket!!??
I sure hope you are digging in sand or VERY dry earth.
I have a 9" for my backhoe that I almost never use, since our clay sticks in it so bad, and I soon got VERY tired of wasting time and energy, getting off the tractor and cleaning it out with a digging bar.
Frankly, even the thought of a 6" bucket sends chills down my spine.
I sure hope you are digging in sand or VERY dry earth.
I have a 9" for my backhoe that I almost never use, since our clay sticks in it so bad, and I soon got VERY tired of wasting time and energy, getting off the tractor and cleaning it out with a digging bar.
Frankly, even the thought of a 6" bucket sends chills down my spine.
I agree 100%. I have a 10" Kubota bucket and the soil needs to be very dry or you are in for a plugging hassel. I rarely use the bucket, an expensive anchor.6" bucket!!??
I sure hope you are digging in sand or VERY dry earth.
I have a 9" for my backhoe that I almost never use, since our clay sticks in it so bad, and I soon got VERY tired of wasting time and energy, getting off the tractor and cleaning it out with a digging bar.
Frankly, even the thought of a 6" bucket sends chills down my spine.
I was just going to order the 6" bucket from BXpanded for my Kubota BT751 and saw this thread which now has me thinking twice about it. I'm just south of Charlotte and my soil is "pottery grade" clay. They say it "has cutaway sides to help with dumping excavated material". Has anyone here used that bucket in clay?
Has anyone tried a non-stick paint like they have for snowplow blades? I realize the paint will wear off but if it helps it might be worth painting it often.
Henro, would you consider selling your 10" bucket?
One of our guys asked for a 6" bucket for our Mini-X. When I tried to order one, the vendor said that the bucket would be narrower than where it attached to the boom. Never verified it for myself.
dirtydeed
Well-known member
Lifetime Member
Equipment
B2650 BH77, U27-4R2, BX23TLBM, box blade, rear blade, flail mower, Stump Grinder
I'd think you'd be wasting your time with that 6 inch bucket. It's not a high capacity bucket, looks like it holds a couple of teaspoons of dirt.
Chim, I'd have to agree on the narrow bucket. I use a 12" high capacity bucket on a KX for digging water lines. I lose the pin retaining clip quite often because it drags on the side of the trench. You could just thru bolt the pin, but that would require tools when changing buckets. That's a no-go for me.
Chim, I'd have to agree on the narrow bucket. I use a 12" high capacity bucket on a KX for digging water lines. I lose the pin retaining clip quite often because it drags on the side of the trench. You could just thru bolt the pin, but that would require tools when changing buckets. That's a no-go for me.
fried1765
Well-known member
Equipment
Kubota L48 TLB, Ford 1920 FEL, Ford 8N, SCAG Liberty Z, Gravely Pro.
A narrow bucket can be an issue.
I had been considering a 12" (narrow) bucket for my quick connect BT1100 hoe, with hyd. thumb.
I am not at my machine for the Winter, but realized that my thumb width must be 13" or more.
Thus the thumb would be scraping the sides of the hole with each bite.
Have decided that I must instead go with a 16" bucket, though I don't really want to..
A new 16" quick connect bucket is going to be expensive ($1,100+), and I don't think I can find a used one with cost effective shipping to zip 02651.
Keep your eye on Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist, and you will never know what will turn up within an hour's driving distance. I found an 8" trenching bucket last fall about an hour's drive from home. I really didn't need it but it was new and I figured that it was a good enough buy that if I didn't need it I could always get my money back and maybe even make a profit.
I have the BXpanded 6" trencher bucket. I used it one time to dig up and replace a section of my septic line that had pulled loose from each end of the coupler. Of course, it was wet soil and I have the most awful clay known to man. Yes, wet soil packs in the bucket, and I had to remove the packed in soil with a crowbar twice, and by the time I was done, it was filled up again. I plan on using it for drainage line installations, but we haven't had a dry summer since I bought my tractor.
I made a small bucket to do some electric for my generator install. It is about 7" wide if I remember right. I have to take the thumb off if deeper than about 16-18 but it worked well for my purposes. I added a pivoting piece in the back that gets pulled with a chain when i dump that is hooked to the upper thumb mount It works pretty good but I have one of those small "little pal" square point shovels that I use to clean my buckets out. I made the inside width of the bucket with the shovel in mind. The shovel hangs on a mount on the left loader mount so it is always handy.
One thing I see recently is Neal at messicks made a video on digging in clay soil. He showed that rather than trying to curl a scoop full, you peel the soil so it doesn't pack in the bucket. Kind of like how a wood plane works. I haven't tried it yet but need to put in some drainage in the spring so that will be the test.
Bill
One thing I see recently is Neal at messicks made a video on digging in clay soil. He showed that rather than trying to curl a scoop full, you peel the soil so it doesn't pack in the bucket. Kind of like how a wood plane works. I haven't tried it yet but need to put in some drainage in the spring so that will be the test.
Bill
Another thing that might help is to cut a few holes (2" or so) in the back/bottom of the bucket to relieve the suction.
If nothing else, it gives you a way to push the mess out with a stick.
fried1765
Well-known member
Equipment
Kubota L48 TLB, Ford 1920 FEL, Ford 8N, SCAG Liberty Z, Gravely Pro.
Your suggestion of watching Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist is great, but is just not workable in my situation.
I am in SW Florida until late April.
My L48 is in Eastern, MA.
I have no way to pick up or receive anything in the MA area until late April.
I have been looking on CL, and will continue to do so, but even if I can find a used bucket it will need to come from a dealer,...... so I can pay in advance, but pick up in April.
Also: the nearest Kubota dealer that stocks/sells/new or used buckets is 150 miles away.
Thus: I find myslf to be in a very difficult buying position.
I have located a new K7873 (16") quick connect bucket offered for $940 + $140 shipping, and that may have to be the route I take. Paying nearly $1080 for a "play" bucket kinda makes me choke though.
The Kubota dealer new bucket price is $1060....but I would have to drive 300 miles round trip to pick it up.
The problem I have with the new (AIM) bucket is that it is quite heavy at 248 lbs. while the Kubota bucket is 180 lbs. I probably should not be concerned with weight, as the machine currently has a 24" Kubota bucket, which certainly must weigh more than 248 lbs.
From pictures, it appears that the 16" AIM bucket sides are 1/2" AR 400 steel, while the Kubota Land Pride, or Werk Brau sides are apparently 3/8" AR 400 3/8, steel, but are double thick in cutting edge areas.
I do prefer the lighter weight, as my BT1100 backhoe would never damage that 248 lb. AIM bucket.
Decisions, decisions!
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My 12” bucket works great…and I have a hydraulic thumb and have no issues with clearance. In our area of volcanic soil/rock/boulders…a larger bucket just is too much for a smallish tractor.
I have a 6" bucket for my BH77 and it works great. (and a 16")
Technique plays a large roll in using smaller buckets and sticky soils
If you are a fan of dipper digging (jab, curl and stuff kind of operator) that likes to use short boom pulls / deep cuts per pass that packs the bucket you will have more more difficulty clearing the bucket versus an operator that favours boom use and shaves material into the bucket (longer pull with less aggressive cut)
In the Red River Valley we have lots of clay and even in wet areas a longer pull, less aggressive cut that shaves material into the bucket, and not wanting to pack bucket prior to dumping the pass makes a huge difference.
so much depends on matching the technique to your equipment and soil conditions.
- Jab and curl works well for sandy/dry soils/wide buckets,
- longer pulls, shaving material into the bucket works good in the stickier stuff and for narrow buckets.
practice makes perfect as my granddad used to say
for trenching for electrical or say 4" tile I do not find one bucket size works faster than another. The narrower bucket makes less of a mess if you are trying not to damage grass/trees etc... I also like the narrow bucket when digging large stumps as the narrow bucket breaks roots easier.
Technique plays a large roll in using smaller buckets and sticky soils
If you are a fan of dipper digging (jab, curl and stuff kind of operator) that likes to use short boom pulls / deep cuts per pass that packs the bucket you will have more more difficulty clearing the bucket versus an operator that favours boom use and shaves material into the bucket (longer pull with less aggressive cut)
In the Red River Valley we have lots of clay and even in wet areas a longer pull, less aggressive cut that shaves material into the bucket, and not wanting to pack bucket prior to dumping the pass makes a huge difference.
so much depends on matching the technique to your equipment and soil conditions.
- Jab and curl works well for sandy/dry soils/wide buckets,
- longer pulls, shaving material into the bucket works good in the stickier stuff and for narrow buckets.
practice makes perfect as my granddad used to say
for trenching for electrical or say 4" tile I do not find one bucket size works faster than another. The narrower bucket makes less of a mess if you are trying not to damage grass/trees etc... I also like the narrow bucket when digging large stumps as the narrow bucket breaks roots easier.
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Thanks Boakley!
You describe better than me what I was trying to say about the digging style. While I have used and owned backhoes over 25 years I never had any formal training. I had an old 70's Long I bought used but turned out to be junk. I figure this time I wanted new and smaller for what i need to do around here on my property.
Bill