How much weight will a 5 gallon bucket hold safely?

[grumman581]

Mabe if you leave the tabs in the bucket......in the sun......for years. I go thru 2 buckets a year, keep them protected in the shade when using the tabs, and wash them out when empty. I have over 15 of these and some are 6 years old and still are as strong as the day I brought them home from Costco. Do not store ANYTHING in the sun!!!!!!!

Do not be afraid of tab buckets!

bangerjim

I'm pretty sure that they had the pucks in them and were stored outside near the pool pump. I didn't want to store them in my garage due to concerns over the chlorine gas corroding things in my garage. This was probably around 20 years ago when I had the house with the pool (and was not using a pool service). Eventually I switched to a pool service and after that, switched to a house that does not have a pool. When the pool water temperature is in the 90s, it's just not that refreshing to take a dip, so I never used it.

[ben lurkin]

A five gallon bucket will hold right around 120# of coww in my experience. You are right to wear steel toed shoes because the handle will break off the first time you lift it. Anymore, I only fill them 1/2 full or I use smaller 3# buckets instead. They're easier on the back too!

[Defcon-One]

Glocksaregood:

See, Ben Lurkin agrees with me exactly! 120-125. You must get some tiny wheel weights over there in Richmond. In the Wild West where I live, some are 4" or even longer. The smaller COWWs pack much more densely and may get up to 150 lbs. + per bucket.

[GlocksareGood]

I just went and scaled 2 buckets. One was 161lbs and the other was 163lbs. I must just be a god of sorting wheel weights and tossing them in the bucket! You got a good source for wws defcon? I pay $0.35/lb with almost 0% loss to fe and zn. Gonna make another run tomorrow and pick up another 300lbs or so.

Glocksaregood:

See, Ben Lurkin agrees with me exactly! 120-125. You must get some tiny wheel weights over there in Richmond. In the Wild West where I live, some are 4" or even longer. The smaller COWWs pack much more densely and may get up to 150 lbs. + per bucket.

[Rooster]

I haven't seen any steel buckets in quite some time. Where do you guys find yours?

[shadowcaster]

It all depends on the buckets you use, they are not all equal and the technique that you use in handling and loading them is just as important. I rarely see a bucket of scrap under 125 pounds or over 160 pounds. I load these into the truck and back out again without breaking my back or my buckets. Again, Technique is important.

Shad

[John Boy]

How much weight will a 5 gallon bucket hold safely?

A rhetorical question. Depends on the construction strength of the bucket and how the handle is attached

[badbob454]

I have HAD @ 20 BUCKETS OR MORE oops caps on, only had one break fortunately it didn't hit my toes it was 34 or more full of good lead wheelweights .. plastic handle and the handle clean broke no warning , bucket fell 1 foot and broke open ... now if I carry any only 1/2 full or just a little more if it has a steel rod handle if it is more full....use a dolly (handtruck)

[RP]

If your going to use a crane to do the lifting use something that will not fail to put your lead in. So hand dolly to move buckets to truck dump then into your lifting (bucket) which may not even be a bucket then dump them into the bed sort when you remove them leave the bucket there for them to refill. Think along those lines less to haul around like empty bucket that will blow out of the bed. Another thought how much lead are you going after and how often do you really need all of this or just load the bucket half full and still don't trust the handle.

[leadbutt]

To carry my new scores into the house I break the full buckets into thirds. To store them after sorting I fill the bucket up all the way and stack in twos. Use the GOOD lids they sell at lowes or hd. Do not use the cheap lil flimsy lid even if that's the only one they have at the time and you need it BAD. They are vomit. The lowes buckets do split from time to time but so do other buckets as well. I have had the handles break a few times but since I only lift them 2 inches off the ground when moving them I don't get any big spills. Since I started doing that I haven't had any handles break off but I think its a set up to get me to lift them a lil higher and then CRASH!! When sorting the top bucket just add to it to fill it plz don't lift a full bucket that high. So..... all buckets wear out and use the handle just never trust it. After all we are really not using them the way they were intended to be used. We make due.

L. Bottoms

[CountryBoy19]

You guys must have some smaller 5 gallon buckets. I am seeing 150 to 180lbs per 5 gallon bucket of sorted cowws. I only fill them up to the top to reduce then space required. I will pick them up about 2" and move them 30 ft to the pot this fall to smelt them. If I have to lift a bucket at all I only go 2/3 full.

This ^^^ all my full buckets weight in around 140-160 lbs...

It all depends on the buckets you use, they are not all equal and the technique that you use in handling and loading them is just as important. I rarely see a bucket of scrap under 125 pounds or over 160 pounds. I load these into the truck and back out again without breaking my back or my buckets. Again, Technique is important.

Shad

Technique and bucket quality are important. I've never had a problem carrying 140+ lb buckets by the handle... the handle bends, and you better have gloves to keep it from cutting into your hands, but it can be done...

[Defcon-One]

Glocksaregood:

Sorry, I have been away.

I have a source that provides them erratically. But I sometimes get 3 full bucket with about 80 % Lead the rest is junk, Steel and Zinc. Sometime they have nothing since others go there, too. Their price is good at $5.00 per 5 gallon bucket full!

My other sources charge much more, but they have a steady, reliable supply. About the same Lead %, maybe a bit more trash.

DC-1

[GlocksareGood]

NP. I was sorting WWs in the mean time LOL... Yeah you can't beat that price for sure. I never have really tried to hit all the local tire shops and try to secure a cheaper supply. I am just happy to have a regular supply and we both benifit from it so there should be no reason for them to stop.

Glocksaregood:

Sorry, I have been away.

I have a source that provides them erratically. But I sometimes get 3 full bucket with about 80 % Lead the rest is junk, Steel and Zinc. Sometime they have nothing since others go there, too. Their price is good at $5.00 per 5 gallon bucket full!

My other sources charge much more, but they have a steady, reliable supply. About the same Lead %, maybe a bit more trash.

DC-1

[Bigslug]

"Mr. Owl. . .how many licks does it take to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsiepop?"

My standard mode of transport is a bucket that is sold with 40 pounds of kitty litter in it. About 1/3 to 1/2 full of lead is about all I care to deal with without mechanical help - probably about 60-80 pounds.

Several nice things about filling them halfway though:

1. You can lift and pour them out without too much grief.

2. You can nest the buckets inside each other.

3. So nested, they're pretty stable on a wheeled hand cart.

[dRok]

Ive had buckets weigh 170lbs, gotta be careful cuz Ive had handles rip out when they are over 140 though...

[dRok]

They dont drop on my toes cuz I carry them between my legs and do a shuffle walk, I have had them dump all over the floor tho which sucks, good to have a flat edged shovel along in case that happens.