High Capacity Sand Buckets
Empire’s High Capacity Sand Buckets will improve your productivity and reduce your need for wear part replacement! Designed for glacial sands these buckets dig into the soil like a spoon digging into ice cream. The beveled edge slices through without the need for expensive ground engaging tools (GET). Sand buckets use Hardox 450 wear plate in all the ground engaging parts of the bucket to provide you with up to 3 times the life of the bucket shell compared to other bucket manufacturers. There are three main types of Empire Sand Buckets. Please see the individual bucket specification pages for additional information.
HCRB – High Capacity Round Bottom
HCRB – High Capacity Round Bottom buckets are for sewer or pipe work. The radius shape of the cutting edge slices through the soil easier than typical “digging” buckets because there is less soil contact area. The larger capacity of Empire’s Sand Bucket allows you to move more soil per cycle and make more profit per year. The round bottom radius design requires less bedding materials than typical excavator buckets.
FBRC – Flat Bottom Round Corner
Empire’s High Capacity FBRC Sand Bucket is our most popular design! This bucket can be used for top loading materials and general excavation work. The Hardox main blade has a beveled leading edge to slice through soil easily. The larger capacity of Empire’s Sand Bucket allows you to move more soil per cycle and make more profit per year!
FBSC – Flat Bottom Square Corner
Empire’s High Capacity Flat Bottom Square Corner Sand Bucket is designed for footing and basement work. A replaceable bolt on cutting edge (BOCE) is usually added to this bucket style for grading or excavation work. The Hardox main blade has a beveled leading edge. The larger capacity of Empire’s FBSC Sand Bucket allows you to move more soil compared to typical OEM GP buckets.
General Purpose (GP) Excavator Buckets
Empire offers 4 different grades of general purpose (GP) buckets to match our customers’ specific applications for GP or “Tooth Buckets”
General Duty
General Duty buckets are for digging in less abrasive materials such as dirt, loam, and mixed compositions of dirt and small gravel. Typically Empire would recommend a FBSC or FBRC for this application, since the capacity of the bucket would be larger than the standard OEM GP or “Digging” buckets. This style GP will use standard size adapters and teeth, T-1 steel for the main blade and cutting edges. It can be machined for side cutters or slack adjusters.
Heavy Duty
Heavy Duty buckets are Empire’s most popular GP bucket style. Use when digging in a broad range of materials including dirt, clay and rock. Compared to our General Duty buckets, the Heavy Duty bucket is built using Hardox for the bucket shell and cutting edges, with the thickness of materials matched for the excavator and adapter choice. The adapters and teeth may be up-sized for the specific application. Can be machined for side cutters or slack adjusters.
Severe Duty
Severe Duty buckets are for higher abrasive materials such as rock, granite, or quartz. The Hardox bottom and sides are about 40% thicker than our Heavy Duty buckets. The Hardox cutting edges are also thicker to increase protection against abrasive and gouging wear. The Severe Duty GP will use increased size adapters and teeth. It can be machined for side cutters or slack adjusters.
Extreme Duty
Extreme Duty buckets are for very abrasive conditions such as quartz or granite. The Severe Duty GP bucket style includes bucket liners, larger side wear plates, side bar protection, and adapters sized for the application. Corner or heel shrouds, base edge protectors, segments, and mechanically attached wear plates can also be added to protect the bucket from wear.
Special Application Buckets
Whether you’re demolishing pavement, grading, cleaning ditches or working in winter frost, Empire has the bucket you need! Empire manufactures almost any type of bucket needed to help you complete your job! Check out the bucket types below for further details:
Skeleton Buckets
Designed for digging in rock, Skeleton buckets will help separate loose rock from other soil, or can be used for working with rip-rap in erosion control projects. Built using high quality Hardox abrasion resistant steel and designed for easy dumping of rock. These can be equipped with your choice of teeth or a BOCE.
Trapezoidal Buckets or V Buckets
These buckets are designed to your specific application – such as digging ditches to a specific width, depth and slope. These can be equipped with your choice of teeth, BOCE, or regular Hardox blades as required by your job.
