Riddle buckets, shaker buckets or skeleton buckets are great for processing and sorting of topsoil, hardcore and other mixed materials. The buckets are traditionally made of 400 or 450 Brinell hardness steel or even softer steel. The development of Hardox® 500 Tuf wear steel enables the use of even harder steel in a large part of the bucket. Hardox® 500 Tuf has a hardness of approximately 500 HBW. The higher strength enables thinner steel components and lighter buckets. This means the bucket can be used for heavier scoops and higher productivity. Higher hardness results in a longer service life, as shown in the graph. This guide gives examples and recommendations of how and where to use Hardox® wear plate.
1. Top plate
Recommended steel: Hardox® 500 Tuf.
The top plate will have a relatively lower wear rate compared to the bottom plate and will benefit from the high hardness and high yield strength that comes with Hardox® 500 Tuf. As the shell plate is a large component, it is an important candidate for weight saving. In most cases, Hardox® 500 Tuf enables a reduction in both thickness and weight, while prolonging the wear life.
2. Side plates
3. Tine plates
Recommended steel: Hardox® 500 Tuf.
The number of tine plates or ribbed back slats varies dependent on function and design. The wear rate is high compared to the side plates and will benefit from the high hardness and high yield strength that comes with Hardox® 500 Tuf. With Hardox® 500 Tuf, the thickness can be thinner and the weight lower, yet still offer longer service life.
4. Round bars
Recommended steel: Hardox® 400 or Hardox® 500.
The round bars will have a high wear rate compared to the side plates and will benefit from the high hardness and high yield strength that comes with Hardox® 400 or 500. As normally are a lot of round bars, it is an important candidate for weight saving. In most cases, Hardox® 400 and 500 enables a reduction in diameter and weight, while prolonging the wear life.
5. Side cutters
Recommended steel: Hardox® 500 or Hardox® 450.
The side cutters are, like the cutting edge, heavily subjected to sliding wear under high pressure. In addition, to cut into the dug material, the side cutters also protect important structural parts. We recommend using Hardox® 500 or Hardox® 450 in these areas.
6. Cutting edge
The information in this report is only applicable to SSAB’s products and should not be applied to any other products than original SSAB products.
This report provides general results and recommendations for SSAB steel products. This report is subject to SSAB’s Terms of Use. It shall be the user's responsibility to verify that the information contained herein is correct and is suitable to be used for the particular purpose and application of the user. The report is intended to be used by professional users only who possess adequate expertise, qualification and knowledge for the safe and correct use of the results and recommendations in this report. This report is provided “as is”. The use of the report is at user’s own discretion and risk and that users will be solely responsible for any use of this report. SSAB disclaims any liability for the content or potential errors of this report, including but not limited to warranties and condition of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose or suitability for individual applications. SSAB shall not be liable for any kind of direct or indirect damages and/or costs related to or arising therefrom, whether special, incidental, consequential or directly or indirectly related to the use of, or the inability to use, the report or the content, information or results included therein.
