We use our CAT 420D in many different ways -- and it's proven itself to be as versatile as any many machine I've ever operated. When it comes to rigging chain for pulling, however, I know it would benefit greatly from some improvements. My Dad (God rest him) used to weld chain hooks to the top of dozer blades for this very purpose, but we use more than one size chain for our work, so I was thinking about mounting two clevis/shackle mounts to the front of the machine -- somewhere on the CAT 4-in-1 bucket that it came with -- and investing in (2) heavy duty shackles. Although the top of the bucket seems like the ideal location, I've seen similar mounts welded to the inside of wheel loader buckets -- which seemed like a pretty good way to keep expensive chains away from sharp edges that can weaken them quickly. It's also important to point out that this machine has manual sliding fork mounts near the top of the bucket, so I'm trying to avoid distorting them when pulling with chain rigging, as well. I've been looking at bolt-on clevis mounts, that are actually designed for mounting hydraulic cylinders, but the one we've used for years -- which is welded to the bottom of the dipper -- is a single piece of bored C45. Although the play in the shackles we've used with this clevis mount have distorted it a bit, over the years, it has done it's job very well. The bolt-on clevis mounts I mentioned in the first sentence of this paragraph have twin/double mounts to pass through. In other words, the shackle pin would have to pass through two pieces of steel instead of one. If anyone has any thoughts on where to mount clevis mounts on a 4-in-1 bucket...or thoughts on double "eared" clevis mounts, in general, I'd really appreciate your words. By the way, we do have a very nice mag drill at our disposal, so it would be nice to give it a task that helps justify what it cost us. Thanks very much for your time.
Here's a pic of my 4n1. I just welded hooks on top of the bucket. If I were using a shackle mount I would cut thru the back wall of the bucket aligned with one of the vertical struts in this pic. My mount would then be welded to the side of that strut as well as the face of the bucket wall. That would put the stress closest to the strongest part of the bucket.
if your dead set on a mount more power to you. i have always used the center pin on the front bucket its stronger than any hooks welded on and i have pulled the rear end off the ground with it and never had a problem
What I usually weld a plate on the top of the bucket to spread the force out and then weld hook to plate . Bigger loader thicker plate. I would also recommend a weldable hook with a safety latch .
I like bls repairs comment on welding on a plate and then the hook to spread out the load, and keep it from tearing out. If you didn't want to be locked in to a chain size, you could weld on a hook like these (which is what bls is talking about with a safety latch). Then you could put a shackle in them or loop the chain through them. You can get them in different sizes and capacities. https://www.amazon.com/Indusco-4740...coding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=JNF104HV5S7CVCD6WG46
#=13m15s I cued it up for you. This is a great video