Loader LS3010 Hyd 4 in one bucket?
- Thread starter lbrockwa
- Start date
LittleBlueTractor
Gold Member
(Reviving this thread mostly just to post an "operational" grapple pic.)
Rocknrod,
Re-usable hose fittings are matched to a specific hose, so you'll probably want to buy both items from the same source. My advice is to get more hose than you think you're going to need. I was glad I did when I screwed up (mentioned earlier in this thread.) Just removed the fittings and used them on new lengths of hose. With spare hose laying around you'll always be ready to replace a hose or modify your design. It's nice to have a few spare fittings around too.
So my diverter install project was finally finished a few weeks ago and it operates perfectly. I've got some detailed project pics to post, but I'm wondering if I need few more. Guess I'll do it up in the hydraulics forum when I get around to it. Meanwhile, here's what my little S3010 looks like with the grapple attached.
rocknrod
Gold Member
LittleBlueTractor
Gold Member
???
Confusion huh..., does that mean you would rather I just post whatever I have here and now? I guess I could do that. I think the only new pics I have is of the goofy looped hoses from the diverter to the original steel line for the curl/dump circuit and close ups showing how the diverter is mounted to the loader plus what the activator knob w/button looks like installed.
OK, I have guests in town this weekend, so I'll do it later on in the week.
I think he's confused because the picture isn't showing up. At least not for me.
LittleBlueTractor
Gold Member
Hey, you're right -- I swear it showed up on the posting I did the first time. I must have messed something up when I edited it after the fact. OK, I repost that pic tonight with the the other shots. Sorry!
LittleBlueTractor
Gold Member
Didn't get a chance to gather up the other pics last night, but here's the grapple pic I tried to post the first time.
Attachments
LittleBlueTractor
Gold Member
I got it at a auction for about $600 or so after fees. Wrote about it on TBN here:
stuff bought at auction
That's not a fan, though it does look like one in the pic:
LED work light
I got it from those guys for about $50 shipped about a year ago. It's a great light (very bright, but very low voltage). It vibrated off soon after I installed it while hogging. I stopped and got off the tractor to pick it up. I found it totally embedded in the hard dry clay after running over it with the rear tire. Dug it out, cleaned it off, and tested it. It was fine so I did a better job of remounting it. Still works great, but I'm not sure I'd pay the $250 they want for it now.
LittleBlueTractor
Gold Member
Earlier in this thread I said I would eventually post everything about this project in the "Hydraulics" forum with a parts list, etc.... That never happened, but I did take a few more pics so I'll just add them here in case some think they might want to go down this same road.
Note: This project was neither cheap (probably a little over $500) nor easy (for me at least.) Many people have pointed out to me that the quick, easy, and inexpensive way to plumb a grapple is to just run long hoses from the rear remote to the front of the tractor and use it. I totally agree, especially if your rear remote control handle is anywhere near your FEL control handle.
For me there were 3 main advantages to my solution:
1) You can use the rear remote for something else -- really important if you only have one;
2) Removing the FEL is exactly the same as before with the addition of unplugging the electrical connector form the diverter;
3) It's nice to have full control with the 6 functions on one lever which makes detailed adjustments easy.
My homemade hoses from the diverter to the original curl/dump steel lines were too short (see pics earlier in this thread), so I had to make them more flexible by creating loops.
I attached the diverter to the loader frame here with bolts. They do not interfere with the loader arm.
Here's the NOS shift knob I found on Amazon to divert the flow to the grapple circuit and some of the wiring detail. The cover is actually pretty nice. I used heat shrink tube on the shaft to protect the wiring to the button.
Finally, my homemade stainless steel bulkhead and my 48" WildKat grapple.
It was a lot of work, but I'm really happy with how things worked out. The hardest part of the project was getting all the right fittings together. The illustrated pics in some of the earlier posts above should help other DIYers avoid some of that.
Note: This project was neither cheap (probably a little over $500) nor easy (for me at least.) Many people have pointed out to me that the quick, easy, and inexpensive way to plumb a grapple is to just run long hoses from the rear remote to the front of the tractor and use it. I totally agree, especially if your rear remote control handle is anywhere near your FEL control handle.
For me there were 3 main advantages to my solution:
1) You can use the rear remote for something else -- really important if you only have one;
2) Removing the FEL is exactly the same as before with the addition of unplugging the electrical connector form the diverter;
3) It's nice to have full control with the 6 functions on one lever which makes detailed adjustments easy.
My homemade hoses from the diverter to the original curl/dump steel lines were too short (see pics earlier in this thread), so I had to make them more flexible by creating loops.
I attached the diverter to the loader frame here with bolts. They do not interfere with the loader arm.
Here's the NOS shift knob I found on Amazon to divert the flow to the grapple circuit and some of the wiring detail. The cover is actually pretty nice. I used heat shrink tube on the shaft to protect the wiring to the button.
Finally, my homemade stainless steel bulkhead and my 48" WildKat grapple.
It was a lot of work, but I'm really happy with how things worked out. The hardest part of the project was getting all the right fittings together. The illustrated pics in some of the earlier posts above should help other DIYers avoid some of that.