6–8 Tonne Excavator Grading/Ditching Bucket – 1500mm & 1800mm

The 6–8 tonne excavator grading bucket is a fixed, smooth-edged bucket for levelling, reinstatement, ditch maintenance and general site finishing. Available in 1500mm and 1800mm widths, it gives operators a choice between a lighter bucket for greater control and a wider, higher-capacity option for faster grading across open ground.

Also known as a 6–8 tonne ditching bucket, this attachment is built with a 20 × 150mm HB400 abrasion-resistant cutting edge, reinforced floor wear strips, a low-profile shape and an extended flat base. The toothless working edge is designed to spread and collect loose material efficiently while leaving a smoother finish than a conventional digging bucket.

Key Features

• Designed for excavators in the 6–8 tonne carrier class
• Choice of 1500mm or 1800mm working width
• Width-specific capacities and empty weights
• 20 × 150mm HB400 abrasion-resistant cutting edge
• Reinforced wear strips help protect and strengthen the bucket floor
• Wide, toothless edge supports accurate levelling and a clean finish
• Low-profile shape improves the operator’s view of the working edge
• Extended flat base supports controlled grading and efficient loading

6–8 Tonne Grading Bucket Specifications

Choosing Between the 1500mm and 1800mm Widths

The widest bucket is not automatically the right bucket. Width affects empty attachment weight, material capacity, leverage and the amount of room needed to work. The excavator model, quick hitch, material density, working radius and ground conditions must therefore be considered alongside productivity.

Choose the 1500mm grading bucket for better control on restricted sites, around kerbs and services, or where the excavator is working toward the lower end of the 6–8 tonne class. It weighs 204kg and has a 274-litre heaped capacity, making it 32kg lighter than the 1800mm version and less likely to collect more material than the job requires.

Choose the 1800mm grading bucket for open plots, wider drainage work and broad areas that need to be levelled or trimmed efficiently. Its 332-litre heaped capacity is 58 litres greater than the 1500mm version, allowing more loose material to be moved in each pass. The machine and hitch must still be capable of handling the 236kg empty bucket and its intended load safely throughout the working range.

Where This Ditching Bucket Works Best

Six-to-eight-tonne excavators are widely used in construction, utilities, civil engineering, landscaping and agricultural groundworks. This bucket is intended for the finishing, reinstatement and loose-material stages of those projects rather than aggressive penetration into compacted ground.

Typical applications include:

• Levelling topsoil, sub-base and loose aggregates
• Reinstating surfaces after drainage, utility and foundation work
• Cleaning established ditches, swales and drainage channels
• Shaping verges, banks, batters and landscaped slopes
• Spreading fill and trimming larger construction plots
• Preparing areas for roads, paths, paving, turf or other finishes
• Loading and moving loose soil during site clearance
• Completing final grading after the main excavation work

This is a fixed grading bucket and does not tilt hydraulically from side to side. It works best where the excavator can be positioned to create the required angle. If the operator needs to alter the working angle without repositioning the machine, a hydraulic tilt bucket is a different attachment and should be specified separately.

Capacity, Material Weight and Machine Stability

Bucket capacity describes volume, not payload. A full bucket of wet clay, saturated soil or dense aggregate can weigh substantially more than the same volume of dry topsoil. The practical load also changes with the machine’s reach, boom position, undercarriage orientation, quick-hitch weight, site gradient and ground stability.

Allow for the bucket’s empty weight—204kg for the 1500mm option or 236kg for the 1800mm option—before material is added. Always follow the excavator and hitch manufacturers’ operating limits. A bucket should not be selected from carrier class, width or capacity alone.

Fitment and Compatibility

Excavator buckets are not universal. A 6–8 tonne carrier rating narrows the choice, but it does not confirm that the linkage will fit a particular excavator or quick hitch. Before ordering, check the exact machine make and model, hitch type, pin diameter, pin centres and dipper gap.

Our guide to measuring an excavator for a new bucket explains how to take the required dimensions. If you would like us to check the specification, use the request a quote form and include the machine details, measurements and clear photographs of the hitch or an existing bucket.

Grading Bucket or Digging Bucket?

Choose this grading bucket when the priority is a broad working face, smooth finish and controlled movement of loose material. If the job involves breaking compacted ground, digging foundations, opening trenches or excavating around services, a toothed 6–8 tonne excavator digging bucket will normally be more effective for the main excavation.

For another machine size, browse the complete range of excavator grading buckets. You can also compare digging and finishing attachments in our full excavator bucket range.

Delivery and Ordering

This bucket is supplied to suit the confirmed machine and hitch specification. Typical fulfilment is within 7–10 working days, although stock, factory workload and fitment requirements can affect the exact lead time. Please contact us before ordering if the bucket is required for a fixed date.

6–8 Tonne Grading Bucket FAQs

Which width should I choose?

Choose 1500mm for greater control, a lower empty weight and work in tighter areas. Choose 1800mm for wider passes and greater capacity on open ground, provided the excavator and hitch can safely handle the attachment and intended material.

How much do the two bucket widths weigh?

The 1500mm version weighs 204kg and the 1800mm version weighs 236kg. When checking the machine’s limits, also account for the quick hitch and the weight of the material carried in the bucket.

What are the capacities?

The 1500mm bucket has a 274-litre heaped capacity and 199-litre struck capacity. The 1800mm bucket has a 332-litre heaped capacity and 240-litre struck capacity.

Will this bucket fit every 6–8 tonne excavator?

No. Machines in the same weight class can use different pin sizes, pin centres, dipper gaps and quick-hitch systems. The machine and linkage dimensions must be confirmed before supply.

Is a grading bucket the same as a ditching bucket?

For this fixed, smooth-edged design, grading bucket and ditching bucket are alternative names for the same attachment. It is intended for levelling, shaping, ditch cleaning and handling loose material.

Is this a tilt grading bucket?

No. This is a fixed grading bucket and does not tilt hydraulically from side to side. A tilt bucket is a separate attachment for applications where the working angle must change without repositioning the excavator.

Can this bucket be used for digging?

It can collect loose soil and complete light excavation or ditch-cleaning work, but its wide, toothless design is not intended for aggressive digging in hard or compacted ground. A toothed digging bucket is normally more effective for penetration and trenching.

What details are needed to confirm fitment?

Provide the excavator make and model, operating weight, hitch type, pin diameter, pin centres and dipper gap. Photographs of the hitch and an existing bucket are also useful when checking compatibility.