Need to purchase a ditching bucket for the CAT 312 Excavator. Been on internet looking at buckets. examples 60 inch wide 630 lbs 1/2 cubic yard capacity 68 inch wide 722 lbs .58 cubic yard capacity There are wider buckets 80 inches. Would some people communicate what there thoughts are on a size of bucket for cleaning the ditch along side roads. What has been your experience bigger better or dangers of to large (wide) a ditching bucket. The buckets sure do not have much capacity my 43 inch dirt bucket is .82 cubic yards. My Excavator has the long stick 9'10" It has a manual thumb that weights 710 pounds. At maximum 28 foot reach five feet above ground the machine limits out on hyd power at 2340 pounds over the side, minus thumb 710 lbs minus bucket 700 lbs leaves 930 lbs for dirt in bucket at longest reach or .33 cubic yards. At 25 feet over the side its 2960 lbs minus 700 & 700 leaves 1560 lbs for dirt or .56 cubic yard. Any comments on a size of bucket, your experience with ditching buckets? Much appreciated.
I have a 5 foot Geith ditch cleaning/grading bucket on a Kobelco 115SR with a long stick, hydraulic thumb, and the extra counterweight. It is about the same capacity as my 36" digging bucket when it's heaped. My machine handles it fine over the side. Your 312 should be able to manage something that size no problem. Will the machine have multiple operators or just you?
My self and a old highly experienced excavator operator.
What are requirements of the job? Are just expected clean out goop, liquid mud or dig the drains deeper? Do you have a power tilt or going for a ram tilt bucket to maintain the slope of the bottom of the drain?
We use a 7' Werk-brau with twin ram-tilt on our 312bl, 314dlcr, 2 314elcr, pc128uu-2, and ED150srlc. Mostly used for landscape profiling. All have hydraulic couplers. Doesn't seem to be too unwieldy on any of them.
Got it wrong...5' twin ram Werk-brau.