Pictures of My New Grapple, with video link..........

   / Pictures of My New Grapple, with video link.......... #1  

Jeff Quinn

Bronze Member
Joined
Aug 28, 2010
Messages
50
Location
Tennessee
Tractor
Kioti DK55c
Grapple1.jpg


Grapple3.jpg


Link to video of it on my Kioti DK55c:
YouTube - Jeff Quinn - Gator Attachments Front-End Grapple

Jeff
 
   / Pictures of My New Grapple, with video link..........
  • Thread Starter
#2  
It is a 48 inch light duty from Gator Attachments. I really like the wide opening, and find the 48 inch width to be ideal.

Grapple2.jpg
 
   / Pictures of My New Grapple, with video link.......... #3  
Sweeeet! I wish we had one. Lookin' good.
 
   / Pictures of My New Grapple, with video link.......... #4  
Your bones muscles are going to thank you in years to come..nice..very nice setup. :)
 
   / Pictures of My New Grapple, with video link.......... #5  
Jeff, great looking tractor and grapple. I'm guessing you are using the rear remotes to control the grapple?
 
   / Pictures of My New Grapple, with video link.......... #6  
Love IT! Have a good time! It does look great I have to admit! :thumbsup:

Julie
 
   / Pictures of My New Grapple, with video link..........
  • Thread Starter
#7  
Jeff, great looking tractor and grapple. I'm guessing you are using the rear remotes to control the grapple?

That is correct. I had thought to use the rear remotes until I could get the toggle switch setup attached to the joystick, but after using it, I prefer to operate the grapple just as it is now, with the lever for the rear remote.

Now, if Gator would build an affordable tree shear, I would be eternally happy! The ones that i have found are a lot more shear, and a lot more money, than I need. I want a shear for pruning limbs and cutting small trees no larger than four inches at the base.
 
   / Pictures of My New Grapple, with video link.......... #8  
Hello Jeff,
Can you elaborate on how you are running the grapple off of the rear remotes?
Is it just the top cylinder to the RR?
Do you 90 degree off of the RR?
Did you route through the tractor and secure a hydraulic hose up to the grapple?
Do you have a quick connect up by the grapple for ease of disconnecting and returning to the FEL bucket?
How are you dealing with the extra flex in the hoses for the up/down motion of the FEL?
I'm trying to figure out the routing process from the RR to the grapple attachment as I may too use that method as I will soon add a second set of RR to complete my TNT and at $five and a quarter$ per set, I would like to utilize the two additional RR (temporarily detach the tilt) for a bolt on bucket thumb.
Perhaps some installation or routing photos of the plumbing if you have them?
Good job!
 
   / Pictures of My New Grapple, with video link.......... #9  
I got the same grapple rake last spring for my Kioti DK45SC. I have L couplers at the rear, straight couplers at the front of the cab (where the FEL disconnects) and flat-face couplers on the FEL arm near the last joint. The grapple comes with a fairly long set of hoses, so there is enough give to handle the range of motion of the FEL arms and grapple...but be sure to run it through the range before starting to use it!
I ran the hoses under the cab through the rear wheel well on the right side and zip tied them in place all along the way (wherever I could find something to tie onto. Having all those hoses made up was really expensive...mostly because the hydraulic couplers were very costly.

If I were going to change anything about the grapple, I think it would be to have (maybe a bolt-on) tooth/gripper/spur that would fill in the gap between the two big grapple teeth so I could more easily chomp onto a branch or log sticking straight out in front of me (as I often want to do for dragging/positioning cut trees).

It worked very well for me this past summer, and I consider it to have been a real bargain from the Gator folks compared to some of the competing products.


BOB
 
   / Pictures of My New Grapple, with video link..........
  • Thread Starter
#10  
I have four hydraulic hose remotes at the rear of the cab, and used the right two remotes. I used a 90 degree at that point, running the hoses (seventeen feet long each) under the cab, along the loader frame, attaching with zip ties. At the front, I removed the skid-steer hookups provided by Gator, and used Pioneer disconnects, one male and one female.
 
 
 
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