Every compact utility loader comes standard with a bucket, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t choices when it comes to choosing the particular scooper for your operations. Before choosing from a variety of categories (4-in-1, grated and high reach), consider the construction of a bucket.

Thickness of the bucket material is a good place to start. Check out the amount of reinforcement used — such as bracing across the back and gussets inside the bucket. This is of top importance when selecting your next bucket attachment. Some manufacturers also weld tubing across the lip of the bucket while others use angle iron or a formed metal insert across the back on heavy-duty models.

Cutting edges also make a difference. Standard buckets usually have a permanent weld-on cutting edge while models considered heavy-duty feature cutting bars that simply bolt on to the bucket. This allows the entire bar to be reversed if one edge goes dull, or completely replaced if something happens to it on the job.

Tooth bars — which also help the efficiency of the bucket when digging — are sometimes laser cut. While this design will get you through for a while, higher quality units have weld-on teeth providing greater digging ability while also allowing the operator to focus the digging force into a smaller area. What is the cost differential from standard to heavy? Using the example of a bucket built by Ramrod, the heavier alternative costs just over $100 more than the standard bucket, but will last twice as long as the basic unit, say company officials.

As far as compact buckets go, size does matter. If one is trying to drive through narrow areas a bucket matching the width of your machine is important. All manufacturers have buckets tailored to the width of their machines, as well as models wider than the machine. For example, Ramrod offers 31, 36, 42, 44 and 54-in. buckets.

While most standard buckets are engineered to handle the weight-load created when a single bite of gravel is taken, bucket depth and height also vary. Large capacity buckets are designed for lighter material (such as mulch or snow) and can carry as much as two or three times what a standard bucket can.

When comparing sizes of bucket attachments, buyers should realize there are two kinds of capacity ratings — struck capacity (when the bucket is filled level) and heaped capacity (when as much material is put into the bucket as possible). Buyers need to be aware of this in order to compare apples to apples.

Hydraulic Cylinders & 4-in-1 Buckets

Most mini skid steer manufacturers have designed their attachments, including buckets, with a quick-attach system. With a flip of a couple of levers and backing away, the attachment is on or off in a moment. Buckets fitted with hydraulic cylinders to operate extra features add just seconds to the changeover. One such bucket attachment is the 4-in-1 bucket, also known as a clam shell bucket in some areas. Easily considered the Swiss Army knife of the bucket world, it was created to expand the versatility of the average bucket.

While the typical uses for the bucket still remain — digging, carrying and dumping — the mould (bottom) board of the 4-in-1 bucket can be lifted, allowing the operator to push and level material like a dozer blade. Grappling is also possible when the bucket’s clamshell is opened. Landscaping companies find this feature useful when removing tree stumps and shrubbery or picking up stones. Many manufacturers of this type of bucket use a locking type of edge in the closed position. This prevents any shifting or warping in the bucket during use.

Grated Buckets

Tired of hand picking debris from soil or sand? Grated buckets are often used with grapple arms and find use most often when separating material. They were originally invented in Europe for cleaning rubbish and materials on the beaches. This is where the buckets other name — the sand eliminator bucket — comes from.

Today these grated buckets are also used for removing larger stones from gravel. A standard grate width is 2.5 in. Should a custom grate size be required, most manufacturers do accept custom orders. Like most pieces of equipment need is the mother of invention and the grated bucket has now been fitted with grapple arms in some cases.

With the addition of a liner to the attachment of their compact utility loader, demolition crews are now using the grated buckets to remove drywall, wood and concrete debris from places only accessible on foot before. John Malinowski, vice president of sales and marketing for Ramrod Equipment, says with the cleanup from the hurricanes still underway in the southern United States, he has received numerous calls for these buckets. Contractors tasked with the cleanup are looking for the right size equipment to get the job done in the backyards of homes and tight spaces around them.

Other busy contracting companies take their mini skid steer with a custom industrial grapple into large office buildings for demolition purposes. They are going into rooms and ripping out carpets, taking down walls, sprinkler systems and are using the bucket to carry out debris. After outfitting their machine with a diesel purification system, the compact utility loader’s small physical size means the company is able to drive the machine into the elevator and take it to the appropriate floor, or even the roof, to begin work.

High Reach, Rollover or Dump Buckets

A lot of companies still lay sod and move topsoil around with a wheelbarrow and spade. Other companies use a compact utility loader with a standard material and mulch bucket to beautify and landscape properties. Efficiency is a word the company now knows well. Ever tried to load your truck with your compact utility loader or place material in a garbage bin and had some difficulty? High reach, rollover or dump buckets may be the answer. This type of bucket attachment generally gives you an additional 6 in. to provide that extra reach when needed.

A hydraulic cylinder placed on the rear of the bucket allows the operator to pivot the load around the cutting edge effectively, gaining almost 22 in. of dump height. The design came from a customer who needed to transfer material from a 1-ton truck. However, his regular bucket attachment wasn’t getting it done. Today he freely loads and unloads materials all thanks to his high reach, rollover attachment.

Specialty Buckets

Other specialty buckets available include a spade bucket, which is used extensively by roofers. The pointed front metal edge can be placed under the shingles on a home and lifted, removing a large amount of shingles at one time. A bucket grapple is another type of attachment. A bucket with four tines, this attachment has been designed for cleaning out stalls in barns and has the ability to grasp bales or manure firmly and move them around.

Heavy buckets find use in the hog industry. Because of the type of feed given to the animals, the manure is very concentrated. When it dries it becomes very hard and has been known to require a jackhammer to break loose. The heavy bucket, with its 12-in. ripping teeth and 500-lb weight, makes short work of this material.

What are the costs attached to all these buckets? Prices range from $400 for a standard 31-in. bucket all the way up to $2,300 for attachments using grapple systems and hydraulics. This is a small price to pay in comparison to the productivity. When business owners compare the relatively low cost of attachments to labor costs, it quite often it makes sense to purchase them. It is the reason why compact utility loader owners can today enjoy a little more specialization when choosing a bucket.

- Karl Kopan is a freelance writer from Yorkton, Saskatchewan, Canada.