Yes, you can break the bucket on a JD 400 loader

We had something like 10 inches of snow fall this week in Heyworth. Officially they are saying 5.5 inches, but they must live in town and measure under a tree. I'm doing my morning snow ritual of cleaning the driveway, going backwards up the drive with the blade, when WHAM! The front left tire was low on air, but it finally just broke the bead and fell off the rim. The tractor slid into the fence, and because I was going too fast (like 5 to 10 mph), when the bucket hit the fence post the bucket broke off the front of the loader.

I've ordered the two "handles" for the front of the loader that connect to the bucket. $87 bucks a piece. Ouch. They are cast iron, so no welding, not that there is much left of them to weld anyway. I also had to get the tire fixed...a nail...ARGH. So this snowfall cost me $200.

Sometimes I really, really hate living in the snow belt of Central Illinois.