chain in a trenching bucket?

glennster · May 7, 2018

a retired telephone company friend was telling me about using a length of 3/8 in a trenching bucket to help get the packed dirt out. i have a narrow bucket for my backhoe that gets plugged up pretty good in damp clay and is a pia to dig it all out. he said they would weld the end of a chain to the top lip of the bucket so the chain would lay inside the bucket when digging, then when you shake the bucket the chain will make it easier to clear the bucket. anybody ever heard of this or it it more of an urban legend?

newhollandnut · May 7, 2018

It does help. I suggest at least two sections of chain. Maybe 3

AJ. · May 9, 2018

That is a a great idea and cheap too,back in the early sixties when Poclain excavators were getting poplar here in the UK they had narrow trenching buckets fitted with an ejector plate,the bucket had no back as such but a plate hanging on the main pin,when the bucket was curled up the plate was at the back and when the bucket was dumped the plate would be at the front pushing the dirt from the bucket,completely mechanical it was.
AJ

mjsnodgrass · May 9, 2018

i have a 12 in bucket for my backhoe as well. have had issues just like you describe when digging in clay. i got out a torch and burnt a few holes in the bottom of the bucket. seemed to help relieve the suction holding the material in the bucket. worked for me. good luck.

Nordic · May 10, 2018

One of the big excavating companies in our local area had chains like that in all their excavating buckets decades ago... I don't know if they still do it... must have worked good for them with a lot of clay in the area.

chain in a trenching bucket?

glennster

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newhollandnut

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AJ.

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mjsnodgrass

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Nordic

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