We bought a 58" bucket for our 225 simple because it was dirt cheap. No real plans for it but I am wondering if the machine can handle the bucket in sand loam soils or if this will end up a sand and loose fill bucket? I would like to do some pond work with it in good soils with no rock but not sure if the machine will do it.
In soft soil it should handle it. Keep the crowd in while you're swinging and take it easy as you're getting a feel for the heavier bucket. Please post some pictures of it at work.
See if CAT rates it for a 225. My observation has been that the wider the bucket on any given machine, the smaller the depth. Longstick buckets are a good example of this, often wide but shallow. Find out what CAT recommends and stay with that cubic yard factor and you should be OK. Within reason. And post back here if the slew ring bearings go out in 500 hours.
Factory specs are rated such that MOST lever pullers who sit between the sticks can complete a days' work without getting into too much trouble. There are plenty of machines out there that are running oversized buckets with 10,000+ hours on them. A bad operator running a factory spec bucket could easily cause more wear on a machine than a good operator running an oversized bucket, rototilt, thumb or any other attachment that adds extra weight to the stick. In northern Europe, many contractors won't even take delivery of a new machine with the factory rated bucket. Or if they do, it becomes an immediate hand-me-down to a smaller machine in the fleet. One thing that I forgot to mention is to check the cab clearance with the bigger bucket.