[cutntrim]

I'm trading my smooth edged utility bucket (with bolt-on teeth) for a dirt bucket, and then buying a light materials/snow bucket as well for my 553.

Is there an advantage to getting the "low profile" dirt bucket over the regular construction bucket? I'll be using it for digging patio foundations and likely some grading/filling of soil.

[jwholden]

I started out with a 60" construction utility bucket when I bought my 763. I got a 66" Low Profile bucket a couple years later. I like the low profile design for the great view it gives of where I am digging and the longer bottom gives me some extra room when moving plants around a jobsite.

I know you want to get rid of the extra bucket, but before you do make sure you consider all options. I gave away my 60" bucket and kick myself in the but every time I do a paver job becasue that was the perfect size to use with teeth for digging for stone work.

What's the difference between a Utility bucket with bolt on teeth and a dirt bucket?

[cutntrim]

Well, I just checked the Bobcat website and the low profile is not compatible with my 553 so there goes that option. It'll be a 48" dirt bucket with teeth and a 54" light materials bucket then.

The utility bucket is a different shape and has a higher capacity than the dirt bucket. Presumably the dirt bucket's shape provides better breakout force for excavating and better sightlines for grading.

[BJR]

Why don't you blokes, (sorry, and shielas) use 4 in 1 buckets?

[cutntrim]

That's what I'd like to have, but it's not available for the smaller 553.

[PSUscaper]

The machine size is pretty limiting, so I don't know if I would get to crazy into bucket sizing. I would defintely get the dirt bucket and the tooth bar would be a nice thing to have laying around when you have to dig out a patio.

As for the light material bucket, I would have to suggest a bigger bucket for the sole reason that a 54" bucket isn't going to increase capacity enough to make it worth while. Remember, if you have two buckets, you have to bring two buckets with you. It becomes a big pain to have to haul around two different buckets from job to job.

The main use of the light material bucket would be for mulch in the summer and snow in the winter. If you do big mulch jobs, it may work out well to have that bigger capacity in the spring when you typically install a lot of mulch. I have a standard 72" bucket on my 864 and find it too small when moving a lot of mulch. If anything, I would be looking at finding a light material bucket in the 70" range, which would perform well for mulch and for snow operations. Just not sure what a 553 can handle.

Also, I would strongly urge not buying a bucket with permanent teeth as your main line bucket. It may be a pain to take on and take off the tooth bar, but if you get a dirt bucket with permanent teeth, you'll hate yourself for it when you need to scrape materials off a drive.

[BJR]

I had a 453 Bobcat with a 4 in 1 bucket 1200mm (4ft) wide. I have even seen them as small as 900mm (3ft) wide.

[jwholden]

BJR,

I have seen 4 in 1 buckets and they look pretty cool for picking up the last 1/2 bucket of debris without a shovel or plucking a stump right out of the ground.

I know there are plenty of uses for a 4 in 1. Could you or anyone else give me specific examples of what you can do with a 4 in 1? I'm sure there are many more uses than I'm aware of.

[BJR]

That's right. You can pick up FULL loads of stuff, even the fery last bit.

Here's a list of uses-

- there is less stress on the motor and the drive system when you pick up material out of a pile by opening the bucket and lowering it onto the pile and grabbing a bucket full, than poshing into the pile. You also get a bigger bucket full.
- for grabbing stumps, posts and ripping them out of the ground.
- for grabbing difficult items and carrying, such as long posts, big rocks, bulky rubbish, etc. much quicker.
- you can open the bucket and have the front edge level with the back and use it to carry things such as pallets.
- open the bucket a little bit and put a heap of long posts long ways into the bucket. They rest on the front edge and are hard up under the top, back lip of the bucket.
- open the bucket just a little, maybe 6in depending on how deep you want to cut, and crowd the bucket forewards so that the you can backblade and cut away a specified depth. Great for stripping turf and fine levelling.
- Open the bucket and use the front as a grader blade.
- when we are removing old retaining walls and have to remove plants, we dig under the root ball, then open the bucket, which has greater force than lifting with the arms, to break the last roots away at the back of the plant and to lift the plant at the same time.
- when backfilling walls it is quicker to open the bucket than to lift the arms all the way up and croud the bucket foreward. You can also dump the material over a greater height wall this way. This also helps when loading high trucks.

Heaps of stuff.

I have a dirt bucket as well and never use it. I also have a 1/3 cubic metre, 12sq ft, bucket for carrying mulch. It's looks silly but moves a heap of mulch for the size of the machine. An RC30. It would also fit on a 553 bobcat.

[VoodooChile]

For those of us who still own and proudly operate wheelbarrows, some pictures would be great...4-1 bucket, 553, it's all greek to me.

[BJR]

here's a 4 in 1 bucket picking up a log

[BJR]

a four in one bucket with a rock

[BJR]

here is a bobcat with a general purpose bucket loading a truck.

Imagine that when the load from the bucket has to be dumped the bucket has to croud, twist, foreward to do so. Thus the front of the bucket is much lower.

With a 4 in 1 bucket you can open the front part up as you croud the bucket foreward. This gives you a greater loading height.

Therefore this machine could luad a truck right to the brim whose sides come up to the arms of the machine.

[BJR]

this is a 553 bobcat. About the same size as an RC30.

[VoodooChile]

Thanks mate! That 4-1 looks slick. Wonder if Toro makes one for my Dingo...