tractor bucket has a smile

47sawdust · February 20, 2014, 04:23:27 PM

The bucket on my L3750 has about an 1.5 inch smile and I'm looking for suggestions on how to straighten it.I'm building a toothbar and would like the bucket straightened before I install it.
Thanks,
Mick

BFay2172 · February 20, 2014, 04:32:21 PM

The way I would do it is find a good size piece of steel 4"x4" or similar and put the bucket down on it picking the front tires of the tractor off the ground you may have to heat it with a torch to get it to move and a little heat goes a long way! I have learned that the hard way. Just my .02 though someone else may have an easier way.

redbeard · February 20, 2014, 04:56:22 PM

If the top or roof of bucket is equally smiling it will probably return after you straighten it out. A gusset in the center will give it a lot of strength. Lots of good ideas on some other( forks posts) how they modified there buckets.

Peter Drouin · February 20, 2014, 06:00:05 PM

If it on the bottom role the thing all the way back and push agents a tree , go easy if you go to far you will have a :( :D :D :D :D

GDinMaine · February 20, 2014, 06:30:28 PM

This is what I did. The bucket of my tractor had about 1" smile when I bought it. It had to be bent 3-4" (if memory serves) the other way to make it straight when released. I did not need two jacks I just didn't want to point-load the cutting edge. Also. If you look closely there is a piece of plywood on the bottom of the bucket. I proceeded with much care and caution. Bend a little then release the jacks to check progress. This - by no means - was a delicate operation and believe me when I say those chains (3/8 grade 30) were tight as a fiddle string. The cutting edge pictured is 60" long 4" wide and 1/2" thick. Since your tractor is larger I would most certainly up the chain strength.

Chuck White · February 20, 2014, 06:47:18 PM

That looks like a real good method, GD.

47sawdust · February 20, 2014, 06:57:34 PM

Thanks for all the posts .
GdinMaine,your approach looks right for my bucket.Mine is a 70'' with cutting edge,I was thinking 3 jacks to persuade it back.

Brian_Rhoad · February 20, 2014, 08:43:21 PM

I would put an Oak 2x4 between the jack and bucket to spread out the pressure. You could "kink" the bucket by concentrating all of the pressure on the small area of the jack.

BFay2172 · February 20, 2014, 10:29:06 PM

Or worse crack the cutting edge :-\

Red Good · February 20, 2014, 10:36:34 PM

My bucket has the bottom bent up and the top bent down , and the lip has been worn off and replaced a couple of times . So I think this time I will cut the floor out and rebuild it with 1/2 inch plate . my bud is looking for a cutter blade so I can get a better cutting edge on it . Lots of cutting and fitting and welding but should be worth it once done . Red

Chuck White · February 21, 2014, 08:02:49 AM

Quote from: Red Good on February 20, 2014, 10:36:34 PM
My bucket has the bottom bent up and the top bent down , and the lip has been worn off and replaced a couple of times . So I think this time I will cut the floor out and rebuild it with 1/2 inch plate . my bud is looking for a cutter blade so I can get a better cutting edge on it . Lots of cutting and fitting and welding but should be worth it once done . Red

Red; Check with local highway dept., maybe they would have some used "snow plow or grader" cutting edge laying around.
That stuff makes a good edge for a loader bucket!

GDinMaine · February 21, 2014, 08:27:20 AM

Quote from: 47sawdust on February 20, 2014, 06:57:34 PM
Thanks for all the posts .
GdinMaine,your approach looks right for my bucket.Mine is a 70'' with cutting edge,I was thinking 3 jacks to persuade it back.

I think it is entirely possible to fix your bucket, but proceed with caution. I must admit I was nervous to bend that piece of steel the way I did. Also. My bucket re-developed a slight smile since that picture was taken four years ago. I happen to have built a tooth bar last Fall and I thought I would bend the bucket back if it gave me problems. So it happened that my welding the teeth onto the extra cutting edge warped the cutting edge enough, that it just about perfectly matches the slight bend in the bucket cutting edge. I figured I will just leave it alone. It is now a tractor with a rather toothy smile. ;D

brendonv · February 21, 2014, 10:03:46 AM

Just posting so i can find this in the future.

Good ideas here!

Shotgun · February 21, 2014, 11:28:17 AM

Quote from: brendonv on February 21, 2014, 10:03:46 AM
Just posting so i can find this in the future.

Good ideas here!

Adding a 'Bookmark' would also work well for that purpose. They're handy.

jmouton · February 21, 2014, 02:58:28 PM

my bucket is the same way except the opposite way is bent , I am a expert welder , so i cut my bucket apart and rewelded it back together flat and put a piece of ar400 steel cutting edge on the bottom of the bucket welded it on , and bent the bucket again picking up a 2500 pound log , so my bucket is bent a little , all i do with it is pick logs up anyway so the flatness of my bucket is not that important , and i am tired of fixing my bent bucket,, once your bucket is bent it is very hard to straighten , because metal stretches when you bend it , so trying to heat the whole cutting edge up is practically impossible to straighten it and when you heat metal up you change the metal structure , hardness and such , so get it close and hope for the best,,

jim

Red Good · February 21, 2014, 03:00:26 PM

Chuck , that's where my buddy works .

JJ · December 30, 2014, 11:23:51 AM

I had similar problem with bucket on my little case backhoe.
Was popping rocks from ground with backhoe, and had hooked front bucket over another rock for better leverage.
Bad idea as this bent my front bucket into frowny face :embarassed:.

Using that I beam in the picture and my 27ton log splitter, I manage to bend it quite straight.

I worked it slow to avoid breaking or making it smile, but had to pretty much bottom out the 2x6" board spacers on the I-beam.
A lot of rebound in the metal.

JJ

Gearbox · December 30, 2014, 09:08:17 PM

Don't worry about breaking the cutting edge they arn't that hard . I drilled one with a mag drill and a 3/4 bit and was surprised at how easy it drilled . I took a smile out of a loader with a beam and a jack worked good Gearbox

whitepine2 · December 30, 2014, 10:01:45 PM

Quote from: GDinMaine on February 20, 2014, 06:30:28 PM
This is what I did. The bucket of my tractor had about 1" smile when I bought it. It had to be bent 3-4" (if memory serves) the other way to make it straight when released. I did not need two jacks I just didn't want to point-load the cutting edge. Also. If you look closely there is a piece of plywood on the bottom of the bucket. I proceeded with much care and caution. Bend a little then release the jacks to check progress. This - by no means - was a delicate operation and believe me when I say those chains (3/8 grade 30) were tight as a fiddle string. The cutting edge pictured is 60" long 4" wide and 1/2" thick. Since your tractor is larger I would most certainly up the chain strength.

Yup that's the way to do it nice and easy.

Tom L · December 31, 2014, 08:37:22 AM

my only advice for you would be to go easy, I am a full time fabricator and have to straighten things out all the time

if you rig up some jacks like mentioned above, run a straight edge along the bottom and use a tape measure to see how far you are going , you can be very methodical about it, jack it 1/2" then release, then go 5/8 and so on until it comes back straight. if you go too far it is a whole other set up to get it to go the other way. a small sledgehammer can work good once it is bent under tension, tap it all the way around with a sledge to help relieve the stress on the bent piece. it will help it to stay straight after it is straight.