Thread: Straightening a Loader Bucket

I just got me a little Dingo mini loader whose 4 in 1 bucket looks to have had a bit of a hard life.

As per the pic, the bottom of the bucket has acquired a bit of a bow.

IMG_2111.jpg

My first though it to weld a temporary frame on underneath and use a jack to push the middle up - anyone done this kind of thing before?

I have done it Before. I split the bucket and but in in a large hydraulic press with some heat. I would Imagine a bottle jack and heat would also work.

Those buckets are only mild steel so pretty soft and easy to bend. The problem is bending it so only the bent part gets straightened. Just using a jack will not really get it straight as it will bow and bend over a longer distance.

It really is a press job, but you need a large press just to fit it in. But will not need much tonnage.

Originally Posted by .RC.

Those buckets are only mild steel so pretty soft and easy to bend. The problem is bending it so only the bent part gets straightened. Just using a jack will not really get it straight as it will bow and bend over a longer distance.

The bend kind of is over a long distance, though - pretty much from one side to the other, although maybe a bit more in the centre.

I might give it a go and see if it's viable - I'm thinking it's best leaving it all in one piece to ensure the pins line up...

It appears to be bent over a distance, so I think a frame or chain clamped underneath would do the job, with a hydraulic jack or portapower, supplying the force. I'd start in the centre and work out from there, a little at a time, otherwise you'll over bend it. Finding someone with a large enough press might be a problem!!
Could you take some pics while you're fixing it, please?
I've not repaired a bucket like this, but something similar.
Kryn

I'd be tempted to put maybe 3 or 4 cuts into that angled up bit then clamp a length of shs in there and weld and clean/grind up the cuts.

shed

Originally Posted by shedhappens

I'd be tempted to put maybe 3 or 4 cuts into that angled up bit then clamp a length of shs in there and weld and clean/grind up the cuts.

I was thinking about relief cuts as an option, hence why I put it out there to see what people thought. In the end, a jack and chain looks to have done the job.

OK, that was a lot more straightforward than I expected. Particular thanks to Kryn - I hadn't thought of using chain, and it made the job much simpler than welding on a temporary frame.

So I flipped the bucket over:
IMG_2115.jpg

After a bit of trial and error, I got a chain sorted out, over the alleged 12T jack I borrowed from my "quality" Gasweld press - towels are over random chain clevises and other unrated bits that I feared might fail with velocity - I had a face shield and was considering my chainsaw helmet.
IMG_2116.jpg

Did one bend in the middle, then another one on each side with no sudden bangs, result? Not too bad:
IMG_2117.jpg

Quite a bit of wear on the edges, with evidence of some hardfacing of sorts in the foreground.
IMG_2118.jpg

I've got some WIA Abrasocord hardfacing electrodes that I acquired at some point, but have never used - might be a good application for the middle bit - it has a bigger gap than appears in the pic above.

Nice work Rusty, do you have a picture of how you attached the chain. I need to straighten out the front edge of my Bobcat 4 in 1 bucket although it may not go as easily as yours did considering that the cutting edge is Bisalloy.

Originally Posted by Techo1

Nice work Rusty, do you have a picture of how you attached the chain. I need to straighten out the front edge of my Bobcat 4 in 1 bucket although it may not go as easily as yours did considering that the cutting edge is Bisalloy.

I've got to say, the chain business ended up being a bit random with one decent chain over the top, and another unrated one underneath, weaved through the pivot points on each side and attached with clevis hooks - I half expected the unrated chain to let go, hence the towels and face shield, but in the end there was no tension in the chain underneath, making me think links were locked in place in the gaps where the 4 in 1 bucket pivots.

For a more serious application, running a loop, I think, still makes sense, as opposed to hooks each side, or welded temporary fixing points each side.