Just to get started, here's some thoughts for a "Beginner's Guide" on owning and using this bucket:

1. If you're planning to buy a PT, seriously consider getting the Light Material (LM) bucket instead of this smaller one that only holds 1/2 as much.  They're made of the same materials so there's really not a significant difference in their strength.  The LM bucket is a little wider, deeper and taller so there MAY be a slightly increased risk of "bowing" the bucket in the center, but that is not significant.  IMO, a LM bucket with an aftermarket tooth-bar (such as one made by Markham) installed is actually stronger,  since it doesn't have the holes drilled in it for all the individual teeth.  Plus, the aftermarket toothbar is much faster to attach or remove, giving you the smooth edge for back-dragging.
   
   
2. For the rock/dirt bucket to be effective in digging packed or "un-loosened" soil it must have teeth or a toothbar.   Otherwise, you'll need to loosen the dirt with the potato digger, minhoe, boxblade rippers, or some other method.  The aftermarket toothbars will dig much better than the PT individual teeth, since they have smaller, sharper teeth.  IMO, the aftermarket toobars are clearly the better choice, though slightly more expensive.
   
   
3. If using the factory's individual teeth, either sharpen them on a bench grinder before installing them (best) or sharpen them with a rotary grinder after installing them.  This will make a quite significant difference in hard-packed soil.  There's no need to grind them to a sharp point on the end, but grind a bevel on the cutting edge all the way around the exposed tooth. 
   
   
4. After attaching the bucket, but before operating it, set the bucket on the ground and adjust it so that the bottom of the bucket is parallel to the ground.  Look at it closely from the driver's seat.  Since there is no level bucket indicator, you need to see and be able to recognize when the bucket is parallel to the ground.  Note that if you have an aftermarket toothbar and simply put both the front and rear of the bucket on the ground, the cutting edge of the bucket will actually be angled up, and not parallel to the ground.
   
   
5. When digging, do not take big, deep bites with the bucket.  The PT doesn't have either enough torque or traction  to drive the bucket deep into the ground..  Instead, slice about 2" to 4" of soil off the ground (with the bucket running parallel to the surface).  Drive forward until you've sliced off a bucket full, and then repeat the process.  If the PT starts spinning, you can often solve this by lowering the bucket (actually you're just reducing the downpressure on it) so that more weight shifts onto the front wheels for traction.  If that doesn't work, raise the bucket even farther to take a thinner slice.  Think "slicing" and not "digging"  -- you'll likely be pleasantly surprised at how well it will work.
   
   
6. Use bucket lift and curl to dig into piles of dirt.  When pushing into a pile of dirt or stone, lower the bucket to the ground as you approach the pile.  As the bucket enters the pile, start raising the bucket slightly until the bucket is approximately 1/2 to 2/3 full.  Then, curl the bucket to fill it completely with the dirt.  Note that the hydraulics for the bucket lift and curl are stronger than the PT's power (torque and traction) to just "bulldoze" into the pile.
   
   
7. Experiment by using different bucket angles and lift/curl combinations -- even use a little reverse treadle!  If you're digging into tall piles of dirt or stone (such as that dumped out of a dumptruck), and the bucket lift doesn't want to lift the bucket out of the pile, try slowly backing away from the pile as you lift and curl the bucket.  Sometimes the bucket is so deep into the pile that you're actually trying to lift more than just one bucketful of material , in addition to the associated greater friction.  This needed force is what is called "breakout force."
   
   
8. For safety, always transport material with the bucket as low to the ground as possible.  A full bucket up high in the air can very quickly cause the PT to tip or come up on two wheels.  This is especially critical  when going across a slope.  If travelling up or down the slope, try to always keep the bucket uphill, even if this means backing down the slope with a full bucket.
   
   
9. Be aware of PT pucker --  articulating  the tractor changes the center of gravity and can cause the PT to lift up on two wheels if theres's a heavy load in the bucket or the bucket is up high in the air.  The first time this happens can be disconcerting, yet all you need to do is straighten up the tractor and the rear wheels will come gently back down.  Get in the habit of only lifting loads up high when the front and rear wheels are straight and not articulated.   Once you get comfortable with the machine, PT pucker will no longer be a concern -- only an indication that you need to turn the steering wheel or perhaps reposition the machine.
   
   
10. Use the bucket to "backblade" and smooth the material after dumping.  If you have the teeth on the bucket (or an aftermarket toothbar) , you must use the rounded rear edge and flat bottom of the bucket while backing up to smooth out the material. If you don't have the teeth (or toothbar) installed, use the front (leading) edge of the bucket to do so.  Reach over the pile with the bucket, angle it down slightly, and put the bucket on the ground.  Apply a little downpressure on the bucket and back the tractor up.  The angled bucket will pull and spread the pile you dumped and smooth it out somewhat.  For final smoothing, put the bucket flat on the ground, apply downpressure and back up.  Experiment with the amount of downpressure you put on the bucket and the angle of the bucket.  You'll quickly get comfortable with using downpressure, picking the front wheels of the PT slightly up in the air to apply its full weight to the task at hand.
    
    
11. Once you've become more experienced with the machine, you'll likely need the teeth less and less.  Unless doing "serious digging" some experienced owners will often leave the teeth off if they have only this bucket, since the PT will backblade much better without the teeth.  If they have the LM bucket also, they'll often switch to it (or the boxblade) to smooth out the material they've transported.
    

OK, folks.  That's my initial "brain-dump" on operating this attachment.  Please offer corrections, clarifications and comment! 

Also, add your own "pointers" on using this bucket in replies to this topic...