dstig1
Super Member
- Joined
- Apr 7, 2010
- Messages
- 5,016
- Location
- W Wisc
- Tractor
- Kubota L5240 HSTC, JD X738 Mower, (Kubota L3130 HST - sold)
When working the grapple, my eyes are almost always on the grapple itself, so I'm pretty sure I noticed it right away, although it was buried in brush at the time. The jaw was open and I was running slowly forward with the tines in the ground, uprooting privet scrub next to a large pine stump. I made contact with an underground root of the pine, which has happened before, so I backed up, raised the tines a bit and pushed forward again.
Jay
And that is EXACTLY how it happens with this model! The first time it happened to me, it was far worse as it was 10' in the air, but the unit was very loose on the QA, as I later found out. Once that gap was shimmed out of it, the mode you described was what would happen to me on occasion. It hasn't happened towards the end of my season (before thanksgiving) as I just didn't do that anymore to avoid it. (Not a fix, frankly) I watch for it, and can tell when it comes loose, so I usually just move the loader controls a bit to get access up there and tip it back into place and re-secure. P.I.T.A.
From what I understand now, it is a combination of a quirk in Kubota's QA design and the inadequate QA foot support on the Gator attachment. If Gator has a solid face there, like every other SSQA attachment I have seen, there would be no issue.