Hello all, I just purchased by first skid steer. Its a Cat 246, and does not have a bucket with it. I'm wondering what everyone’s opinions are for the best width for a toothed bucket. I live in the mountains and expect to run into alot of rocks, tree stumps, ect. So with that in mind, is there a big benefit to a narrower bucket to increase breakout forces? The 246 has a tire width of 66" and an ROC of 2000lbs. Do I want a bucket at least as wide as the machine, or even a few inches wider? I've seen a few good deals of buckets in the 60" range, but I was worried these would cause problems. I'll probably plan on getting a smooth bucket in the future as well, and I'd expect this to be a wider bucket to hold more material, so will a narrower toothed bucket be a problem, or is there no advantage to a narrower bucket. Thanks
rocks n tree stumps u say u'd be mad not to get a 4in1 or combination bucket for your machine, go the same width or a couple inches wider, so if you need to dig a hole the machine will follow in behind the bucket not tear the walls out of the hole combination buckets can grab onto a small ripper set enabling you to have a toothless bucket and still have the ability to rip the ground like a set of teeth http://www.cat.com/cda/layout?m=360611&x=7 rippers like these http://www.digga.com/kwik-rips.html
I would get a 72" bucket if your 66" wide. If you a little wider you wont have to run over the rock and debris when you are digging. You may want to look into a Rezloh edge. This will give you some tooth bucket ability yet still be able to grade smoothly. They are not quite as aggessive digging as a bolt on tooth bar, but get you about 80% of a tooth bar but allow you to grade and scarify without changing out buckets. I like the low profile and low profile extended lip buckets personally.
I have a 72" on my machine which is about 2" wider than the tires. When I flip my tires to put my tracks on it's 6" narrower than teh machine. For most things its not a big deal but it's a pain to grade with because the machine runs off the fill or rides the walls of a cut. I'd go with at least a 66" bucket for a tooth bucket, and 72" for a smooth bucket. I'm presently looking for a bargain on an 80" tooth bucket and 84" smooth bucket for the above reasons. Without the tracks my 72" is great. John
Thanks for the advice guys. I appreciate it. I picked up a 72" and I think its going to work out well.
I know it's too late but I prefer 78" on my 246's Also jd8875 you don't have to spacer or flip wheels on a 246 for a OTT Pj