Clip on forks bend loader buckets! ~ 4,000 lb of concrete walkway squares ( 24 pieces 2 ft X 3 ft ) This is on my 70's IH 3500A. I've managed to put a 1" or so bow in the leading edge using clip on forks. I'm real tempted to put the bucket on upside down and pick something heavy to rebend. Anyone use heat to assist? Any idea how many hours required to heat bucket over a wide area? ( I've got Oxy / propane ) An other ideas? Some older loader buckets have a vertical support from the top to bottom of the bucket, newer stuff does not. Any reason why not to add besides the loss of long thin stuff fitting in the bucket? My forklift carrage conversion isn't ready yet, maybe soon.
I've done this in the past by attaching a heavy chain to the ends and a big bottle jack in the center between the edge and the chain. Attach the chain really well as the pull will be very high on the ends and can easily break the chain if not heavy enough. Putting enough heat on something this big is almost impossible. The brace inside the bucket will make you crazy if you ever mess with wet dirt.
It wont take hours to heat, with a large rose bud. May be ten or fifteen min. Starting in the center of the bend and working outward weaving, in the center then left or right of center and so on.
I have done something similar to this... I used heavy chain wrapped around each side of the bucket to hold an I-beam that supported a bottle jack between the I-beam and bent bucket edge. The flat face of the I-beam gives a much better perch for the jack than a flexible chain and the chains around the side walls of the bucket spreads the load to the strongest usable areas.
Heat is the last resort ,if heated the bucket will bend again ,only the next time it'll bend easier
find the right cutting edge for it, cut out the old bent one and put in a new nice clean straight edge. youll never bend it back to perfect and your going to waste a lot of time and money trying to straighten it.
I agree with eric12.
Jacob is spot on with the heat - if you don't quench it correctly you are certain to change the temper. If it cools slowly, such as the periphery of the heated area, I think it'll anneal and become soft.