What makes the manure spear bucket better than a standard bucket for livestock operations?
The manure spear bucket is specifically designed for agricultural and livestock work with features a standard bucket simply can't match. The 40-inch tines with 45-degree angled ends penetrate underneath compacted bedding, matted silage, and packed pen material without gouging concrete or damaging surfaces. This design allows smooth material lift in one motion instead of repeated scraping and repositioning.
The 8-inch on-center tine spacing creates approximately 6 inches of opening between spears, which means dirt and debris sift through naturally while you retain the clean bedding or feed you're moving. This saves time, reduces weight per load, and improves efficiency throughout your daily operations. The open back design prevents material buildup and keeps your bucket from overloading, which protects your skid steer's hydraulics and maintains smooth operation. For livestock producers managing feeding, bedding distribution, and pen cleaning, these purpose-built features translate directly into faster chore completion and less operator fatigue compared to trying to accomplish the same tasks with a general-purpose bucket.
How does the replaceable tine design save money over time?
In real-world agricultural environments, equipment takes a beating from rocks, frozen ground, concrete edges, and daily heavy use. With traditional welded-tine designs, a single bent or broken tine often means expensive welding repairs or complete bucket replacement. The Stinger Attachments manure spear bucket solves this with individually bolt-in removable tines.
When a spear gets damaged, you simply unbolt that single tine and replace it with a new one—a straightforward maintenance task that takes minutes instead of hours and costs a fraction of what you'd pay for professional welding or a new bucket. This serviceable design dramatically reduces your long-term operating costs and minimizes downtime. Instead of waiting for repair shop availability or budgeting for a complete replacement, you keep a spare tine or two on hand and handle the swap yourself when needed. Over the lifespan of the bucket, this replaceable design can save thousands of dollars while keeping your operation running without interruption. It's the kind of practical engineering that matters when you're managing equipment costs across an entire farm or ranch.
What width manure spear bucket should I choose for my skid steer?
Choosing the right width depends on your skid steer size and typical workload. The 60-inch model works well with compact skid steers and smaller operations where maneuverability in tight spaces is important, such as smaller barns, paddocks, or confined feeding areas. The 68-inch width suits mid-size skid steers and provides a good balance between capacity and control for medium-scale livestock operations.
The 76-inch bucket matches well with full-size skid steers and handles larger volumes efficiently, making it ideal for commercial dairies, feedlots, or operations with substantial daily bedding and feeding requirements. The 84-inch width is designed for heavy-duty skid steers and large-scale agricultural operations where maximum productivity per pass is the priority. As a general guideline, your bucket width should not exceed your skid steer's operating capacity—check your machine's rated operating capacity and lift specifications to ensure compatibility. If you frequently work in confined spaces or need precise material placement, a narrower bucket offers better visibility and control. For open lot work and high-volume material moving, a wider bucket maximizes efficiency. Forge Claw's team can help you match the optimal width to your specific machine and application.
Can this attachment handle jobs beyond manure and bedding work?
Absolutely. While this bucket excels at livestock and agricultural tasks, it's a genuinely versatile attachment that handles multiple applications throughout the year. The long, robust tines and heavy-duty construction make it highly effective for brush removal, allowing you to grab and transport tree limbs, clear brush piles, and handle vegetation cleanup with ease. Contractors use it for site debris removal and demolition cleanup, where the tine spacing allows dirt to fall through while retaining larger material.
Landowners rely on it for storm cleanup, moving fallen branches and vegetation efficiently. The 40-inch tine length and angled ends work well for tree work, grabbing logs and large branches securely. The grade 50 steel construction and 4x4-inch square tubing frame provide the strength needed for these demanding tasks beyond typical agricultural use. This multi-purpose capability means you get more value from one attachment instead of needing separate specialized tools for different seasonal jobs. Whether you're spreading bedding in winter, clearing brush in spring, moving hay in summer, or handling storm debris in fall, this manure spear bucket adapts to your changing operational needs while maintaining the durability to handle whatever you throw at it.
What maintenance does the manure spear bucket require?
This attachment is designed for straightforward, minimal maintenance that fits easily into your regular equipment care routine. Periodically inspect the tines for bending, cracking, or excessive wear, especially after working in rocky conditions or around concrete surfaces where impact damage is more likely. Check and tighten the mounting bolts on each tine to ensure secure attachment—vibration and heavy loads can gradually loosen fasteners over time.
Keep the quick attach plate clean and free of accumulated debris, mud, or bedding material to maintain proper mounting alignment and prevent connection issues. Lubricate the pivot points and bushings according to your normal equipment service schedule, which helps maintain smooth operation and extends component life. When not in use, store the bucket on level ground or properly supported to prevent frame distortion from uneven weight distribution. The quarter-inch sidewall bushing stock is designed for durability, but keeping it clean and lubricated ensures long-term performance. If you do need to replace a tine, the bolt-in design makes this a simple task with basic hand tools. This practical maintenance approach keeps your manure spear bucket performing reliably season after season without requiring specialized service or extensive downtime.
Is the manure spear bucket compatible with my skid steer's quick attach system?
Yes, this manure spear bucket features universal skid steer quick attach mounting, making it compatible with virtually all modern skid steer loaders on the market today. The standardized quick attach system has been the industry norm for years, ensuring that attachments from quality manufacturers like Stinger Attachments work seamlessly across different skid steer brands including Bobcat, Caterpillar, John Deere, Kubota, Case, New Holland, Gehl, and others.
The universal mounting plate is built to the same specifications used throughout the industry, so you get secure, reliable connection every time you attach the bucket. This compatibility means you can use the same manure spear bucket across multiple machines if you operate a mixed fleet, and it ensures the attachment will work with future skid steers you acquire. The mounting system is designed for quick connection and disconnection, allowing you to swap between attachments efficiently as your work demands change throughout the day. If you have questions about compatibility with a specific skid steer model or older equipment, Forge Claw's team can verify fitment and provide guidance to ensure you get the right attachment for your machine.
How does the 75-degree back angle improve bucket performance?
The 75-degree back angle is an optimized design feature that significantly improves both scooping efficiency and material release. When approaching material on the ground, this angle provides strong bite and allows the bucket to penetrate effectively without requiring excessive downward hydraulic pressure. The angled back helps material flow into the bucket naturally as you scoop, reducing the need for multiple repositioning movements.
This means you can load efficiently with less operator effort and fewer machine adjustments. When it's time to dump or spread material, that same 75-degree angle facilitates clean release—bedding, feed, or debris slides out smoothly rather than clinging to the bucket back. This is particularly valuable when you're spreading bedding evenly or distributing feed, where controlled material flow matters. The angle also helps prevent material from spilling over the back during transport, keeping loads stable as you move across uneven ground. Combined with the open back design, the 75-degree angle creates optimal material flow throughout the entire work cycle from scooping through transport to final release. These engineering details might seem minor, but over hundreds of cycles per week, they add up to real improvements in productivity, fuel efficiency, and reduced operator fatigue.
Why choose grade 50 steel construction for a manure spear bucket?
Grade 50 steel represents a significant upgrade in strength and durability compared to the mild steel or lower-grade materials used in budget attachments. This structural steel offers a minimum yield strength of 50,000 psi, meaning it can handle substantially higher loads and more intense stress before bending or permanent deformation occurs. For agricultural equipment that faces daily heavy use, impact from rocks and frozen ground, and the strain of lifting loaded material repeatedly, this superior strength translates directly into longer attachment life and better resistance to damage.
The 4x4-inch square tubing frame constructed from grade 50 steel provides the robust backbone needed to support the tines and handle the twisting forces that occur during real-world operation. The heavy-duty 2-inch 1045 cold rolled steel tine shafts offer exceptional strength at the point where stress is greatest. This quality construction means the bucket won't sag, bend, or fail prematurely even under demanding commercial use. While grade 50 steel costs more initially, it delivers better value over the attachment's lifespan through reduced repair needs, longer service life, and maintained performance even after years of hard work. It's the difference between equipment that wears out after a couple seasons and a tool that remains productive for many years.
Forge Claw offers free nationwide shipping on all heavy equipment attachments and flexible financing options to help you get the equipment you need when you need it.