Building a bucket for my JD 45 loader

I am preparing to build a new bucket for the model 45 loader on my 60. I also am planning to make this bucket fully hydraulic with rear mounting (as newer buckets are). Obviously this is going to involve significant fabrication. I"ve been, and am still, searching the archives for information on this.

My question is - can anyone recommend what they think would be the proper overall width for the bucket itself without causing stability (or other) issues. I had planned on a 60 inch bucket. The stock bucket is 42 inches. After a discussion I had today with another "tractor guy" I am giving thought to making the bucket only 54 inches wide.

Any opinions or experiences are appreciated.

THANKS

Tom

I appreciate your offer on the brochures, but I have a manual for both the 45 and the hydraulic 45 loader.

What if you load rocks or dirt in that big bucket - any instability then? This fella I'm talking to says if I build to big of a bucket I risk overloading the frame of the loader, or possibly the frame of the tractor, and could actually "break" the tractor in half.

Any thoughts on that one?

Tractors & loader frames bust all the time because people overload them.

You can make a large, lighter-weight snow bucket for lighter use in bulky light-weight stuff; or a smaller, strong & tough dirt & gravel bucket.

A wide bucket in tough materials will always want to twist & break things, as one catches things on an outer edge. And, overloading a bucket with heavy stuff with stress the frame, hitting bumps will stress it more. Overloaded, something will give.

--->Paul

Thanks Stan

I'd look over the manual, or visit a dealer, & try to figure out the bucket options that were available. Likely there is a small manure fork, small material bucket, and larger snow bucket for options. That would be for solid manure, heavy dirt & so on, and light fluffy stuff. Likely those are probably the right sizes for an older loader for the various tasks, or close to it. If you find more options, then you can match to what you need.

Not much of an answer I guess! :)

--->Paul