Bucket modified Mod #3

Wildfire · Jan 16, 2010

One of the things I didn't like about my tractor was it's bucket. I used to operate heavy equipment one time and all the loader buckets I used had an added lip on top of the bucket that acted as a snow or rock guard so I wanted to have the same on the tractors bucket. The next lot of photo's will show how I did it. I also added two hooks and cut two access holes in the added top guard so the hooks could be easily used.

Here you'll notice I have my parts cut and ready to add to the top of the bucket.

Now I don't have to worry so much about snow falling off the bucket and hitting the windshield and it gave me a little more capacity for moving snow.

Eric McCarthy · Jan 17, 2010

I always wondered why buckets on bulldozers had that extra lip on the top of the bucket for, makes perfect sense now! Kind of acts like a spill guard if your pushing material into piles or loading dump trucks!

Wildfire · Jan 17, 2010

Eric McCarthy said:
I always wondered why buckets on bulldozers had that extra lip on the top of the bucket for, makes perfect sense now! Kind of acts like a spill guard if your pushing material into piles or loading dump trucks!

Yep you got it. Just the other day I was at our Kubota dealer and I noticed a new bucket on a tractor that looked allot like mine with the top lip added. I posted these photo's last year on another site. Are they watching me

Eric McCarthy · Jan 17, 2010

That is a sharp looking piece of equipment, you have a true talent!

Wildfire · Jan 17, 2010

Eric McCarthy said:
That is a sharp looking piece of equipment, you have a true talent!

You can thank Kubota for the sharp looking machine and I thank you for the kind words on my work. It seems once in awhile I seem to get a few things right

Eric McCarthy · Jan 17, 2010

OK so you have a point that Kubota made it, but your the wise fellow who went and purchased a Kubota, and added the bling bling! LOL

Wildfire · Jan 18, 2010

Eric McCarthy said:
OK so you have a point that Kubota made it, but your the wise fellow who went and purchased a Kubota, and added the bling bling! LOL

OK Eric. Guilty as charged

You should have been a lawyer

SRS · Jan 18, 2010

Paul, as usual great video! As others have mentioned your workmanship is first class. You should be very proud of your work and thank you for sharing it with everyone. I so very much look forward to your posts!!!! It's nice to see someone take such great pride in what they do and to help others outfit their own tractors . Damn shame you are not near Maryland, I would send some work your way. If you haven't already posted this video on the other tractor site please do. Thanks Stanley

Wildfire · Jan 18, 2010

SRS said:
Paul, as usual great video! As others have mentioned your workmanship is first class. You should be very proud of your work and thank you for sharing it with everyone. I so very much look forward to your posts!!!! It's nice to see someone take such great pride in what they do and to help others outfit their own tractors . Damn shame you are not near Maryland, I would send some work your way. If you haven't already posted this video on the other tractor site please do. Thanks Stanley

Thank you Stanley. I really appreciate you saying you enjoy seeing my work. I just try and do it right the first time. It's cheaper doing it that way.

I don't know about being proud. It's just something that I do and once in awhile I post on something that I've done so others might like it and give them ideas for there own tractor.

As for the video. Well I posted it on here first and I'm glad to see you enjoyed it. It was kind of a fast production with just a little snow. Kind of hoping on a Hugh snow fall and do another video. It seems everyone enjoys seeing a tractor working.

Oh and by the way. Welcome to the site. If you haven't been over to the video section you should. The boys do video's as good as a Hollywood production with lots of great info. Thanks again for your comments. Very much appreciated and I promise to post a few new threads in a few days.

SRS · Jan 22, 2010

I normally see your work on TBN and just recently found this site. Thanks for the info on the videos.

Wildfire · Jan 22, 2010

SRS said:
I normally see your work on TBN and just recently found this site. Thanks for the info on the videos.

Hi Stanley. Welcome to the site site my friend. Hope you enjoy it around here. Your right I used to spend a bit of time over on TBN and there's some fine folks over there but after I got racked over the coals because of two warning decals I posted in a thread there by one of there moderators I said that was it and I would greatly limit my time on that site from then on which I have.
The only time I get over there now is when I get an email from a member letting me know my name has been brought up. I'm very happy here. I call it home now and will until the boys boot me out of here

Thanks for posting and welcome again to the site.

http://www.orangetractortalks.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1083

DJG · Oct 12, 2010

Hello Wildfire:
I was excited to see your bucket Mod#3 and was curious how strong it is.

The reason I ask is that I just got my first tractor - a 2007 B7800 (with only 240 hrs) last month and nearly killed myself the first week while piling logs three tiers high.
I had a 16" dia. log x 12' on my forks, tilted back, and then lifted it up to place it on the pile. However, I didn't tip down the bucket to compensate for the lifting...so...naturally at the top of the lift, the log rolled off the bucket, down the loader arms and came right at me. There was no time to react.
It bounded against the tube in front of me which holds the two loader arms together and bounced to my left & off the tractor, but not before I heard a "crack" as it hit the plastic dash.
My only thought was that I had hurt my "new" Kubota, and I was pissed. It wasn't until that night when I was going to bed that I realized I might easily be sleeping in the morgue or the hospital if I hadn't been so lucky. (The damage to the dash was easily fixed).
I've learned my lesson about adjusting the tilt to keep the bucket level, but I was curious if your modification would prevent this from happening or if there are other "anti-idiot" guards that could be added to my bucket.
Thanks for all your posts, advice and photos.
I love my Kubota and OTT!

Wildfire · Oct 13, 2010

DJG said:
Hello Wildfire:
I was excited to see your bucket Mod#3 and was curious how strong it is.

The reason I ask is that I just got my first tractor - a 2007 B7800 (with only 240 hrs) last month and nearly killed myself the first week while piling logs three tiers high.
I had a 16" dia. log x 12' on my forks, tilted back, and then lifted it up to place it on the pile. However, I didn't tip down the bucket to compensate for the lifting...so...naturally at the top of the lift, the log rolled off the bucket, down the loader arms and came right at me. There was no time to react.
It bounded against the tube in front of me which holds the two loader arms together and bounced to my left & off the tractor, but not before I heard a "crack" as it hit the plastic dash.
My only thought was that I had hurt my "new" Kubota, and I was pissed. It wasn't until that night when I was going to bed that I realized I might easily be sleeping in the morgue or the hospital if I hadn't been so lucky. (The damage to the dash was easily fixed).
I've learned my lesson about adjusting the tilt to keep the bucket level, but I was curious if your modification would prevent this from happening or if there are other "anti-idiot" guards that could be added to my bucket.
Thanks for all your posts, advice and photos.
I love my Kubota and OTT!

Hello to you DJG. Welcome to OTT and I'm honored that you replied on one of my posts for your first post.

The story you written in your post is one I've heard many times. I'm glad you weren't injured and some plastic can easily be replaced and we all know it could have been much worst.

When I operated heavy equipment I remember a lump of snow falling off the bucket of my Cat 966 loader and taking out the windshield. The glass cut up my arms and hands pretty good and that was with a spill guard on the bucket.

When I bought my Kubota the shallow bucket was the very first thing I noticed. My machine is used strictly for snow clearing so I wanted to reduce the possibility of something like falling snow coming through my windshield again so I did the bucket mod. Yes it is very strong. As strong as the rest of the bucket.

It has been one of the best additions I've done to the machine and there's been many. It did increase the snow capacity of the bucket but it does make it safer.

I won't say it will eliminate the chance of something coming off the bucket but will decrease the chance of it. A good operator will always try and not over fill his bucket. One still has to keep an eye on things as the bucket goes towards the sky.

I sent a letter with photo's to Kubota Canada about the mod and showed my selling dealer and they all agreed it was a good modification. I have since seen factory Kubota buckets come out with a very similar mod from the factory like mine so I may have made a good point to them. I'm sure there is a guard that you could put in place to prevent that from happening to you again so give it some thought and toss your ideas out on this forum and I'm sure you'll get plenty of opinions. Good luck with your new machine and please be careful. Paul

hivo · Oct 15, 2010

Very nice work! And a good idea!
HIVO

Wildfire · Nov 13, 2010

hivo said:
Very nice work! And a good idea!
HIVO

Thank you!

jimbo913 · Jun 26, 2011

What paint are you using and where are you getting the paint? I would assume that you are not using spray cans.

Wildfire · Jun 26, 2011

jimbo913 said:
What paint are you using and where are you getting the paint? I would assume that you are not using spray cans.

I get a paint supplier in the city to mix me a gallon at a time. I use either a HVLP gun or a airbrush to apply it. Watch out though. There are two different oranges paints for the Kubota's. The one shown is the newest color.

jimbo913 · Jun 27, 2011

I bought some factory acrylic enamel today but it has no mixing instructions and I am a rookie. Can you tell me if and how you thin it?

Thanks
Jim

ipz2222 · Jun 28, 2011

Wildfire and others that help us non professional tractor nuts.
I personally try to learn everything I can from others, I won't live long enough to make all the mistakes and learn from them. Just yesterday, I was makeing a front brace to go on the bx for pushing cars around the shop lot. While I was welding, I pretended Wildfire was watching me, so I tried extra hard to make good welds. They were much better but I've still got room to improve.
Now if Wildfire could just talk to me while I'm welding!! " Slow down, add more heat, etc"" (bg).

Wildfire · Jun 28, 2011

jimbo913 said:
I bought some factory acrylic enamel today but it has no mixing instructions and I am a rookie. Can you tell me if and how you thin it?

Thanks
Jim

Jim this is a situation where Google is your friend. I could go into detail on how I do it but there are some variables such as gun type, air pressure, ambient air temperature ...... So just Google your question and you'll find some great write ups on the topic. If you do want to keep mixing your paint right all the time get yourself some measuring sticks but your research will tell you that. It would take me an hour just to start to try and explain how and what to use.

ipz2222 said:
Wildfire and others that help us non professional tractor nuts.
I personally try to learn everything I can from others, I won't live long enough to make all the mistakes and learn from them. Just yesterday, I was makeing a front brace to go on the bx for pushing cars around the shop lot. While I was welding, I pretended Wildfire was watching me, so I tried extra hard to make good welds. They were much better but I've still got room to improve.
Now if Wildfire could just talk to me while I'm welding!! " Slow down, add more heat, etc"" (bg).

You know your going to give me a complex don't you

The net and forums of this type is a great place to learn tricks. I used to post a lot over at www.weldingweb.com that's a great place to hang out and learn as you go. I'm don't get on the web lately because this is the busiest time of the year for me but as I tell everyone who asks I say " practice, practice and practice" and you'll get better each day. I'm flattered that you like my work and thanks for that.

Bucket modified Mod #3

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