Choosing the right bucket for your excavator is crucial, as selecting the wrong one can have serious consequences. If you don’t choose the right one, you’ll have great productivity, reduced fuel efficiency, and premature bucket wear. To choose the right bucket for your needs, look for features that promote durability and minimize wear. Look for side cutters to help cut down on the wear and tear.
General-purpose buckets
A general-purpose bucket is excellent for excavating, but you’ll also want to consider the type of material you’re working with. General-purpose buckets are typically made of steel and have teeth, and buckets from Volvo have bolt-on edges, whereas pick-point teeth are best for compacted materials. However, there are many other options available to suit your specific needs.
Aside from the grading bucket, there are also several special-purpose buckets that you can choose from. The ditch cleaning bucket is popular, with a shallow depth, drainage holes, and a recessed pin for maximum digging performance. Aside from a general-purpose bucket, a recessed pin helps your excavator achieve a better breakout force and improve its uptime.
The general-purpose bucket is a standard attachment on excavators. Its short teeth make digging through rocks and soil easier, but a bucket with sharp, pointed teeth is designed to cut through hard-to-crush rock and soil. In addition, a rock bucket is designed to dig deeper, with sharp edges to protect the bucket from rock or loose dirt. The general-purpose bucket is also available with wear protection.
Trenching buckets
Trenching buckets for excavators come in several sizes, which can be used for various purposes. They’re perfect for digging a narrow trench, such as a cable culvert, and can be used to backfill soft ground. They can also be adapted to dig a deeper trench, allowing you to work in tight spaces. But you must be careful not to select the buckets for every job, as some of them may not suit your needs perfectly.
The bucket size for an excavator depends on the size of the excavation site. The size of the excavator influences the bucket size, so a 20-ton bucket is much more suitable for digging an eight-inch trench. But note that it is not wise to use a bucket bigger than the size of the trench, which can cause the excavator to topple over when digging, lowering its efficiency.
Skeleton buckets
Excavator buckets are essential to construction projects. The heavy machinery used by excavators helps in completing such tasks. Depending on the purpose of the bucket, it can be used for different purposes, and the buckets can be used for digging or cleaning areas. These buckets are different from regular buckets, so it is vital to understand how to use them. They can reduce your project time by up to half.
Besides the digging buckets, there are other buckets for excavators that can be used to dig trenches. They are specifically designed to dig through hard surfaces, like rocks and soil. The teeth of the bucket are reinforced with added material, which provides three times the life of the bucket shell compared to other types. A well-trained operator can use the hydraulic grab to achieve various tasks. But while using the bucket, you must be careful not to damage it.
Tilting buckets
Tilting buckets for excavators can be fitted to a variety of excavators. Among the most common types are Standard Duty and Severe Duty. Both have a wide range of features, but the difference is the amount of tilting ability. Standard Duty buckets can tilt 90 degrees in one direction, while the Severe Duty buckets can tilt up to 45 degrees in either direction. Tilting buckets can be fitted to any excavator and come with various features, such as hydraulic cylinders and a wear plate.
Tilting buckets are ideal for sloping terrain. They allow you to trench with sloped sides without repositioning the excavator, which saves time and money. These buckets are particularly convenient for landscaping jobs, as they produce a smooth gradient. The tilting bucket also allows you to perform multiple tasks at once. Once you’ve reached the desired level, the bucket automatically tilts 45 degrees left or right.
The Lehnhoff tilt bucket is a standard option for mini excavators, and it has a rigid handle that allows it to tilt up to 45 degrees in either direction. It’s suitable for mini excavators and can be fitted with a Power tilt quick coupler or a Symlock adapter. When used on small excavators, the tilting bucket is handy when slopes restrict the digging.