Buckets and Accessories

Specialty Buckets Find Plenty of Use

Paul Kirby, project superintendent for Western Municipal Construction, has a crew working on a sewer line replacement job in an alley in Missoula, MT. Because of the confined work area, the crew is using an excavator-mounted Felco Vibratory Compaction Bucket to dump, then compact spoils in the trench. The vibratory bucket with flow control valve combines the compaction performance of a vibratory plate with the versatility of a bucket. It is especially suited for compacting granular and rocky materials. The operator has been able to easily maneuver the bucket in the narrow alley and with low overhanging power lines and tree limbs.

While Western Municipal used the vibratory bucket for this particular application, Roller Compaction Buckets (shown) are its preferred compaction attachment. According to Kirby, the company has 20 of these buckets, which feature a tamping pad roller design within the basic duty bucket. They are used by crews whenever possible for compaction in clay or cohesive materials.

Less than two blocks away on a similar jobsite, L.S. Jensen Paving is using a vibratory bucket manufactured more than 20 years ago. According to Frank Velock, an L.S. Jensen employee, the bucket has been working for years with minimal damage.

A Felco Bedding Conveyor and Roller Compaction Bucket are also being used on the project. The Bedding Conveyor has been able to save the contractor time and money by eliminating the need for dump trucks to be constantly dumping into the trench. The conveyor mounts to the excavator carbody between the tracks, with a hopper on the idler end of the undercarriage. The operator can charge the hopper and place the material as needed.

Velock also appreciates the versatility of the Roller Bucket. “The Roller Bucket we have right now covers everything,” he notes. “It’s faster and we cover more ground. And we passed all of our compaction tests with it.”

CEAttachments Excavator Thumbs*
The excavator thumb allows you to pick and move hard to handle objects such as pipes, rocks or loose debris without changing attachments.
• Hardened bushings at the pivots
• Welded cutting edge for extra durability while transporting material
• Tucks up and locks against dipper when not in use for full use of other implements
• Available in hydraulic or rigid mount and stick-pin or weld-on mount

ATCO Blue Diamond 5600W Thumb
The 5600W extreme-duty excavator thumb is a wider version of the current 5600 model.
• Suitable for demolition, timber, scrap recycling, general excavating and brush cleanup
• Measures 30 in. wide by 57 in. long
• Three positions
• Folds away when not in use

Buckets are perhaps the most common attachments you’ll find on construction sites. They enable skid steers, backhoe-loaders, excavators, wheel loaders and even telehandlers to dig, load, trench, grade and perform a host of other tasks. Following are some of the various models and accessories available.

Rockland RL Rollout Bucket
The RL Rollout Buckets are designed to give your loader the dump height of a larger machine.
• Increase dump height by 3 to 4 ft.
• Twin pocket design
• Dual cushioned cylinders for maximum load control
• Available for material that weighs less than 1,500 lbs. per cu. yd.

Kenco 35-cu.-yd.-Bucket
The Kenco 35-cu.-yd. bucket is a tough, large-capacity rehandler.
• Coupler or pin-on lugging available
• Shell liner, cheek plates and cutting edges constructed of AR400
• Side plates constructed of 44W
• Four section bolt-on cutting edges

Hall’s Dirt Squeegee Blade
These dirt blades can convert a toothed bucket to a smooth, wide edge in 60 seconds with no bolts or tools needed.
• Eliminate tooth marks
• Will fit any brand or size bucket from 8 in. to 3 ft.
• Models available for backhoe-loaders, mini-excavators or large track excavators