The WICKED Root & Debris GRAPPLE!!!!!!!

IslandTractor · Feb 23, 2017

Sysop said:
Here's my stuck pic...

Nice!

Was the loader just not strong enough to "curl" the grapple to lift the front wheels or did the grapple just not have enough solid material to curl against?

Also, you might consider running the grapple hoses through some protective web tubing to keep them from flopping about. I run mine through some of that protective web tube and then have a zip tie in the middle which I bungee loosely back to the FEL torque tube. It just keeps a bit of midline tension on the hoses so they stay in the middle and neither flop to the side nor fall down. If I can find a photo I'll add it below.

Sysop · Feb 23, 2017

On a typical day, my loader will lift the front of the tractor with ease. I had even put some old/spare sections of utility-pole/fence post that were about 6' long across under the grapple to try to have something to push against. I pushed them down as far as the loader would go, even with it curled down all the way to get as much downward-reach as possible. The posts are gone now. I suspect they have a good 24" of muck on top of them. The tractor raised none and I quit pushing when it got to the loader pins. The swamp gets much deeper the farther forward you go. I couldn't find the bottom. That was when I quit and as I curled back, covered in mud, pinched the line. Switched to trying the backhoe, with no more luck than anything else.

The 16k+lbs wrecker had to dig his wheel lift on the back into the ground to winch it out. First try, he was dragging the wrecker instead of the tractor.

IslandTractor · Feb 23, 2017

Sysop said:
On a typical day, my loader will lift the front of the tractor with ease. I had even put some old/spare sections of utility-pole/fence post that were about 6' long across under the grapple to try to have something to push against. I pushed them down as far as the loader would go, even with it curled down all the way to get as much downward-reach as possible. The posts are gone now. I suspect they have a good 24" of muck on top of them. The tractor raised none and I quit pushing when it got to the loader pins. The swamp gets much deeper the farther forward you go. I couldn't find the bottom. That was when I quit and as I curled back, covered in mud, pinched the line. Switched to trying the backhoe, with no more luck than anything else.

The 16k+lbs wrecker had to dig his wheel lift on the back into the ground to winch it out. First try, he was dragging the wrecker instead of the tractor.

You were stuck really good!

Sysop · Feb 23, 2017

IslandTractor said:
You were stuck really good!

That's what the wrecker operator said too, even had that same expression on his face.

EverythingAttachments · Feb 24, 2017

My, My. What a mess, Sysop!
Haha, I admire your adventurous spirit that drove you to get out there and see what she's got right off the bat!

It's kinda like Ted yesterday evening.
We finally got the new grapple plumbed and hooked to the B3350(hoses are too long because we'll be hooking it to the 6060).
We were looking on anxiously as Scott opened and closed the lid for the first time. It was after 5, so Ted told Scott to go on home, climbed on the tractor, backed out, proceeded to drop the tines into the packed gravel lot and plow ahead full throttle!! Front wheels were off the ground and it was like nails on a chalkboard.

Of course, I filmed and posted some of it on our Facebook Page.

After he made a few wide open passes, he started grabbing random objects. The bucket off the L6060, the B3350 bucket, the Bobcat CT122 bucket, THE DUMPSTER and he even headed towards me with the beastly, light Wicked thing!!
Yes, it was a fun evening.

And today, it'll be on a tractor capable of even more destruction; the Kubota L6060.

Travis

The maiden voyage gets TWO THUMBS UP!

N2DFire · Feb 24, 2017

EverythingAttachments said:
Thanks for picking up my slack, Steve!

The video was 100% unplanned. Ted told me he was going out to test the grapple on our BX2670 and I said "Video Time"!
Travis

Hey man, you do a lot. You can't be everywhere. :thumbsup: