Bearings on a grapple loader

[tree grower]

My fertile imagination is still alive and well. I am interested in building a log loader attached to a forestry trailer, similar to a Hardy, Patu, Anderson, etc.--something that could lift 500 lbs or so. How do I source the bearings for the main post--the vertical post supporting the boom, and which swivels on the pivot post bolted to the trailer frame. If we are looking at 5" - 6" pipe or tubing, these will need to be big bearings. It almost seems to be easier to size the steel to match the bearings than the other way around. Any thoughts??

 

[sizzami]

Mine will lift at least 1500 lbs and my mast is 3.5 inch pipe with a greasable thrust bering set up (I Built it)

 

[tree grower]

Sharp!!

 

[KWentling]

If you'r looking for tapered roller bearings, I'd try to find an industrial machine repair or machine shop type business and see if they have any usable throw aways. Our steel dumpster at work nearly always has bearings like that that have been changed out in regular maintenance that still have some use left in them. We rebuild all kinds of mining and power plant equipment with bearings up to 42 inches inside diameter regularly, and even bigger on occasion. Not that you need a bearing that big, nor would you want to have to buy one! We go through lots of them in the 3 to 8" ID range out of gearboxes. A steel recycler might be another place to check, or they might know who would have used bearings for the taking. For what you are doing, a brass bushing and thrust bearing would probably work OK too.

Kim

 

[Taylortractornut]

I have a friend that builds docks and is a great fabricator. He builta knuckle boom with grapple from a set of tapered wheel bearings off a scraper axle he got from a Terex scraper supply He heds 2 inside a thickwall pipe and used a solid shaft up tp a large sprocket. It could pick up 2000 pound at 20 feet. It worked greattill he sold it and went to a larger Prentice 160 setup. Im building a smaller version to go on the back of my Isuzu Cabover using the axle/final drive from a Massey Ferguson 300 combine with a hydraulic motor on the input shaft to swing it around the larger bullgear.