Buckets
Large skeleton buckets for 10–50 t excavators
European-made buckets, couplers and tools for 1–65 t excavators, and for heavier carriers on request. Supplied to contractors and dealers.
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The whole range: Excavator buckets
Skeleton buckets for full-size excavators that sift soil out while you dig.
Two skeleton buckets for full-size excavators separate material as they dig. SDB is the heavy duty DB built with ribs: soil falls through while stone, rubble and roots stay in the bucket. RDBF is the flat-top DBF with interlocking steel rods instead of a solid bottom, C45 as standard and Hardox® as an option, for trenches, drains and pipe bedding. Choose SDB for heavy digging, and RDBF when the machine changes attachments on a quick coupler.
Families
SDB Heavy duty skeleton DB bucket
The SDB separates material as you dig: soil falls through the ribs while stone, rubble and roots stay in the bucket.
RDBF Flat-top skeleton DBF bucket on rods
Interlocking steel rods replace the solid bottom, C45 as standard and Hardox® as an option. Soil sifts out from the rocks while you dig trenches, drains and pipe bedding.
Which one should I choose?
| SDB - heavy duty skeleton DB bucket | RDBF - flat-top skeleton DBF bucket on rods | |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity [l] | 435–3,000 | 536–2,999 |
| Weight [kg] | 286–2,172 | 271–1,755 |
| Tooth systems | J250, V19, U20, J300, V29, U30, J350, V33, U35, J400, V39, U40 | J250, V19, U20, J300, V29, U30, J350, V33, U35, J460, V51, U55 |
| Couplers | CW20–CW55 | S45–S90 · MS10–MS25 · OQ45–OQ90 |
| Request a quote: SDB - heavy duty skeleton DB bucket | Request a quote: RDBF - flat-top skeleton DBF bucket on rods |
→ Scroll the table sideways to see every column.
- Both sort as you dig: soil falls through the rods, C45 as standard and Hardox® as an option, and stone stays in the bucket. Choose SDB, built on the DB bucket, for heavy digging. Choose RDBF, built on the flat-top DBF, when the machine changes attachments on a quick coupler.
Riddle buckets: facts from the catalogue
Riddle buckets: 2 families on this page, 31 sizes in all, for machines from 10 to 50 t.
- SDB - heavy duty skeleton DB bucket: 12 sizes, for machines from 10 to 50 t, 1,000–2,000 mm wide, 435–3,000 l capacity, 286–2,172 kg, teeth: J250, V19, U20, J300, V29, U30, J350, V33, U35, J400, V39, U40.
- RDBF - flat-top skeleton DBF bucket on rods: 19 sizes, for machines from 10 to 50 t, 1,000–2,000 mm wide, 536–2,999 l capacity, 271–1,755 kg, teeth: J250, V19, U20, J300, V29, U30, J350, V33, U35, J460, V51, U55.
Skeleton bucket SDB or RDBF: which one fits the job?
A skeleton bucket has rods where a digging bucket has a closed bottom. Soil and sand fall through as you dig, while stone, rubble and roots stay in the bucket. The spoil is sorted on site: the fines go back into the trench or the pipe bedding, the stone goes on the heap, and less material has to be hauled away. Two families are listed here. The SDB is the skeleton version of our DB digging bucket, in six sizes from SDB-120 to SDB-500, 1000 to 2000 mm wide and 286 to 2172 kg. It takes teeth in the CAT J series, BYG Futura or ESCO UltraLok systems. The RDBF is built on the DBF bucket. Its flat top is made for excavators that work on a quick coupler, and interlocking round rods form the bottom. It comes in seven sizes from RDBF-120 to RDBF-500, also 1000 to 2000 mm wide. On both, the rods are C45 steel as standard and Hardox® on request. We set the rod spacing by the material you sort. The model table of each family shows which size fits your excavator, with width, capacity, weight and carrier class.
Frequently asked questions
What is a skeleton bucket used for?
A skeleton bucket separates stone, rubble and roots from soil and sand. Fine material falls through the bottom and larger pieces stay in the bucket. It is used in demolition, site clearance and for screening spoil.
Which skeleton bucket fits a mini excavator?
For mini and midi excavators there are the RGP with a rod bottom, the SGP and the heavy duty SGPL, the last two for machines from 1.2 to 10 t. The SDB and the flat-top RDBF on this page fit excavators from 10 to 50 t.
Is a skeleton bucket the same as a riddle bucket?
Yes. Skeleton bucket, riddle bucket and sieve bucket all name a bucket that sifts material through a bottom of rods or flat bars. Our skeleton buckets have a fixed bottom with no rotating parts.
How do I choose the rod spacing in a skeleton bucket?
The spacing follows the size of the material that should stay in the bucket. The family page gives the data for each model, and when you order we set the spacing to your job.
What jobs is a skeleton bucket used for?
Any job where the spoil should be sorted before it is moved. In pipe and sewer work it separates stones from the soil, and the fine material goes back into the trench as pipe bedding or backfill. In demolition it separates rubble from earth. In landscaping it clears roots and stones from a site, and in land restoration it screens the soil. Wet material drains in the bucket before you lift it.
What does a skeleton bucket save on site?
Mainly trips and material. What falls through the rods stays on site and goes back in. Only stones, rubble and roots are hauled away. You buy less fill, and the excavator sorts in the same pass in which it digs or loads.
Which sizes are there for excavators from 10 to 50 t?
The SDB comes in six sizes from SDB-120 to SDB-500, 1000 to 2000 mm wide and 286 to 2172 kg. The RDBF comes in seven sizes from RDBF-120 to RDBF-500, also 1000 to 2000 mm wide. The number in the name rises with the weight of the machine: SDB-120 for the lightest excavators in the range, SDB-500 for machines of about 50 t. The model table gives the width, capacity and weight of each size.
SDB or RDBF: which one is right?
That depends mostly on how you mount the bucket. The SDB is the skeleton version of the DB digging bucket and carries teeth, so it digs and screens in one pass. The RDBF is built on the DBF, whose flat top is made for a quick coupler. If your operator often switches between a digging bucket and a skeleton bucket, the RDBF is usually the better fit. Tell us the machine and the quick coupler, and we name the size and the mounting.
What steel are the rods made of?
On the SDB and RDBF the rods are C45, a quenched and tempered steel, as standard. If you screen a lot of abrasive material, you can order Hardox® rods. On the RDBF the round rods interlock. The mini excavator buckets SGP and SGPL have a row of S355 ribs instead of rods, and the RGP has parallel Hardox® rods.
Can I dig with a skeleton bucket?
Yes. The SDB has the shape of the DB digging bucket and teeth in the CAT J Series, BYG Futura or ESCO UltraLok systems. That way the material is sorted while you dig. When you dig in roots or rubble, the coarse material stays in the bucket and you set it down where it should go.
What should I give in my enquiry?
The make and model of the excavator, its operating weight and the quick coupler or mounting. Add the material you screen and the size of the pieces that should stay in the bucket. From that we set the size, rod spacing and teeth and give you a price. A photo of the material helps.
Skeleton bucket or a screening bucket with a rotating drum?
Our skeleton buckets have a fixed bottom with no rotating parts. So they need no hydraulic connection and have no drive that can wear. The screening comes from the movement of the bucket: the operator shakes the material over the heap or the trench, and the fine material falls through.
How do I screen with a skeleton bucket?
Pick up the material, lift the bucket over the spot where the fine material should land and move it with short strokes of the bucket cylinder. Soil and sand fall through the rods, stones and roots stay in the bucket. Then slew to the heap or the truck and tip out the rest. Dry material screens faster than wet.
Are there skeleton buckets for excavators with a quick coupler?
Yes. The RDBF has the flat top of the DBF and is made for excavators with a quick coupler. For the SDB, tell us your mounting and we name the matching version. For mini excavators, the SGPL family page lists the mountings for each size, from S30, MS01, M02, HS02 and CW05 on the SGPL-20 to S45, S50, MS08, M10, HS08, CW10 and OQ45 on the SGPL-95.
Can I screen wet material?
Yes. Water drains through the bottom before you lift the bucket, so the load gets lighter. Sticky clay clogs the gaps faster. Tell us in your enquiry and we choose the rod spacing for it.
Why buy from the factory
- Cutting, machining, welding and painting on one site, our own factory in Poland, EU
- More than 50,000 attachments delivered since 2008
- A record for every serial number, so the spare parts match your attachment