What are the Top Brands of Heavy Duty Buckets?

The excavator bucket on your machine is the only thing touching the actual material that you are operating in. A bucket can make or break a company’s success on a job site. It is mission critical to partner with a manufacturer who is going to provide the best bucket for your application and create a partnership long-term for the life of the machine. We have done our best to help you evaluate bucket options to determine who would be best for you, even if it is not us.

We started our process of evaluation by looking at it from an end-user perspective, rather than the perspective of a manufacturer.

*All information in this blog is based on my knowledge to date but changes rapidly and is subject to change.

What actually matters when choosing an excavator bucket? Break down the real decision factors:

• Price and Value: Is the product affordable, and does the price reflect the perceived quality and benefits? Consumers often look for the "best value for the money." Total cost of ownership
• Lead Time: More often, customers are needing a bucket within 2-3 weeks and cannot afford to wait 6-7 weeks.
• Customization Options: Tooth options, bucket profile, widths, wear packaging
• Warranty Coverage: 1-2 years – what it means in terms of cost
• Quality and Durability: How well is the product made, and how long will it last? High quality domestic steel versus imported steel, instruction differences
• Freight/Regional Considerations: Local = lower cost, larger manufacturer = lower cost
• Product Features and Performance: Does it have the necessary functionality, and how effectively does it solve the consumer's problem or meet their need?
• Convenience and Availability: Is it easy to find, purchase, and use? This includes factors like a smooth online checkout process or the product being in stock or quickly available.
• Customer Service and Support: The level of service provided before, during, and after the sale.
• Manufacturing Location: Domestic versus imported

In summary: consumers aren’t just looking for a great price, they care more about quality, longevity, and performance of the product. Availability and after sale support are also key factors to influencing buying decisions.

The average life span of an excavator bucket is 7-10k hrs, which is equal to or slightly shorter than the average life span of the excavator itself. Purchasing the correct and top excavator bucket is a decision that will impact your machines productively for almost the entirety of its operating life.

There are a lot of attachment manufacturers out there, and we wanted to focus on the ones that we hear about most often and our customers find to be most reputable.

Specialized Attachment Manufacturers: These companies focus solely on attachments and often offer a wider variety of specialized or heavy-duty options:

• ESCO (Weir Group): Known for advanced metallurgy and a wide range of standard to super-extreme duty buckets, including their field-proven tooth systems.
• Werk-Brau: 75+ years in business. A reputable manufacturer that emphasizes using top-tier domestic steel and rigorous testing (like FEA) to ensure a high strength-to-weight ratio. Reputable manufacturer based in Findlay, OH.
• AMI: Known for specialty attachments and cutting-edge design. Based in Canada.
• Rockland Manufacturing: Known for rugged, heavy-duty, and custom-engineered buckets and attachments.
• Strickland MFG: They manufacture buckets to EN/ISO standards using hardened steel for ground engaging and wear components. Based in the UK.

What are the best options based on my priority?

Is lowest price is your priority?

Strickland, for example, offers a low-cost pricing model. If you are in a lighter duty application and durability is not as much of a concern, they may be the best choice for you. However, often times you will see historically premium options such as Werk-Brau are very competitive as well, depending on the specific product and size.

Are you looking for the fastest lead time?

Companies like Werk-Brau and Rockland offer quick-ship and in-stock offerings. They are also typically industry leading in lead times if an item has to be built as well. Some companies do not offer these types of programs and companies that primarily focus on in-stock, imported items, will likely have longer lead times due to having to build overseas and ship across the ocean.

Is bucket customization most important to you?

This is where companies like Werk-Brau, AMI, and Rockland separate themselves from the pack. They both allow customers to pick their tooth system of choice and have a robust custom shop. Not all manufacturers have their own in-house engineering, allowing for quick design capabilities.

Warranty
Most manufacturers offer a one-year warranty, often limited warranty. Werk-Brau, AMI, and Rockland offer extended two-year warranties.

Quality and Durability

Werk-Brau, ESCO, AMI, and Rockland utilize domestic steel and are known for their quality and durability with extensive experience in building excavator buckets. Werk-Brau and Rockland stand out as building buckets for over 70+ years each.

Freight/Regional Considerations
In terms of size and scale of operation, JRB, Werk-Brau, and Rockland ship the most around the country and therefore have some of the lowest freight rates available. It really depends on where you are shipping to and which manufacturer is going to be closest. Pemberton, for example, is based in Florida, so shipping to Florida is less expensive.

Customer Service and Support

Werk-Brau prioritizes customer service and prides itself on providing a tailored experience with as quick of a response time as possible. We may be biased, but we have long tenured employees with industry experience who are consistently trained to provide the best customer experience possible.

What makes Werk-Brau Different?

• Focus on High-Quality and Abrasion-Resistant Steel: We frequently emphasize the use of high-strength, abrasion-resistant steel (like T-1, AR400, or AR500) in all critical and high-wear components. This focus on material quality aims to ensure a longer operational life, especially in extreme-duty applications like demolition and shot rock.
• Engineered Design Features: Werk-Brau incorporates specific design elements into their buckets to enhance performance and longevity, such as:
  • Tapered Side Plates and Inclined Bottoms: These features are engineered to reduce loading forces, minimize wear on the bucket sides, and allow for easier dumping and higher material yield.
  • Solid Welds and Heavy Reinforcement: All seams are typically welded solid, and we use features like heavy-duty horizontal wear straps, side wear plates, and reinforced top channels for structural stability and protection against gouging.
  • Finite Element Analysis (FEA): The use OF FEA testing to strike a balance between strength and weight, designing buckets to be as durable as possible without unnecessary bulk that could compromise the machine's efficiency.
• Commitment to OEM Specifications and Fit: Werk-Brau manufactures a complete line of OEM and replacement attachments engineered to fit all makes and models of excavators, backhoes, and loaders, ensuring a proper and reliable fit.
• Specialty and Custom Buckets: Werk-Brau is known for a wide variety of buckets tailored for specific applications (e.g., Extreme-Duty, Severe-Duty Ditching & Grading, Hydra-clamp, PowerGrip). We also offer special designs and capacities upon request, highlighting their flexibility in providing custom solutions.
• Long History and Reputation: Having been in the business since 1947, Werk-Brau has a time-tested reputation in the heavy equipment industry, often emphasizing their commitment to customer service and maintaining the quality that bears the Werk-Brau name.

Looking for more insight into excavator buckets? Check out our YouTube channel for more educational content or call our sales office at 1 (800) 537-9561 for more information.