Looking for bucket reinforcement advice for grapple

[golfgooroo]

All of this talk about these "Thumbs" has pushed me and a buddy from work to both buy one of these units. The uses for me would be endless. I plan to do a minimum of adding the 1/4" angle the length of the bucket to beef it up. Boyz and their toyz!

 

[m7040]

Yes you need to weld on an angel 3 by 3 1/4 inch thickness will do it. That is how I mounted my grapple (Tumb) and then welded the 1 inch base plate to the angel

 

[m7040]

This mhttp://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/kubota-owning-operating/66921d1167415923-pics-my-grapple-img_0088-small-.jpgay not be the best picture but if you look carefully you can see the angel reinforcement hope this helps

 

[TRUST]

Thanks to all for the replies!

I was able to acquire a piece of angle tonight from my oxy-acetylene class. I got a piece of 3"x3"x 1/4"that is 49.5" long. I held it up to my bucket and it will reach the side plates of the bucket. I will have to cut it off by about a 1/2". Hopefully this weekend I can spend a little time fitting it up. As many have suggested I will probably run it full length and tie it to the sides. I was thinking that putting it on the top of the bucket lip would "look" better than putting it under the lip. Also, if I put it under the lip then I will have to fill in with 1/8" material under the mounting plate for the grapple as its wider than the top of the bucket. Either way I will tie it down along the back side of the bucket as well.

I'm curious why many of the welds, including factory ones, are spot welded instead of full length beads along all joints. I'm assuming that it just not necessary, but I think it does not look as pleasing.

 

[rbento]

Well here are some bad welds, I bought a mig welder a couple of weeks ago and am learning (I hope) I'll need to grind a little more and then heavy paint so the guys don't laugh at me.

Anyway, I got a Tatro grapple and it was too large for my bucket (B21 Kubota) I knew it ahead of time. I made a spacer out of 3 x 3 sq tube and then used two 1/4" plates to reinforce it. I tried angle first in the back but the material was 90 deg and the bucket was something else. I like this so far it seems strong.

Now on to the hydraulics...I have no clue. I will be asking questions in the Hydraulics forum

 

[3RRL]

I used a 3 x 3 tube (1/4" wall) all the way across the top lip of my bucket. I welded the tube on and tied in the side plates.
I mounted (2) Tatro Grapples on it.

 

[TRUST]

Just a little FYI, I weighed all the components that will go into mounting this grapple and it comes in at 108lbs. That is the grapple (just as it comes outta the box), the angle for reinforcement and the hardware to bolt it down. That does not consider the welding material that will be used or the hydraulic hoses and fittings necessary to operate it.

 

[ray66v]

I'm curious why many of the welds, including factory ones, are spot welded instead of full length beads along all joints. I'm assuming that it just not necessary, but I think it does not look as pleasing.

In a case like this, if you don't weld it full length, it may be strong enough, but you create a "corrosion hot spot" due to the bare metal areas between the two pieces. No matter what you do, eventually rust will come out of this area, because capillary action will draw and hold water in there.

If your tractor is stored indoors and not used during the foul weather it may not be an issue for a long time.

If you don't weld it full length, clean the remaining areas and chalk them with an auto body seam sealer, before you paint it. This will give a reasonable amount of protection, but is not a replacement for full length welds.

There are also coatings made to be used as a "primer", before you weld it, that help. I don't like them, they can interfere with the welds. This mount of heat, in such a narrow area, will likely burn most of it off anyway. However, some guys swear by them.

 

[TRUST]

Here is the "almost" finished product, I will paint it up to match. I will need to have the hydraulic hoses made also. In all I'm pleased with the outcome. The tow hook on the center back side is like that because with the grapple installed a top mount is not possible. However when the grapple is on, a chain or strap will still pass under the piston, so I can still use it.

 

[TRUST]

Here's more.