I looked at one, wondering if it could be adapted to a Simplicity. It's certainly cheaper than a Johnny Bucket (about 1/2), but it also looks a lot "cheaper" too. I question their 200lb. capacity rating. It may work ok for mulch, but wonder if it would hold up for anything else. Johnny Bucket gets glowing reviews and probably has some resale value. I haven't seen any comments about the Sears scoop (maybe why it's on sale!?). You could gamble $350, or spend double that for a 'sure' thing.

t

I looked at the Sears model also. It's not even close to the Johnny Bucket JR. I wouldn't even want to use it for mulch. I use my Johnny bucket mostly for horse manure which would be the about the same weight and consistency as mulch. I can't imagine doing these chores with the sears model. You would get tired of the manual lift real quick. I'm not down on it because it's from Sears either. I drive a Craftsman tractor.

Lift hight is the bigget limiting factor of a Johny Bucket.
But I'd love to have their Johny Blade.

The build quality and capacity rating for the scoop should tell you something. If Sears, (or any other brands), felt their machine was up to the task of handling a heavier loader/hauler, they'd sell one for it. The best indicator of what a given machine is capable of, is to see what accessories are offered for it by the same store that sells the tractor. If you need to look to the aftermarket for a loader/carrier/hauler that's *heavy duty* enough for your intended use, then it's pretty likely that you're asking your tractor to do more than the manufacturer intended.

Sort of reminds me of a guy I once talked to over the phone about a pickup truck he had for sale. He'd *converted it* from a 1/2 ton to a 3/4 ton by adding aftermarket overload springs. The fact that it still had 1/2 ton bearings, hubs, brakes, axles, steering components, etc. seemed lost on him.

;-)

Hi Soder33,

I still use the scoop that I bought in March of 2005. I put up a review on another forum then. Here is my review:

I bought the scoop for $399 in March 2005 (it's on sale now 7/23/05 in the 'Craftsman club' catalog). Since I have never seen a 'JBjr' I can't really compare exactly the superiority of one over the other. The sears scoop is manually operated. Really, forget about ever easily adding powered lift to it. There is simply no room. It does not lift as high as the JBjr. There is no tooth bar attachment for the sears scoop as there is for the JBjr, nor a power dump option. Some on this site as well as on another site have impressed me with extreme applications of their garden (and lawn) tractors utilizing the JBjr. It's great to see people using our chosen brand of tractor doing more than was ever visualized.

I too really wanted a JBjr. But as finances were tight after the "big" purchases, I just held off of the JBjr (figured about $1000 for it all including shipping). But, when Sears came out with the "Scoop" in March 2005 and with their 30 day return policy and for $399, I thought that I'd try it. Now you've got to be realistic. Realize that it's just a wheelbarrow attachment powered by a tractor, basically. It's no Front End Loader and neither is the JBjr touted to be.

Now these are my findings, others results are varied and everyone has their own likes, preferences and wants/needs:

1. Being that I don't use my attachments all the time, I don't want/need electrical actuators for raising/lowering/dumping. I don't mind manual operation and I don't need headaches with electrical items (fuses, switches, wires, actuators). It's the same way for my sleeve hitch and my dozer blade.

2. When using my tractor for mowing and general use, I don't want a scoop/JBjr mounted on it all the time. And if I did want to use it, I want to hook it up quickly. Then take it off fast when I'm done with it. With actuators, electrical connections and switches the JBjr would have additional items to be removed/disconnected. The Sears scoop requires 1 long pin to be removed. Pull it out, lift it up and it comes off, lifting arms, dumping arms and all. Literally 10 seconds. I keep it on a modified auto service crawler so I can wheel it right up to the tractor for quick removal/installation.

3. I didn't want anything that was going to interfere with the reinstallation of my dozer blade. The JBjr would require the disassembly of brackets and, again electrical disconnection, for hookup of the blade. The bracket for the scoop pin mount is left mounted on the tractor and does not affect the blade's installation.

4. Really should have listed this first- I like saving my money-- $399+tax (got on sale with a 10% Craftsman club discount) vs $1000 for the JBjr, dumping actuator and shipping is a big difference.

5. Yes, as another poster pointed out, the levers are now all over the tractor with the installation of the scoop. However the left side is pretty well open and has always been used by me for "dismounting" and, in my case, I will removing the scoop assembly as soon as I'm done.

There is a lot of room for adjustment on the Sears scoop. Adjustments can be made for lift height and for scoop angle in the cradle with moving a load. All can be made with no unusual modification to the scoop and within the alignment range of the design of the lifting and dumping assembly.

Now some have said that they have removed sod with the JBjr. Not gonna happen with the sears scoop. Have heard that the JBjr can dig somewhat into ground using the toothbar. Again nada with the scoop. As you load the scoop to it's max 200lb limit, you will see that you actually are reaching the limit of the scoop. Not only in capacity of the load, but the limits of your tractor. If you get off of the tractor with no rear weights on it, you will see what I mean.

I have tried 'back-blading' with the scoop with poor results. THe JBjr will excel in this feat especially with it's down pressure (in the powered version).

Anyway you asked for how good it works. The scoop has done all that I have asked it to do. Remember it's a wheelbarrow on the front of your tractor. I've carried dirt. Bags of potting soil (5-40lb). 10 trips of approx 32 bricks at a time. Turned compost. Scooped up loose dirt and piled it elsewhere.

I am pleased with the operation of it and especially the price.

There is a video on the Sears site of the scoop and many videos and pics on the Johnny Bucket site that show the operations so you can make comparisons for yourself. If you want pics of the scoop, I can upload some for you.

Hope I've helped.

Terry
I have no regrets about this purchase 2 years later.

Do you think you could move a pile of gravel with it?

Good question, wheelhorse_of_course. I haven't tried to scoop up from a pile of gravel. Would like to try it someday. But I find that the limit really is 200 lbs. You can really tell with the lift lever that you are nearly maxed out. 200lbs of gravel isn't much in that scoop, I suppose. Would probably take a few more trips. Also I wonder if any small tractor (Craftsman GT5000), even with 110 lbs of wheel weights like I use, would have the mass needed to bite into a pile of gravel. I realize that there are limits.
Terry

I have a JBJr on my Craftsman DSG 6500 garden tractor. I've used it for landscaping, hauling bricks (as many as I could fit in the scoop) and moving heavy objects, all without problems. As far as overloading the tractor, the JB web site correctly points out that the Sears snow blower attachment weighs more than a fully loaded JBJr. Also the heavy steel of the JBJr splints the forward third of the frame. The JBJr is not a front-end loader but it can do many of the same jobs. For heavy digging in unplowed ground I would suggest loosening the soil with a tiller first. Not a backhoe but it beats a shovel and wheelbarrow! Incidentally I have had no problems with my Craftsman tractor despite fairly aggressive use.

Way to go lakeguy43,

The JBjr is one heavy duty piece of equipment. Yeah, I like saving my back, too. Did you get the powered lift version?

Terry

Posted by lakeguy43 (My Page) on Fri, Jul 27, 07 at 5:15

I have a JBJr on my Craftsman DSG 6500 garden tractor. I've used it for landscaping, hauling bricks (as many as I could fit in the scoop) and moving heavy objects, all without problems. As far as overloading the tractor, the JB web site correctly points out that the Sears snow blower attachment weighs more than a fully loaded JBJr. Also the heavy steel of the JBJr splints the forward third of the frame. The JBJr is not a front-end loader but it can do many of the same jobs. For heavy digging in unplowed ground I would suggest loosening the soil with a tiller first. Not a backhoe but it beats a shovel and wheelbarrow! Incidentally I have had no problems with my Craftsman tractor despite fairly aggressive use.

*For heavy digging in unplowed ground I would suggest loosening the soil with a tiller first.
**************************************
*This us exactly what I use my 1967 Bolens with a tiller on it for.
I prefer it over a tooth bar any day.

I move mulch in a Rubbermaid cart on my tractor.
I fill it up with a 4-tine pitch fork, drive to where it is going, dump, and return for more. I suppose thousands of others do the same thing. I have also hauled piles of grade 8 gravel, pavers, balled and burlapped trees, and many other things that would never be possible with these scoops, given the 200 lb. rating. There may be a practical use for them, but I am wondering what it is.

Good for you kachinee!

"The JBjr is one heavy duty piece of equipment. Yeah, I like saving my back, too. Did you get the powered lift version?"

Terry
Yeah, the power lift, power dump is great! Allows me to backgrade with the bucket.

kachinee wrote: There may be a practical use for them, but I am wondering what it is.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>I think the main purpose would be the ability for the user to just drive into a pile of mulch and pick up a full scoop of it, thus saving the time and effort needed to use a garden fork to load a trailer. I also see no valid reason as to why one could not haul gravel, pavers or balled/burlapped trees in this device as long as the scoop was large enough and the weight of the item/s doesn't exceed the capacity of the scoop.

On a side note, I have the following comments.

In the world of construction machinery, there are front-end loaders and there are "excavators". These are usually two separate and distinct machines. Most FEL's are just that: a loading device mounted to the front end of a motorized device. They were never designed to be used to "excavate" virgin ground. The two major exceptions to this rule would be the bulldozer fitted with and FEL, commonly referred to as a "crawler/loader" and the purpose-built skid-steer loader.

The regular FEL found on farm tractors, CUT's, sub-CUT's etc all the way down to the JBjr and the Sears Scoop are devices intended to transport materials that are already loose, such as topsoil, gravel, mulch etc that is in a pile sitting on the surface of the ground. As someone who owns two large rubber-tired FEL's, I can tell you that they are pretty useless when it comes to digging into virgin ground but fantastic when used to load trucks or carry materials from one location to another. The L-70 Volvo I have is a 2 1/2 cubic yard machine that weighs in at 14 plus tons and has over 160 hp. But it isn't an excavating tool.

As such, I find it rather amazing and amusing that people purchase FEL's or JBjr's etc and are then disappointed to find that their 400 pound lawn tractor won't peel sod. The reason is quite simple. It's the wrong tool for the job. Most of you are smart enough to use a wide snow-shovel to shift snow and a round-mouth shovel to dig a hole in the ground. Both of these devices are shovels but they are designed to perform vastly different tasks. You wouldn't try to dig a hole in the soil with the snow-shovel anymore than you would clear your driveway with a round-mouth shovel. And that my friends, is the point.

"As far as overloading the tractor, the JB web site correctly points out that the Sears snow blower attachment weighs more than a fully loaded JBJr."

The link in the JBJr. site does lead to the snowblower attachment on the Sears site, but it's a little misleading. I was at Sears today and picked up a blower attachment, (just for fun), that mounts way out front of the axle and it's nowhere near the 290 lbs. quoted in the JBJr. literature. I suspect that the 290 lbs. listed by Sears and used for comparison purposes by the JBJr. site is the *shipping weight* which includes the snowblower itself, the drive unit for the blower, (which mounts under the tractor in the middle), and the weight mount that mounts to the rear of the tractor. Not to mention whatever crating the attachment comes in.

If the blower alone that hangs off of the front is indeed 290 lbs. by itself, then I must have been working out.

Plus, when a blower is being "used", it's resting on the ground riding on its skids. About the only time its weight is being supported by the tractor, is to get it in and out of the garage. Contrast that with the way a designated, (and advertised as such), "lifting and carrying" attachment would be used.

;-)

You make a good point broke not. However Sears does seem to think that their tractor can support their manual scoop plus 200 lbs which has to be close to 290 lbs. Also after looking at their manual scoop it does not splint the frame like the JBJr. Moreover the proof for me is in the pudding. I've had no trouble with my Craftsman. You could say I'm lucky but I haven't seen any posts about the JBJr failing, bending frames, etc. Most people with them seem to be happy including the Sears group. Maybe some members who own them have a different experience?

That's good, I just don't want to see anyone get hurt....damaging a replaceable tractor isn't a concern. I've seen waaaaay too many home-built contraptions, (not to mention aftermarket accessories), that people have mounted to all sorts of vehicles and equipment that end up being accidents waiting to happen. That's why I stand by my earlier comment on looking at what the tractor seller themselves offer in the way of accessories instead of looking to the aftermarket. Somebody somewhere WILL choose a heavier-duty aftermarket bucket/loader/whatever with the idea in mind that they'll be able to "do more" with it than they could with the lighter-duty OEM model.

When they mount the heavier-duty model and load it down with too much stuff, they'll "fix" the overloading problem by adding weight to the tractor. When the weights end up not being enough of a solution for the work they're wanting to get done, then they'll add ag tires. It doesn't take long before the "line" has been crossed and someone gets hurt....or the tractor is damaged. Adapting too light a machine to too heavy a task doesn't turn out well.....ever.

Used within its, (and the tractor's), specified limitations I'm sure everything will be okay. Not everyone will do that though, and those are the ones I worry about. I'm fine with the aftermarket companies making a buck and all, but when I see stuff offered by them such as heavier duty buckets, front end loader kits, (for ATV's now too!), it makes me wonder.

Read some of the testimonials on the JB site. They aren't just being used for light material like mulch....the first owner comment came from a user that was moving topsoil. The second testimonial came from an owner that moved "tons of sand". I can't believe that in either of those scenarios the recommended capacity of the tractor was followed.

Johnny Bucket says that skidsteers cost $400 a day to rent, which they don't. They say they're dangerous to operate, which they aren't....especially when they're designed from the ground up to do the job in the first place. They say they'll tear up the lawn, but if that's a concern a person can use a smaller model like a Toro Dingo on tracks and get more work done faster/safer/better than any LT or GT "adapted" to a task.....and nobody will ever know a machine has been on the lawn once the work is done.

I don't care if you have an articulated rubber-tired loader, a skid-steer loader with rubber tires or some sort of loader with rubber tracks on it. Grass is fragile. You will tear it up if you make multiple passes over it. Sure, an articulated machine can be a bit easier on the grass but only for a few passes. Then the grass gets driven into the mud or if the ground is super dry, the grass will just tear away. Been there.....done that......too many times in the past.

Unfortunately we can't make the world idiot proof. If a front end loader is rated at 1000 lbs. you can bet someone's going to try to lift 2000 lbs. If you have a strong stomach just look at the guy holding his baby on his lap while driving a Kubota with a FEL! One saving grace with the JBJr is that it doesn't lift very high off the ground. Also the linear actuators trip out if you try to get too aggressive. Broke not, I wasn't aware of the comments you quote from the JB site. If that is what they are saying then obviously they are wrong. The Toro Dingo is a nice machine! Kinda spendy including the attachments though. I guess I'm spoiled. We (meaning me) complain about the $ of tractors yet we forget that in years past quality tractors were actually a larger % of our yearly income. I suppose I'm the guy that's driving the manufacturers to make these price point tractors. So far I've been lucky with my Sears garden tractor. I figure that if I can accomplish what I want and get away with paying less...At least it's assembled in USA. The Sears lineup offers a lot for the $, probably partly due to the volume they sell. If I didn't know a good general fix-it shop for tractors/garden implements I would have concerns about not having a proper dealer.