LittleBlueTractor
Gold Member
I do appreciate that using Surplus Supply fittings can significantly drop the cost but i doubt it is as cheap as twenty or thirty bucks for an extra couple lengths of hose.
Diverters clearly work, I have one, but they don't increase speed or accuracy. In fact when I am working quickly with my joystick mounted diverter switch is exactly when I have problems i never experienced with the rear remote setup. As open/close and dump/curl are the exact same joystick motion plus or minus depressing the thumb switch to activate the diverter, I do occasionally get out of sync when working quickly and either not press the diverter switch fast enough, or, I keep my thumb on the switch a little too long. In either case it disrupts work by dumping or opening the grapple inadvertently. Never happens with rear remotes as your hand is removed from the joystick while opening or closing the grapple. Would also be less likely with a true third function switch operated by an always active toggle. Not a huge deal, but something that happens enough to be annoying. There are also electric wires that need to be carefully routed to the joystick (need to protect from brush etc) and the diverter valve needs to be attached somewhere safe. Mine is mounted on top of the FEL arm which is safe enough but butt ugly. Bottom line for me is that the diverter added complexity without providing any significant benefit.
Your opinion about all things grapple carries a lot of weight with me, but I have to disagree with you here. I find the diverter VERY helpful when doing detailed work like snatching a fallen tree or log, uprooting brush, etc.... I often find I need to do very small dump/curl adjustments at the same time as I'm operating the grapple. I agree with you if most of what one does is push into piles of debris and the clamp down on stuff. And yeah, there is always the potential risk of an out-of-sync button operation (and I too have had that happen on many occasions), but it's really not that big of a deal for me. It is true that the lever for my rear remote is NOT in a real convenient spot -- under the seat.