BH92 Bucket options? I can't find a smaller bucket!

NHjoe

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L3940
Jul 24, 2021
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NH
First post here, I've been a orange guy since 2003 when I bought a B2630. I moved up to the hills and traded the B for a 2008 L3940, Man I love this thing. Its almost too big. I have a BH92 backhoe now and it has the standard 18"? Bucket from the factory. While I am impressed with the digging power of this backhoe on this machine. I live in the granite state and the rocks here are out of this world. Just digging out a small stump can sometimes turn into 45 minutes of boulder pulling. The larger bucket on my hoe is really slowing me down and I am creating way more of a mess than I need too. I searched this entire forum for bucket options for the BH92 and I found nothing helpful.

I would love a trench bucket, or at least a smaller option, Kubota I believe only sells the standard size I have, and a 12", the 12 I feel is north worth the price, (I believe its over $1000!) yes it would improve things, but But a 8" would be ideal. This thing would turn into a rock yanking/stump ripping machine! I have to run nearly 1000' of trench this year and a small bucket would be well worth it!

Most of the BH92 threads on here are very old, Any new suppliers out there?!

Thank you!
joe
 

pokey1416

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I’m with you brother I ordered a 16” bucket and plan to cut the teeth off and make it a trenching bucket. Here in MI most of our footings are 16” wide so this should work perfect.

The toothed bucket is great for digging but sucks for footings IMO.
 
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NHjoe

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Jul 24, 2021
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I’m with you brother I ordered a 16” bucket and plan to cut the teeth off and make it a trenching bucket. Here in MI most of our footings are 16” wide so this should work perfect.

The toothed bucket is great for digging but sucks for footings IMO.
I'd love to get just a grading bucket for all kinds of stuff. For footings the teeth woudl be terrible because you tear up the earth you are trying to leave compacted! Good luck with that, If you come across anyone making a smaller bucket please let me know!
 

jajiu

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I needed a smaller bucket too and checked it out back in 2018. The smallest bucket made for the BH92 is 12" and I got it from a local dealer and cost me $650. I have a pin on bucket not a quick attach and I took the 16" off and basically only use the 12" for the work I need to do around the house, stump removal, minor trenching, moving boulders, etc. I'm very happy with it.
 

NHjoe

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Jul 24, 2021
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Have you called your Kubota dealer to check on one?
I've called all the dealers. I was able to get a quote for $690 for the 12" bucket to the dealer for pickup.

While I do believe the 12" would offer a 15-25% increase in digging/rooting 'power' I am fearful its just not worth the $700 over the 16". Finding a proper deep/narrow trench bucket would make a massive difference I believe and be worth it.

surprisingly, the dealer said they even have a 36" bucket! crazy haha
 

Jchonline

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I agree. You are basically getting an additional 2 inches out each side…from a force standpoint that isn’t much. I have a 12 and a 24. 12 for trenching, 24 for excavating. If you want to dig out stumps and such maybe a ripper.

Give these folks a ring. http://www.kubota-aftermarket.com/
I am not certain if they have one to fit your BH, but they have them for the M62 so they might.
 

NHjoe

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Jul 24, 2021
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I agree. You are basically getting an additional 2 inches out each side…from a force standpoint that isn’t much. I have a 12 and a 24. 12 for trenching, 24 for excavating. If you want to dig out stumps and such maybe a ripper.

Give these folks a ring. http://www.kubota-aftermarket.com/
I am not certain if they have one to fit your BH, but they have them for the M62 so they might.
it looks like they just have the 12" as well, The only thing I can imagine here is that the BH92 is MUCH less common than the smaller ones or the larger quick release mini-ex'es. To me its the ultimate 'not huge, but big enough to really work" size. I am guessing that they just never sell that many...? I can find so much more aftermarket for almost everything else.
 

PoTreeBoy

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Maybe bxpanded.com? They only show BH77, but maybe they could come up with something. They have a nice line-up, if only it would fit your hoe.
 

JimmyJazz

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Here in hillbilly country one might try cutting your existing bucket down to size so to speak with a torch or plasma cutter and reassembling it in the desired configuration. How hard can it be?
 

kubotafreak

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it looks like they just have the 12" as well, The only thing I can imagine here is that the BH92 is MUCH less common than the smaller ones or the larger quick release mini-ex'es. To me its the ultimate 'not huge, but big enough to really work" size. I am guessing that they just never sell that many...? I can find so much more aftermarket for almost everything else.
I use the 12" for situations like you described. The reason kubota does not make one narrower, is more than likely due to the width of the dipper-stick and related link connections. The bucket in my sig, is a 12". They had to plan the bucket width around the available thumb. The rippers are nice for tearing through tree roots on species without tap roots. The drawback to a ripper is the ability to move any amount of spoil. I would suggest the 12". You mentioned digging around granite, which means you need to remove spoil to see what your doing. There are drawbacks, cost being the major factor. I scoured marketplace, and scored all my quick change buckets second hand. The 18" with teeth, and 12" are the two used the most. Good luck!
 

GreensvilleJay

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Have a 'machine shop' ,metal fab shop', weld shop, whatever they call it...MAKE a bucket.
Take your 18" bucket in as the 'template', they can easily make an 8" version. Friend did that when he built his shop(40x60),made a narrow(10"+) to replace the 16" BH bucket. Only took him a day to make using OA torch,grinder and repurposed steel.When he returned the BH, he gave the 'trenching bucket' to the owner. That guy used it for another 12-14 years before he sold the BH.
A modern shop could easily make one before lunchtime.
 

NHjoe

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L3940
Jul 24, 2021
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NH
Have a 'machine shop' ,metal fab shop', weld shop, whatever they call it...MAKE a bucket.
Take your 18" bucket in as the 'template', they can easily make an 8" version. Friend did that when he built his shop(40x60),made a narrow(10"+) to replace the 16" BH bucket. Only took him a day to make using OA torch,grinder and repurposed steel.When he returned the BH, he gave the 'trenching bucket' to the owner. That guy used it for another 12-14 years before he sold the BH.
A modern shop could easily make one before lunchtime.

This is a good idea, This is probably the direction I am going to have to go. I think a real deep well trench bucket would outperform the 12" standard bucket massively.

Options so far

Just use the 16, save the money, spend forever and not complain about it.
Buy the 12" for 700$ Take the small boost and be happy
Have a shop fabricate a trench/ripper bucket ???$
Prep all the work, and rent a 18k miniX for a weekend and hopefully get it all done (it will never be done!)

I'm going to call some shops today.
 

NHjoe

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L3940
Jul 24, 2021
7
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NH
Have a 'machine shop' ,metal fab shop', weld shop, whatever they call it...MAKE a bucket.
Take your 18" bucket in as the 'template', they can easily make an 8" version. Friend did that when he built his shop(40x60),made a narrow(10"+) to replace the 16" BH bucket. Only took him a day to make using OA torch,grinder and repurposed steel.When he returned the BH, he gave the 'trenching bucket' to the owner. That guy used it for another 12-14 years before he sold the BH.
A modern shop could easily make one before lunchtime.

Okay I called a few welders nearby. One didn't want to do it, Another said sure, but no matter how small it is they want big money (1200$ min) and said 4 months... eeesh.

Found a old guy with a great accent named RIP, at a small shop only 15 minutes away, spent 20 minutes telling me stories about how he used to make trench buckets for the utilities and power companies. And that the best he can think of unless he wants to charge me through the nose is to find a cheap bucket of any kind, and have him cut it down. So that is what I am looking for.


I found out that MIE is still making rippers for the BH92, it would be $900 shipped... thats 200$ more than the 12" from kubota, supposedly you can do a little trenching with it... but it looks real limited.

 

NHjoe

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L3940
Jul 24, 2021
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NH
Just posting this here in case anyone else searches this thread in the future:




BXpanded Contact


Hi Joe,
We cannot manufacture for a BH92 backhoe. We can only build what is listed already on the website. The parts we do build have already been designed, engineered and tested by us, the first one takes thousands of dollars to produce. We cannot modify for your backhoe, unfortunately. I'm so sorry that we cannot accommodate you for this.
Sincerely,
Jini McDowall
BXpanded.com
 
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