How best to adapt skid steer grapple to KL120?

[IslandTractor]

I have just purchased (but not yet taken delivery of) a Millonzi 48” light duty root grapple with a standard skid steer mounting. The manufacturer has given me the choice of either having a Kioti mount attached to the grapple in place of the quick attach or to fabricate a quick attach adapter for my KL120. I’m trying to decide which would be the best way to go.

It would be a little over a hundred bucks extra to get the adapter over just modifying the grapple to fit the Kioti mount. However, the adapter would allow me to use other light skid steer attachments and the unmodified grapple would seem to me to be easier to resell in the future if I find I no longer have need for a dedicated grapple.

The weight of the grapple is 285lbs and they think an adapter would add another 80lbs or so. As the KL120 has lifting capacity of 1070lbs at the pivot pins the grapple weight doesn’t seem like it will cut into capacity too much. I figure the original bucket weighs 200lbs so the grapple set up even with an adapter plate would not weigh much more than the original bucket plus an add on Thumb type grapple or an Add A Grapple attachment. I am planning to use it to lift and move lots of brush and small trees so I kinda doubt I could grapple a big enough load to come anywhere near the lift capacity anyways.

As you can see I am leaning towards the quick attach adapter rather than having the grapple mount itself modified. Any opinions?

 

[Highbeam]

I would leave the grapple with QA and get an adapter to pin onto the loader to that you could use other QA implements like forks or something else from a rental yard. You could still switch to the Kioti pin on bucket, you would just leave the QA adapter mounted to the grapple. You'll have hydraulics out front for the grapple so snow implements, post hole diggers, brooms, tree sheers, whatever other crazy skid steer attachments they make you could use.

How much does something like that run you?

 

[MotorSeven]

IT,

I'd have to go the adapter route......then the possibilities are endle.......uhoh...this may cost you a fortune in the long run:
QA pallet forks
QA large capacity bucket
QA man lift
QAQAQA......etc..... /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

RD

 

[sodamo]

I'd vote for the QA mod to your FEL. I have it and love it, so easy to change over to pallet forks and I even made a QA hitch to mount boom pole on FEL - really useful.

David

 

[IslandTractor]

Sounds like you guys are agreeing with me that the adapter route would be best. I plan to talk to the manufacturer on Monday to confirm details.

I do like the side benefit of being able to rent rather than buy implements I don't need regularly. I honestly haven't looked into the skid steer attachment rental market but I assume it's there.

Highbeam, I don't yet know the total cost because I don't have a firm price for the adapter yet. I got the grapple on ebay for what I thought was a very good price, $575 plus $135 shipping. It was the companies first ebay auction so there were not that many bidders and I think I got lucky. (Glad I wasn't competing against hords of grapple crazed TBNers /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif) The regular retail price is $695 which is still a great deal compared to other grapples on the market. I expect the adapter plate to be around $300. They would charge about half of that to just modify the bucket for the KL120 pins.

The cost is not that much more than an Add A Grapple and much less than any other full grapple or even ATI's 4688 add on. I couldn't use the less expensive front bucket lip grapple attachments because I have a chain hook welded in the middle of my bucket's top edge. The Millonzi is made in Ohio and is clearly sold as a light duty grapple which is obvious given the 285lb weight. That is all I need for collecting and moving brush piles. With a compact tractor loader, even a mighty KL120, you don't want 600lbs of grapple chewing into your lift capacity. I figure I'll be able to lift at least 600-700 pounds of brush/logs which is more than I am likely to fit into the grapple in one bite.

I have carried on some email correspondence with one of their employees. They are mostly in the skid steer market but seemed interested in exploring the compact tractor market too. They will make the adapter for the Kioti KL120/130 regardless of whether I choose to go that route so they seem serious about the CUT market. I told them to check out TBN and to consider advertizing here. PM me if you want contact info for Joe, the guy handling the ebay listings.

I still need to get a valve diverter kit (leaning strongly toward WRLong's little red button diverter kit at the moment) so it will be a few weeks or a month before I am operational. I'll post about my experience when I have moved a few of the huge piles I've accummulated over the past couple of years and attacked a few wayward blueberry bushes.

 

[KiotiJohn]

I agree, if you can get them to build a QA plate for the KL120, go for it. I bought clamp-on bucket forks for mine, and I would much rather have had a plate to attach better forks.
If they can build it for $300, that's a very good price. I think the available after-market QA for the KL130 is over $500.
Make sure you can know what the QA will do to your rollback angle if any. The KL120 has a good rollback on it, but the QA will change it to some degree. I'm not sure how much.
John

 

[KiotiDave]

(leaning strongly toward WRLong's little red button diverter kit at the moment)

Hi,

I would say if you can get a light weight adapter, that is the way to go. If you would like to save money, I noticed that you have a backhoe. If you run the hoe off a set of double acting valves, you can run the grapple off the same valve with lines long enough to reach the back of the tractor.
I have set up other equipment to run this way and it works very well for a lot less money.
Just a thought, good luck.
KiotiDave

 

[IslandTractor]

<font color="blue"> If you run the hoe off a set of double acting valves, you can run the grapple off the same valve </font>

I run my BH off the power beyond valve. I didn't think that could be used to run a grapple. If it can I presume that means I would use the A position to open and the B position to close (or vice versa)? Is that how it would work? If that is so, it will be nice to consider initially at least as I would love to just get the thing up and running. What would happen to the grapple with the valve in the neutral position?

Having the long hydraulic lines would be a bit funky but that might be OK if it got me started earlier. I was planning on spending the next nice weekend working on the diverter valve, if I could spend it playing with the grapple instead that would be nice.

 

[IslandTractor]

<font color="blue"> Make sure you can know what the QA will do to your rollback angle if any. </font>

I'll check. Not sure it makes that much difference with a grapple however. I'd be more concerned about my ability to put the open grapple in the "dump" position to pick things up. Not much reason to roll back the full grapple as the grapple itself will hold the load in place.

Am I misunderstanding what you meant by roll back angle?

 

[Highbeam]

"I couldn't use the less expensive front bucket lip grapple attachments because I have a chain hook welded in the middle of my bucket's top edge."

I read this somewhere else too. That bucket hook is a grinder and 2 minutes away from disappearing. A new one could always be mounted atop a bolted on grapple frame. I like metal working way more than wood working because nothing is permanent.

The remote valve as I understand works like a function on your loader so you A for open B for close and in the middle it holds. The hoses can be run along and under the tractor tied off to all the little brackets and such as needed. Another set of QDs by the loader QDS, and then the final QDs at the grapple on the loader. Hose is cheap but if you use a remote for the grapple function then it means you have to take your hand off the loader stick.

You say this thing is light duty but if it is made for SS loaders then I would think it is pretty stout. Those buggers run 70-100+ HP and have some serious loader ability.