Need some help with understanding excavator attachment specs.

[RobM]

I'm new to this world, and i need some help understanding which buckets will work with which machinery.

Say I have a bucket that hooks up with a Cat 320L, is there any easy way of finding out what else it might be compatible with?

Also will the year of the machine depend on its compatibility?

I am not an opperator, I work in the front end of a shop and was given a mess to sort out. Which involves a bunch of buckets.

Any and all help would be truly appreciated.

And if Im in the wrong place, let me know that too.

Thanks

Rob

 

[Johnny English]

You need to sort your buckets into pin diameter, gap between plates and pin centres.

Each weight class of excavator tends to have its own pin diameter, eg 13 tonners, 16-18 tonners 20 tonners etc. But it aslo depends on if a hitch is fitted or not or what type of hitch etc, for if buckets will go on different machines. Its a mine field with no sure answers untill someone tells you what dimensions they must have for their machine.

Good luck !!!

 

[Hendrik]

When you say sort out the mess, do you mean you have to put the inventory into a filing system/computer?
You are best off to write on the bucket/or tag them the dimensions of it, that way you can easily find it later. Don't forget to also include bucket width and type.

 

[them1677]

While we're at it, when ISO 7451 is stated as the bucket capacity for excavators, I am being told that it is the heaped capacity with a 1 to 1, 45% angle of heap. Some people are telling me that the ISO standard is a water line or a struck capacity. Who is correct and why?

Wheel loaders is ISO7546 and is a 1 to 2 or 30% heap. Is every manufacturer using the correct cubic yards or do they account for an extra % heapage?

 

[RobM]

When you say sort out the mess, do you mean you have to put the inventory into a filing system/computer?
You are best off to write on the bucket/or tag them the dimensions of it, that way you can easily find it later. Don't forget to also include bucket width and type.

well heres the thing,

I have a bunch of buckets that are listed as being compatible with a single machine.

I just wanted to know if there was a way to find out if they were compatible with other machines in the same weight class.

Like I have a 36" standard bucket and a 60" ditch bucket for a Cat 320L, and someone said it might work on a Komatsu PC200 but I have no way of confirming it. As I am assuming manufcaturers wouldnt be so polite as to publish their dimensions.

So I guess there is no way to know unless I physically measure each manufacturers machine. Oh joy haha, this should be fun.

 

[Pecord Exc]

If you have a pin grabbing coupler you just need to worry about the dimension between the ears.

 

[RobM]

Another question, what would you guys consider to be the most useful width for a standard excavator bucket? 36"

 

[cps]

Heres a link to a plant hire firm in the uk, www.flanneryplanthire.com/pinsize.htm they have a link called "pin size" Its very help full, its metric though but i'm sure you'll figure it out! should be a help to cross reference!

 

[RobM]

Heres a link to a plant hire firm in the uk, www.flanneryplanthire.com/pinsize.htm they have a link called "pin size" Its very help full, its metric though but i'm sure you'll figure it out! should be a help to cross reference!

Thanks! Im Canadian we get metric haha..

 

[John C.]

Johnny English is correct in the way you have to sort your buckets. The spread between the bosses, pin size and distance between the pins tell the whole story. You also need to specify what kind of couplers you might have.

Cat uses a wedge type coupler and a pin grabber. I know the wedge coupler will not fit any other manufacturer. I also doubt that a Cat bucket will fit on any other manufacturer. However, Cat does contract out the manufacture of the buckets that are sold as Cat in the Nortwest. It may be possible that a coupler will fit the Cat but receiver dimensions will mate to another make's bucket. You have to measure them to be sure.

There are also differences in buckets between new model designations. A bucket for a 320L may not fit a 320CL model machine.

For 20 ton class machines a 36" dig and a 60" cleanout is what I see the most of.

 

[RobM]

Johnny English is correct in the way you have to sort your buckets. The spread between the bosses, pin size and distance between the pins tell the whole story. You also need to specify what kind of couplers you might have.

Cat uses a wedge type coupler and a pin grabber. I know the wedge coupler will not fit any other manufacturer. I also doubt that a Cat bucket will fit on any other manufacturer. However, Cat does contract out the manufacture of the buckets that are sold as Cat in the Nortwest. It may be possible that a coupler will fit the Cat but receiver dimensions will mate to another make's bucket. You have to measure them to be sure.

There are also differences in buckets between new model designations. A bucket for a 320L may not fit a 320CL model machine.

For 20 ton class machines a 36" dig and a 60" cleanout is what I see the most of.

Thanks alot for the help I think I am finally getting somewhere.

Now is this assumption correct; 20 ton class machines generally have a pin diameter of 2.75 - 3.5"?

 

[drag1line]

Hi RobM
Unfortunately there is little interchangeability on excavator buckets.
As you are in Canada, consider to contact Weldco Beales who makes buckets for almost all excavators. They will have tables of manufacturers data.
All the above is correct in that it is not only pin diameters, but ear spacing or the width of the arm, and very important is the pin to pin spacing. If a machine is designed for wide pin spacing to get more digging force and you install a bucket with the pins closer together, not only will you not get the correct digging forces, but could and WILL have interferance and possible damage to the arm and linkage due to over rotation.
Sort out what you have and contact the bucket manufactures who made them if possible, the for the unmarked ones, go to a bucket manufacturer. Much faster than trying to contact 6 different excavator manufacturers..
Good Luck

 

[RobM]

I just had someone else mention that the angle versus the plane (ground) is important?

I have a bunch of buckets that are measuring 80mm pin diameter, 325mm (about) distance between the ears/boss, and 450mm distance between the pins... (Anyone interested? haha)

Should I worry about measuring the angle against the ground? Is that critical?

Thanks Again!

 

[stock]

When I was with a large muck shifter they had a standard bucket size for each ton class and the hitches were made to suit, so if you were on a twenty ton plus machine all excavators in that class regardless of manufacturer used the same bucket,



Stock