OP
Northland
Platinum Member
Timber said:
Timber-thanks for that suggestion. I have read his thread on his grapple/WR Long combo install. I will PM him.
new grapple installation problem
- Thread starter Northland
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Timber-thanks for that suggestion. I have read his thread on his grapple/WR Long combo install. I will PM him.
3RRL
Super Member
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- Oct 20, 2005
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- Tractor
- 55HP 4WD KAMA 554 and 4 x 4 Jinma 284
Northland,
Just saw your thread tonight. If you read my grapple install thread, you saw where I added a square tube to the top of my bucket. Then mounted the grapple base to that.
Shaley is on the right track, IMO.
First, extend the grapple cylinder all the way out and place the grapple assembly so that the tips of the jaws are where you want them. That might be at your bucket teeth or at the bucket lip. Either way, when you get the jaw tips where you want them, you will see what the base needs to look like. If the base sits too far behind the top of the bucket, shim it up with a 2 x 4 or a 1 x 4 until the base of the grapple is above the top of the bucket lip. Note the angle of the base too. That is what your "shim" needs to look like. Make one out of plate steel or tubing and weld it to the top lip of your bucket. Then drill and tap it to mount your grapple base on. With the "shim" the right shape, it should work perfectly with the 6" cylinder.
If the grapple base is too far forward of the top bucket lip, move it back and do the same thing. But I don't think that will be the case. Either way, moving it (the grapple base) up from the top lip and tilting the grapple base will let you put the jaw tips where you want them. You just need to make the shim the correct shape. The correct shape is what the gap between the bucket top lip and the grapple base looks like.
In my case I used a 2-1/2 x 2-1/2 steel tube and it came out pretty good. If I had it to do over again, I would have shimmed up the back of the tube more than the front, that would have been perfect for me. It would have pushed the jaw tips out more towards the bucket lip. But I like it like this anyway and it works fine. You can see one advantage is that it closes pretty deep into my bucket and really holds loose stuff tight.
Anyway, here are 4 pictures of how it turned out, closed and open.
Just saw your thread tonight. If you read my grapple install thread, you saw where I added a square tube to the top of my bucket. Then mounted the grapple base to that.
Shaley is on the right track, IMO.
First, extend the grapple cylinder all the way out and place the grapple assembly so that the tips of the jaws are where you want them. That might be at your bucket teeth or at the bucket lip. Either way, when you get the jaw tips where you want them, you will see what the base needs to look like. If the base sits too far behind the top of the bucket, shim it up with a 2 x 4 or a 1 x 4 until the base of the grapple is above the top of the bucket lip. Note the angle of the base too. That is what your "shim" needs to look like. Make one out of plate steel or tubing and weld it to the top lip of your bucket. Then drill and tap it to mount your grapple base on. With the "shim" the right shape, it should work perfectly with the 6" cylinder.
If the grapple base is too far forward of the top bucket lip, move it back and do the same thing. But I don't think that will be the case. Either way, moving it (the grapple base) up from the top lip and tilting the grapple base will let you put the jaw tips where you want them. You just need to make the shim the correct shape. The correct shape is what the gap between the bucket top lip and the grapple base looks like.
In my case I used a 2-1/2 x 2-1/2 steel tube and it came out pretty good. If I had it to do over again, I would have shimmed up the back of the tube more than the front, that would have been perfect for me. It would have pushed the jaw tips out more towards the bucket lip. But I like it like this anyway and it works fine. You can see one advantage is that it closes pretty deep into my bucket and really holds loose stuff tight.
Anyway, here are 4 pictures of how it turned out, closed and open.
OP
Northland
Platinum Member
3RRL said:
3RRL
Super Member
- Joined
- Oct 20, 2005
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- 6,931
- Tractor
- 55HP 4WD KAMA 554 and 4 x 4 Jinma 284
A tube mount is not necessarily better...
In your case, as I understand it, you don't need to elevate the grapple upwards. It seems the angle iron gives you the correct platform to mount the grapple on and that's most important. In my case, I wanted the elevation up from the bucket to make the grapple go inside it, instead of hitting the bottom or the lip. I needed to raise it up off the bucket lip in order for that to happen. Glad the new location works out for you. Now we need some pictures of it open and closed.
In your case, as I understand it, you don't need to elevate the grapple upwards. It seems the angle iron gives you the correct platform to mount the grapple on and that's most important. In my case, I wanted the elevation up from the bucket to make the grapple go inside it, instead of hitting the bottom or the lip. I needed to raise it up off the bucket lip in order for that to happen. Glad the new location works out for you. Now we need some pictures of it open and closed.
OP
Northland
Platinum Member
3RRL said:
Thanks 3RRL- now I understand why you and others used the tube mount. Luckily a guy who lives one mile down the road from me has a welder so I am going to drive the tractor down there in the next few days and have the angle iron mount welded on.
I will post pictures as soon as I have this baby operational!
Many thanks for all the help...it sure is comforting knowing that the TBN guys are out there ready to help with projects like this.
OP
Northland
Platinum Member
update-I had the piece of 3x3"x31" angle iron welded to my bucket and installed the grapple/electric valve kit.
Everything worked OK (I picked up a few very large maple trees and some large pieces of slate) until I noticed a slight oil leak from one of the quick disconnect hoses. I have to replace the coupling going into the cylinder. It was either defective or it got damaged when the hoses stretched a bit when I curled the bucket all the way forwards.
The sales manager at Carver Equipment recommended not buying the QD plate that WR LONG sells as an option. He suggested that most people use industrial twist ties. That was bad advice as we installed the QD hoses with twist ties and the hoses had way too much movement and rub their couples along the loader tube. Now I have to either order that QD plate from Carver/Long or have something fabricated locally. That and I have to have the hose coupling fixed.
Regardless, the grapple/valve kit works beautifully and was a very worthwhile purchase
I will post pictures as soon as I have the hose repaired and have the new addition painted orange
Everything worked OK (I picked up a few very large maple trees and some large pieces of slate) until I noticed a slight oil leak from one of the quick disconnect hoses. I have to replace the coupling going into the cylinder. It was either defective or it got damaged when the hoses stretched a bit when I curled the bucket all the way forwards.
The sales manager at Carver Equipment recommended not buying the QD plate that WR LONG sells as an option. He suggested that most people use industrial twist ties. That was bad advice as we installed the QD hoses with twist ties and the hoses had way too much movement and rub their couples along the loader tube. Now I have to either order that QD plate from Carver/Long or have something fabricated locally. That and I have to have the hose coupling fixed.
Regardless, the grapple/valve kit works beautifully and was a very worthwhile purchase
I will post pictures as soon as I have the hose repaired and have the new addition painted orange
OP
Northland
Platinum Member
I have attached some pictures of my Tatro grapple with the WR Long electric valve kit and QD hoses on my tractor.
I went to a hydraulic shop on Saturday morning and they suggested the WR Long QD hoses with single-lip fittings were not good enough for the application. They said that I needed to have double-lipped endings on the cylinder end connects. Since one was already broken I had both hoses' fittings replaced with the better double lipped ends-see attached picture.
I also had to find a way to hold the hose couplings in place at the QD hoses meeting point. So, I used a plastic clamp from my bicycle u-lock. I tied it on to the loader tube using plastic tie wraps but it's not a good permanent solution. Also, without a metal coupling bulk head that sits higher off the loader tube I believe the QD hoses won't be long if I curled my bucket al the way forward-see attached pic048.
It's all good-almost!
I went to a hydraulic shop on Saturday morning and they suggested the WR Long QD hoses with single-lip fittings were not good enough for the application. They said that I needed to have double-lipped endings on the cylinder end connects. Since one was already broken I had both hoses' fittings replaced with the better double lipped ends-see attached picture.
I also had to find a way to hold the hose couplings in place at the QD hoses meeting point. So, I used a plastic clamp from my bicycle u-lock. I tied it on to the loader tube using plastic tie wraps but it's not a good permanent solution. Also, without a metal coupling bulk head that sits higher off the loader tube I believe the QD hoses won't be long if I curled my bucket al the way forward-see attached pic048.
It's all good-almost!
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3RRL
Super Member
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- Tractor
- 55HP 4WD KAMA 554 and 4 x 4 Jinma 284
Everything looks great. You did a nice job getting it all plumbed and installed. You'll have a lot of fun now grappling those pesky logs and shrubs that were a pain in the --- before.
Thanks for the pictures.
Thanks for the pictures.
OP
