Buckets

Forklift Buckets, Lift Buckets and Hoppers

Buyers searching for a forklift bucket usually want one of two things: a hopper or bucket that hangs on the forks so a lift truck can move loose material, or a loader-style bucket for the machine they already run. This collection is built mainly around quick-attach loader and excavator attachments. The Vestil Low Profile Parts Hoppers cover shop and yard material handling, and the Star Industries 84-inch Excavator Bucket Racks are loaded by forklift or loader.

If you do put a bucket or hopper on a lift truck, treat it as an attachment rather than an accessory. OSHA 1910.178(a)(4) states that modifications and additions affecting capacity and safe operation must not be made without the manufacturer's prior written approval. OSHA 1910.178(a)(5) requires that a truck fitted with non-factory front-end attachments be marked to identify the attachment and show the approximate weight of the truck-and-attachment combination at maximum elevation with the load laterally centered. A hopper or dump box rigged to a crane hook instead is a below-the-hook lifting device, which ASME B30.20 addresses.

Skid Steer and Mini Skid Steer Buckets

Skid steer buckets sort by what the material does. Closed-bottom buckets such as the Loflin Fabrication Skid Steer Low Profile Bucket, the Xtra Heavy Duty Low Profile Bucket and the Star Industries LP22A Heavy Duty Skid-Steer Bucket hold dirt, gravel and sand and back-drag cleanly. Open skeleton designs move rock and debris while letting fines fall through: the Loflin Fabrication Old Style Skid Steer Rock Bucket W/Teeth uses 3/8-inch steel with a 3/4-inch by 6-inch cutting edge and welded-on teeth, comes in widths from 36 to 84 inches on a universal skid steer quick-attach, and includes a treaded step.

High-volume, low-density work has its own tools here, including manure, cake manure, turkey litter, and snow and litter buckets. Dump-style buckets raise discharge height without raising the loader arms; the Loflin Fabrication Mini Skid Steer Front Dump Bucket is offered in 36-inch to 48-inch working widths in 3/16-inch steel with a 3/4-inch by 30-inch welded wear edge and a hydraulic dump. Multi-function models such as the Loflin Fabrication Mini 4-N-1 Bucket work as bucket, dozer blade, grapple and box scrape, and run on dual 2-inch by 6-inch hydraulic cylinders, so the carrier needs an auxiliary circuit. Concrete, hydraulic concrete and stump bucket grapple models handle placement and clearing tasks a general-purpose bucket does poorly.

Excavator Buckets: Digging, Grading and Tilt

Excavator buckets are chosen by machine weight class and coupler, not by engine type, so the same bucket that suits a diesel excavator suits any machine of the same class and pin configuration. Digging buckets are narrow and toothed for breakout; grading buckets are wide and smooth for finish work, slopes and ditch cleaning. Geith covers both with heavy duty digging buckets, MX digging buckets for mini excavators, and heavy duty grading buckets in mini and full-size versions.

Tilt buckets angle the cutting edge so the operator can shape a slope without repositioning the machine. Amulet offers standard and high capacity tilt buckets, and Geith offers hydraulic angle tilt buckets in single ram and dual ram versions; dual ram designs generally give more tilt force and better holding under side load, while single ram units are lighter and simpler. The Star Industries Mini Excavator Bucket runs 36 inches wide with a 35-inch bucket cut, in a series spanning 10-inch to 36-inch widths, with replaceable digging teeth and side cutters as options. When comparing rated bucket volume between makers, check which method is quoted: SAE J296 covers volumetric rating for mini excavator and backhoe buckets, and ISO 7546 covers loader bucket volumetric ratings.

How to Choose a Heavy Duty Bucket

Start with the mount. Skid steer models here use a universal quick-attach; mini machines use dedicated mounts such as Toro Dingo, Bobcat MT50 and Bobcat MTSO, and the Loflin Fabrication Compact Tractor Stump Bucket is also available with custom mounts and is rated for tractors up to 40 HP. Next, weigh the bucket against your machine. Attachment weight subtracts directly from usable lift capacity, and teeth add weight: the Star Industries Mini Excavator Bucket is 305 lbs as the 910-36 and 348 lbs as the seven-tooth 910-36T.

Then match width and steel to the material. Wide buckets suit light, bulky material; narrow buckets concentrate breakout force for hard digging. Plate thickness in this collection runs from 3/16-inch on mini attachments to 1/2-inch reinforced plate on the Compact Tractor Stump Bucket, which also uses a 1/2-inch by 6-inch cutting edge, 3/8-inch side plates, a 1/4-inch bottom, and three replaceable Pengo 2300 teeth in a 12-inch wide by 60-inch long body.

Safety, Maintenance and Storage

OSHA 1910.178 requires operator training and evaluation for powered industrial trucks, and OSHA 1926.602 covers material handling equipment used in construction, including earthmoving equipment. Before every lift, confirm the quick-attach pins are fully seated through the bucket ears, not just resting against them; a partially engaged coupler is the most common way a bucket comes off. Inspect the cutting edge and teeth for wear, check welds around the ears and side plates for cracks, and grease pins on hydraulic models on the schedule in the manufacturer's manual.

Store spare buckets off the ground and upright. The Star Industries 84-inch Excavator Bucket Racks, model 910B, are built from heavy steel with 2.375-inch diameter tubes, measure 84 inches wide by 35, 62 or 96 inches, and come in single (910B-1L), double (910B-2L) and triple (910B-3L) configurations, loaded with a forklift or loader.

Brands and Price Range in This Collection

All 52 active items are listed with the brand counts below, spanning $3 to $13,200 depending on size, steel and whether the bucket is hydraulically powered.