I keep mine low, just below the hood. I keep my bucket on all the time , never know when you'll need to move a log. I have been know to get a bucket of dirt to help keep the front end on the ground going up a steep hill.
That's what I do with both the JD and the Yanmar. I don't even know how to remove the bucket and have never had reason to take it off. I'm always seeing a sweetgum that needs to be pushed down and I stop often to do that. What's bad is when I am hauling something in the bucket, see a sweetgum, and forget that I have something in the bucket.
I've had to dig things out of the woods, but haven't ruined anything yet.
