A rock bucket — also called a skeleton bucket — has tines instead of a solid floor. Dirt and fines sift through; rock, roots, and debris stay.
That one difference solves a specific and common problem: you want the rock out of the field, not the topsoil. Scoop with a standard bucket and you're hauling away good soil along with the stone, then buying topsoil to replace it.
What You'll Use It For
- Picking rock out of fields, pastures, and food plots
- Clearing rock from newly cleared ground
- Separating debris from soil on cleanup
- Removing roots and woody debris after clearing
- Screening material at a small scale
- Cleaning up construction sites
- Sifting demolition debris from soil
- Reclaiming gravel that's worked into soil
Tine Spacing Is the Spec
Wider spacing sheds more soil but drops smaller rock. Narrower spacing retains smaller material but holds more dirt.
Match it to what you're picking. Field rock picking generally wants wider spacing; debris and root cleanup wants narrower.
If your work varies, spacing is worth thinking about before you buy — it's the one thing you can't adjust afterward.
How to Spec It
Tine spacing. As above. The primary decision.
Tine thickness and gusseting. Rock buckets take abuse. Check where the tines attach to the frame — that's the failure point.
Grapple lid option. Some rock buckets add a hydraulic grapple lid on top, which turns it into a hybrid: sheds dirt like a rock bucket, clamps like a grapple bucket. More versatile, more expensive, heavier.
Width and capacity. Match to machine.
Weight. Rock buckets are heavy for their volume. Check against rated capacity.
Which Models Run It
Non-hydraulic unless you add a grapple lid.
YJ1000 / YJ1200 — the general-purpose range.
YJ2000 / YJ3000 — larger buckets and heavier rock.
Trades That Use It Most
Farm & Agriculture · Land Clearing · Food Plots & Hunting Land · Landscaping · Excavation & Grading · Homeowners & Acreage
FAQ
Rock bucket or root grapple?
Rock bucket scoops and sifts — better for picking material off or out of the ground. Root grapple grips and carries — better for handling brush, logs, and large debris. Different motions.
Will it screen soil?
Roughly, at small scale. It's not a screening plant — for producing screened topsoil in volume you want purpose-built equipment.
What size rock will it hold?
Anything larger than the tine spacing. Smaller passes through.
Can I use it as a regular bucket?
No — loose material falls straight through. That's the point.
Is the grapple lid worth it?
If you're handling brush and debris as well as rock, yes. If you're purely picking rock, it's added weight and cost.
Will one from another brand fit?
If it's a universal mini skid mount, yes.
Any maintenance?
Inspect tine welds — that's where they fail under load. Check the cutting edge and mounting plate.
Get a Quote
Request pricing · Call (330) 825-2307