BH Bucket Size

[93543]

Hey All new guy here - Pick.
Before we go there, lol - I am the home owner the BX23S is marketed & made for - 1 acre tract house in the boonies, tired of 20 years of shovel, rake, wheelbarrow work. I expect to scratch out the check in Feb/March.

My question is this - does soil type come in to play when deciding on bucket size? I was going to get the 16" figuring easier to back fill a hole too large than make a small hole bigger - useage will be trenching for grey water line, digging tree holes and removing smaller stumps. Soil where trenching and planting holes is hard, sandy rock filled desert, for the most part.

So, the 16" or the 12" - will the 12" be better in my soil type?

Thanks in advance - love this forum, been lurking for awhile .

Pick

 

[torch]

Small buckets require less force in hard soil but may not empty sticky soils (eg: damp clay).

So my guess would be 12" for hard, sandy desert soil. But someone with real experience will undoubtedly be along shortly.

 

[UpNorthMI]

I’d go the 12” bucket route based on your ground. if you plan a lot of stomp removal, a ripper or rake attachment are very useful.

 

[pokey1416]

I don’t know the capacity of your machine I like my 18” I would think 16” would be easier to get soil to dump. Whichever you choose make sure it has teeth. You’ll get your greatest breakout force with bucket curl. Consider the manual thumb option it’s a real lifesaver.

 

[Lil Foot]

My place in the mountains has tons of interlocked rocks & very hard soil. My B670 hoe is not very strong compared to modern equipment, so the narrowest bucket (10") is basically required. After the initial dig, I can usually re-dig with my bigger bucket. (16")
The 16" bucket works for sediment & gravel washed into my water course, or in the desert where I live. (Phoenix area)
As stated above, stumps, rocks, & such are easier with a narrower bucket, more material moved per scoop with larger buckets.

 

[Henro]

With our clay a wider bucket is better. For your soil type either should work fine.

BUT extra width of a trench can be desirable sometimes. I rarely use the 10 inch bucket I have, and keep the 16” on all the time. Our soil makes the 10” a nightmare to use if at all damp. Bucket sticks half full most of the time.

My son in law bought the 16” when he got his new BX23S last summer. No complaints so far.

In your case it sounds like either will work fine, although the 12” might be better if the ground is extremely hard. I say might, because I don’t know...in theory it would be.

 

[dirtydeed]

I didn't think a 16" bucket was even an option for the hoe on a BX23S.

I had a BX23 years ago...you wont want anything larger than a 12" bucket.

 

[93543]

I’d go the 12” bucket route based on your ground. if you plan a lot of stomp removal, a ripper or rake attachment are very useful.

Thanks UpNorth!! Yup, I plan on getting the Ripper, BB1248 and the LR1660.

 

[93543]

I didn't think a 16" bucket was even an option for the hoe on a BX23S.

I had a BX23 years ago...you wont want anything larger than a 12" bucket.

It is - they now offer 8", 12" & 16".
Thanks for your input!

 

[93543]

I don’t know the capacity of your machine I like my 18” I would think 16” would be easier to get soil to dump. Whichever you choose make sure it has teeth. You’ll get your greatest breakout force with bucket curl. Consider the manual thumb option it’s a real lifesaver.

The 23 is the baby, enough power to do the landscaping - shovel free, LOL! Yes, the thumb will be on it - thanks for the input!

 

[93543]

I didn't think a 16" bucket was even an option for the hoe on a BX23S.

I had a BX23 years ago...you wont want anything larger than a 12" bucket.

Perfect - thank you!! I'm comfortable now with putting the 12" on it after all of the input - it's why I asked!!