Grapple Best Sized Grapple?

[Industrial Toys]

Interesting. So if a proper powder coating is damaged, can moisture get in there and start rust, which will then migrate under good, properly applied coating?

I know, I had my Lady Friends rusted winter rims blasted last year, then painted with enamel, and within months, they were rusted and looked terrible. Did my rusted Sierra hitch three times already! The common demoninator is SALT!

 

[Motorboatin]

Interesting. So if a proper powder coating is damaged, can moisture get in there and start rust, which will then migrate under good, properly applied coating?

I know, I had my Lady Friends rusted winter rims blasted last year, then painted with enamel, and within months, they were rusted and looked terrible. Did my rusted Sierra hitch three times already! The common demoninator is SALT!

The steel will rust at the scratch...nothing can help that...but the water will not get under the coating. As the part continues to rust the metal will scratch will continue to widen but you should not see powder failure until several hundred hours of constant exposure

Here are some steel parts that we tested. You can see how long they were in the salt spray chamber at the top left. Automotive standards are typically 300 hours of exposure. The company we did these for has a 500 hour standard but we ran them until the powder failed. We test aluminum up to 5000 hours

 

[Industrial Toys]

Thanks for the good information. BUT, it's not very comforting. A piece of equipment sitting outside gets almost 9000 hours of exposure in just ONE year!

I wish that companies who makes claims about how great their products are would actually stand behind them.

 

[Motorboatin]

300 hours in a test booth isn't comparable to 300 hours of typical exposure

I have heard that 100 hrs is equal to one year of actual exposure and that seem about right

 

[Industrial Toys]

That's weird. Like about four days.

 

[jjp8182]

I have a 68hp LS tractor that came with a 78" Bucket. I am shopping for a Grapple for it and leaning towards a rock grapple with teeth. I am wondering if I could go 60" or 66" without any problems? I am thinking the narrower beam would give me more maneuverability in the bush. And maybe I'd remove those partially/mostly embedded rocks with less strain on the machine? Thought???

For large rocks I'd personally go with the smallest grapple needed to grab the largest rock my tractor could safely/reasonably lift -- in fact if the work only involved dealing with large rocks (or timbers) a fork grapple or a timber/log grapple (the type with short forks similar to this: GR4 Forestry Grapple for Moving, Loading, Hauling Logs & More! GR4 Forestry Grapple has a maximum grapple opening of 4" ) might even be a consideration.

...actually thinking about it a bit more about the only reason for a wider grapple is to clear large areas or to reduce/remove potential of the front wheels (and possible the back wheels) from running over debris that could cause tire damage. The latter of which is why I went with a 66" EA root grapple for use on my L3560.

 

[Tshot]

Bought a 66" Rock Grapple from MTL Attachments. I Should be able to pick it up on Saturday in Buffalo. Will be anxious to hook it up. It will be the first use of my 3rd function controls.

 

[TractorGuy]

I have a 60" MTL RK5 rock/root grapple. It's not the X series but looks like it would hold up under a 60 hp tractor. It's a little on the heavy side for my 30 hp tractor.

They advertise it as powder coated but the finish wears off readily when used in the dirt. (You know, the stuff you find roots in)

Hate to hijack a thread but if they really do powder coat what are the issues with mig welding?

I have considered buying their 50 single lid unit and welding expanded metal in the spaces to retain small roots and sift dirt.

 

[Tshot]

Hey JD855guy, how have you found the quality of the build? Has it been a good tool for you?

 

[TractorGuy]

Hey JD855guy, how have you found the quality of the build? Has it been a good tool for you?

I haven't used it long. Build seems sturdy but the finish comes off easily. No grease fittings on the cylinder pivots. Some gaps and slop on the JD quick connect. I don't like that the tine points don't extend out to the bottom points when closed. Should work great for logs and brush but small stuff falls out. I imagine that would be worse with the wider version unless they made the clamps wider.