What is AR 400 Steel?

[EddieWalker]

I'm doing allot of research into grapples and what will work best for me. There are quite a few attachment on ebay, but they all seem kind of small for me. My current plan is to add a grapple to the front bucket on my full sized, commercial New Holland 555E.

I have 4,000 pounds of lift, so weight isn't a huge issue, but strength is. Too small of a grapple, and I will tear it apart.

72" Backhoe Grapple and Hydraulic Kit Set looks like a very stong, heavy duty grapple. It weights 600 pounds and according to Jeff, it will cost $2,800 plus $200 for shipping to get one for my loader bucket.

This seems extremly high, but I never heard of AR 400 Steel. I've been doing some searches and it seems like all the big excavators have thumbs and grapples made from AR 400 Steel. In fact, it's something they advertise, and are also very proud of. Kind of seems like a big selling point from what I've read.

The only thing worse then spending too much money on something is getting a "deal" and finding out it wont work, doesn't last or breaks right away.

Can somebody tell me what AR 400 Steel is?

Thank you,
Eddie

 

[Bill Barrett]

Abrasive resistant steel
Abrasion Resistant Steel Plate
Good stuff!

 

[Farmwithjunk]

Check out this link


What is AR400 Steel? - Weld Talk Message Boards

 

[rustyanchor]

That was an interesting read on AR400 steel. Darn it, I learned something new, almost made it thru the day without getting smarter.

Mark

 

[Drylander]

Eddy,
I am your neighbor a little ways to the south-east of you. I work for a OEM manufacturer that routinely uses this material in construction of the products I support. AR-400 material is very tough. If you decide to work with this material you will notice right away you can't drill it very well. It is hard. It can take some severe punishment in it's application. When working with this material, you need to be aware of some of the peculiarities when welding it to avoid some problems like hydrogen embrittlement. If prepared incorrectly, it can become brittle. To give you a couple of examples of how AR-400 is used, if you live in Tyler, the truck that picks up your trash is made from AR-400. Also, the drums on the cement trucks in your area is likely to be constructed of AR-200 & AR-400. Often truck frames will use a T-1 overlay to further stiffen the double frame rails. A grapple made from this material would be springy and strong. Good luck in your selection.
John

 

[EddieWalker]

Thank you for the links, they helped allot. Also thaks for your help Drylander. I'm not much of a welder, so working with anything other then mild steel is pretty much beyond my skills. Since I never heard of AR400, I know I'm not up to working with it. LOL

From what I read, it's very good for abbrassive resistance, but I guess I got lost on it's strength.

For a heavy duty grapple on a full sized loader, does anybody think I need to spend the extra money for this type of metal?

What type of steel do they use on skid steer grapples?

Thank you,
Eddie

 

[wushaw]

Eddie, your only lifting trees and brush right?

The guys here that have made their own grapples more than likely only used mild steel.
Get thick plate and gusset it up good.

 

[Egon]

The AR is for abrasive situations. I can see a grapple made from mild steel with the parts subject to abrasion being plated with AR.

 

[Drylander]

Eddy,
I agree with Wushaw, I'll bet you would be fine with mild A-36 Steel material for construction. If you are doing the building, then just plan out your reinforcements for critical areas. If you are purchasing one, then you can compare the differences. For this application and my understanding of your intended use, I doubt if I would pay much of an upcharge for the material.

Please let us know how it works out.

John

 

[EddieWalker]

Thanks. I'm also looking at the same ones that Rob has on his Kama. http://www.tatrosite.com/GRAPPLE_INFO.html

There's a pretty big difference in price too. These are $400 each, plus shipping, hoses and valves.

Thank you,
Eddie