HOW DO I SELECT THE BEST EXCAVATOR BUCKET

HOW DO I SELECT THE BEST EXCAVATOR BUCKET

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Who Buys Construction Equipment

11 min read · Jan 20, 2022

Choosing the right excavator for your work is only the beginning of getting the gear you need. Excavators, whether small or large, are highly adaptable due to various bucket and attachment options. Considering the numerous types of backhoe and excavator buckets available, several factors contribute to selecting the best bucket for the project.

SELECT AN EXCAVATOR BUCKET THAT MEETS YOUR SITE’S REQUIREMENTS

The first thing to consider when selecting an excavator bucket is the application and type of material you'll be working with. Typically, you’ll want to choose the largest bucket for the job, considering the material density and the size of the hauler truck. Remember that the bucket’s weight restricts your cycle time, and the bucket only gets heavier when it’s full of heavy items. To avoid reduced production, use a smaller bucket for higher-density materials. Optimize your cycle by loading your hauler vehicle quickly and with as few cycles as feasible to save on fuel, wear, and downtime.

Different applications may necessitate different bucket types. For instance, with a 30-inch bucket, you wouldn't be able to dig an 18-inch trench. Some buckets have features tailored for specific materials. A rock bucket's cutting edge is V-shaped with long, sharp teeth, enabling it to break through hard rock and push heavy loads with greater force. A digging bucket is ideal for managing tough dirt. Consider the type and density of the materials you’ll be hauling and choose a bucket that can handle it.

TYPES OF EXCAVATOR BUCKETS

Excavators are capable of various tasks, including trenching, pipe installation, landscaping, and snow removal. Within these applications, an excavator can use different bucket types to handle distinct materials. While there are many specialty buckets available, the following are the five most popular:

• Buckets for general, all-purpose use, or digging
• Buckets for grading, cleaning, or dumping
• Heavy-duty or severe-duty buckets
• Buckets for trenching
• Buckets with an angled slant

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF A GENERAL-PURPOSE BUCKET?

The most versatile bucket is a general-purpose bucket, suitable for various excavation activities. Also referred to as a digging bucket, it is the typical excavator attachment. If you don’t specify a bucket when renting an excavator, you’ll likely get a general-purpose bucket. It has short, blunt teeth that perform well on soil and come in various sizes for different applications.

A general-purpose excavator bucket can handle materials such as:

• Dirt
• Sand
• Topsoil
• Clay
• Gravel
• Loam
• Silt

It can also be used for:

• Stones or loose gravel for foundation
• Frozen soil

Wear-protection components enable an all-purpose excavator to handle more abrasive materials.

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF A GRADING BUCKET?

Grading buckets have smooth edges, a wide construction, and flat cutting edges, complete with lift eyes, weld-on side cutters, and reversible bolt-on cutting edges. This design is best used with soft materials and soils, producing smooth edges in all digging areas. Grading buckets, also known as clean-up or ditching buckets, can be used for loading material, grading, leveling, back-filling, sloping, and cleaning ditches for better drainage.

When you know how to use a grading bucket, you can perform tasks such as:

• Landscaping
• Ditch maintenance
• Slope shaping
• Road construction
• Utility work

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO USE A HEAVY-DUTY BUCKET?

A heavy-duty or severe-duty bucket is typically made of abrasion-resistant, high-strength steel. These buckets are frequently used in rock quarries to load trucks with high-density material in fewer passes due to their exceptional endurance.

Heavy-duty excavator buckets, available in general, heavy, severe, and extreme-duty versions, improve digging for materials that are heavy or abrasive, such as:

• Blasted rock
• Hard-packed clay
• Stone
• Sharp rock
• Ripped basalt
• Gravel
• High-silica sand
• Shot granite
• Shale

Severe- and extreme-duty buckets can handle even heavier materials, such as:

• Limestone
• Sandstone
• Broken slag
• Basalt

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF A TRENCHING BUCKET?

A trenching bucket is akin to a grading bucket used to dig trenches. It’s perfect for cable trenches, pipe culverts, and narrow drains. The trenching bucket features a thin profile, a sharp blade, and an expanded front for easier access, allowing it to dig deep ditches while maintaining a fast cycle time. Use a trenching bucket for high-precision work, such as excavating around pipes.

WHERE DOES AN ANGLE TILT BUCKET COME FROM?

An angle tilt bucket has many uses similar to a grading bucket but with the added advantage of a 45-degree rotation in either direction. These buckets are helpful for constructing precise slopes because of their tilting capabilities. They enable an excavator to move or shape more terrain, reducing the time spent changing positions. With heavy-duty construction, these features help achieve higher uptime.

Angle tilt buckets are available in various sizes for applications such as:

• Grading
• Trenching
• Cleaning ditches
• Sloping
• Land or snow clearing
• Finishing
• Leveling
• Landscaping
• Digging in hard-to-reach places

WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF EXCAVATOR BUCKETS?

Aside from the commonly used buckets, you can find specialty bucket designs for specific jobs:

• A riddling bucket, also known as a skeleton bucket, is made of heavy plates with holes between them. Small particles fall through, separating fine soil from coarse dirt or pebbles.
• A V-bucket is a specialized trench-digging bucket that can dig long, angular, V-shaped trenches. It is often used for laying pipes and utility wires.
• A rock bucket resembles a general-purpose digging bucket but with long, sharp teeth and a V-shaped cutting edge for maximum pushing strength. It can easily break through hard rock.
• A hard-pan bucket looks similar to a rock bucket and features ripper teeth attached to the back. It can release compacted dirt while digging.

DO YOU WANT TO RENT OR BUY USED EXCAVATOR BUCKETS? KNOW WHAT TO BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR

With so many different types of excavator buckets available, renting one for specific tasks can be a smart idea. Alternatively, you can save money by purchasing a used excavator bucket if you plan to use it often. When choosing a used or rented bucket, you must know how to inspect it for damage or repairs. Look for the following elements:

• Cracks, bends, and dents: The bucket’s weld spots may develop cracks, dents, or bows over time. Rusty fringes indicate fractures in the welding.
• Rust: Rust in an excavator bucket is a sign of excessive wear. If you notice rust, consider whether it can be repaired or if the bucket is beyond repair.
• Excavator bucket teeth: These teeth are made of low-alloy steel designed for durability. They will become half-moon-shaped over time as they wear. Scalloped teeth will still be functional but less efficient. Consider investing in replacement teeth or replacing them promptly if worn down.
• Parts availability: Teeth and other customizable features on the bucket will eventually wear out. Check online before buying to see if the parts are available and affordable.

The bucket must fit your excavator, whether you rent, buy new, or buy used. A bucket that is too large for your excavator will be ineffective and could cause damage. Attach it to your excavator after ensuring it's the right size and weight for your machine.

• Playing or moving: After attaching, attempt to open and close the bucket. Check the bushings, pins, and couplers for looseness.
• Dig: Test the bucket by digging. Consider the cycle time you achieve compared to other buckets.

CHOOSING THE RIGHT EXCAVATOR BUCKET SIZE

Most construction projects benefit from a bucket that reduces the number of passes needed, increasing productivity. Use the largest excavator bucket that won’t compromise efficiency unless you have specific size requirements, like digging a trench. The bucket on a 20-ton excavator is much larger than on an 8-ton excavator. A bucket that is too large will make the excavator work harder, causing longer cycle times, reduced efficiency, or even collapse.

BUCKET SIZE CHART FOR EXCAVATORS

Many bucket sizes will work for the excavator you have. Mini excavators have bucket sizes ranging from 6-inch specialty buckets to 36-inch buckets. Some bucket sizes are solely for grading and shouldn’t be used for other purposes. Use this guide to find the appropriate bucket size for your excavator:

• For machines up to 0.75 tons: Bucket widths of 6 inches to 24 inches or 30-inch grading buckets.
• For a 1-ton to 1.9-ton machine: Bucket widths of 6 inches to 24 inches or 36-inch to 39-inch grading buckets.
• For 2- to 3.5-ton machines: Bucket widths of 9 inches to 30 inches or 48-inch grading buckets.
• For 4-ton equipment: Bucket widths of 12 inches to 36 inches or 60-inch grading buckets.
• For a 5-ton to 6-ton machine: Bucket widths of 12 inches to 36 inches or 60-inch grading buckets.
• For a 7-ton to 8-ton machine: Bucket widths of 12 inches to 36 inches or 60-inch to 72-inch grading buckets.
• For a 10-ton to 15-ton machine: Bucket widths of 18 inches to 48 inches or 72-inch grading buckets.
• For a 19-ton to 25-ton machine: Bucket widths of 18 inches to 60 inches or 84-inch grading buckets.

HOW IS THE CAPACITY OF AN EXCAVATOR BUCKET DETERMINED?

The bucket capacity for each job is determined by the bucket size and the material you’re working with. The material fill factor and density, the hourly output need, and cycle duration all contribute to bucket capacity. Calculate the capacity of your bucket for a specific project in five steps:

• Calculate the material’s weight in pounds or tons per cubic yard. Consult the bucket manufacturer’s Fill Factor Data Sheet to get the fill factor for that material. This number, expressed as a decimal or percentage, indicates how full the bucket can be with this substance.
• Using a stopwatch, time a loading process to determine the cycle time. Start the timer when the bucket starts digging and stop it when it starts digging again. Divide 60 by the cycle time in minutes to calculate cycles per hour.
• Divide the project manager’s hourly productivity demand by the number of cycles per hour. This formula yields the per-cycle payload, the number of tons transferred per pass.
• Divide the per-cycle payload by the material density to get the nominal bucket capacity.
• Subtract the fill factor from the nominal bucket capacity. This figure indicates how many cubic yards of material you’ll lift during each cycle.

CUSTOMIZATION AND ACCESSORIES FOR EXCAVATOR BUCKETS

You can personalize your excavator bucket with various add-on features to suit your specific needs:

• Different types of teeth: Teeth come in various shapes and sizes for different needs. Most applications benefit from chisel teeth, which have a smooth, angled tip and a flat bottom. The chisel tip of a rock chisel is reinforced for rock and hard soils. Single tiger teeth have a sharp tip for superior material penetration. Twin tiger fangs have two sharp prongs per tooth for even better penetration.
• Teeth spacing: The spacing of teeth can be modified for different uses. Wider spacing is better for rock penetration, while tighter spacing works well in the soil and trench digging.
• Buckets can have spade or straight edges. A spade edge is beneficial for harder materials and quarries, while straight edges produce a smoother cut in soil work, trenching, and site-building.
• Side cutters: These are usually thicker than the bucket's sides. You can add bolt-on side cutters, or root cutters, to your bucket for digging through roots while excavating.
• Wear protection: Bottom and side wear plates, as well as sidebar protectors, can help prolong the bucket's life.
• Quick coupler: Excavators can have various bucket attachments, including rippers, augers, rakes, and grapples. On the job site, a fast coupler allows you to switch between different equipment and buckets rapidly.
• A power-tilting coupler: For the highest precision, this coupler allows any tool to tilt along a 180-degree arc, or 90 degrees left or right of center.
• Excavator thumb: This can be attached to the top of the excavator bucket to pinch material and keep it in place for bulky or irregularly shaped loads.

TEETH CHANGE ON EXCAVATOR BUCKETS

It's advisable to replace the teeth before they completely wear down and expose the bucket adapter. Follow these nine steps to replace the bucket’s teeth:

• Put on safety glasses and boots. You’ll need a hammer, pin removal tool, wire bristle brush, and the new teeth you want to install. Tag out the machine for safety before working on the bucket.
• Position the bucket so the teeth are parallel to the ground.
• Use the pin removal tool to remove the existing teeth. Push the pin removal tool against the retainer side of the tooth as you hammer it into the pin.
• Remove the tooth and clean the tooth adapter with a bristle brush.
• Place the retainer in the adapter's appropriate recess.
• Position the tooth on the adaptor while keeping the retainer in place.
• Insert the pin through the tooth and adapter from the opposite side of the retainer.
• Hammer the pin until it is flush with the tooth's end.
• Ensure the pin's recess is securely locked into the retainer.

Source: Thompson Tractor

Tips on Selecting the Right Excavator Bucket | Volvo CE

With the launch of our new EC200E excavator, I thought it would be beneficial to provide a quick overview of excavator buckets, especially for new excavator owners.

When selecting buckets, the options can seem limitless because excavators tackle a diverse range of projects. There is no one-size-fits-all solution for utilizing excavator buckets across different jobsites or even various projects on the same site.

Three major considerations when selecting a bucket are:

1. The quality of the bucket and its features
2. Bucket size
3. Matching the bucket to the application

Whether you are experienced with excavator buckets or still learning, you’ll find value in these tips. Using the wrong bucket can significantly impact productivity and fuel efficiency, and cause premature wear of the bucket.

Bucket Quality

All buckets are not made equal, so research is crucial to ensure you get the best bucket for your needs. Look for features that promote durability and reduce wear, such as wear strips that protect the bucket's sides and back, and side cutters that protect the cutting edge and improve penetration.

Certain edge designs also affect performance. General-purpose buckets typically have teeth, great for excavating. For grading or landscaping work, a bucket with a bolt-on edge can provide a smoother finish. For extremely compact material, pick-point teeth might be necessary. Also, consider the tip radius: a short tip radius produces better break-out force, reducing wear on the bucket, while a long tip radius offers greater capacity.

Volvo recently introduced a premium tooth system that increases productivity and fuel efficiency, is more wear-resistant, and easier to fit with a hammer-less pin design. The reusable locking pin locks in place with a simple twist. Such a system means you may not always need a new bucket.

Picking the Right Size

Several factors determine the right bucket size:

• Application: Maximize your bucket size for efficiency in the application. A bucket that’s too large can slow cycle times, especially with high-density material. For example, using a 36-inch bucket to dig a 24-inch trench is counterproductive.
• Material Type and Density: The material’s density and type affect how much you can lift, impacting the appropriate bucket size.
• Excavator Specs: Excavator size, configuration, desired reach, and other specs help determine bucket size. For example, a 14-ton excavator requires a different bucket size than a