Smokeydog
Elite Member
You have the beef for sure.
You going to put plates between the top tines?
You going to put plates between the top tines?
Compact Tractor Grapple Build
- Thread starter fasttruck860
- Start date
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OP
fasttruck860
Bronze Member
That was my next step. Surprisingly these things are sharp and hell on the hands trying to manually operate the lid. I did make a small mistake here since I was using a smaller dowel to hold the hinge point in place after I took out the 1" hinge pin. The tooth alignment left to right shifted slightly and I didn't realize it until later.
Here's the other mistake I mentioned in previous post. The left two upper tines and the right two upper tines are held together with the DOM tubing to create the hinge point. The center being stationary has a section of tube welded between two of the hinge brackets. I drilled and tapped a grease fitting right in the middle because that's what I did for all of them. For that section it puts it right in the middle of the upper cylinder mount and the cylinder. To fix this I ordered a 90 degree zerk fitting. I'm hoping this works because otherwise I'm going to have to drill and tap this in a new location while being welded in place.
Here's the upper cylinder mount with gussets added. I still have a lot of clean up on this part left to complete which will be this weekend. The cylinder brackets are definitely something I could have drawn in CAD and had them cnc cut, but I wasn't exactly sure the best way to mount it. I also wanted to make sure I had enough of an elevation change between the upper and lower mount so the cylinder would have some advantage as it extends. I ended up with 5" of height differential between the two mounting points. The bad part about this design is that I'll have to pull the pins to lube the pivot points.
After testing the clearance of the cylinder multiple times I finally settled on the location of the protection plates. I ended using a 2.5"x6" stroke cylinder.
Not a whole lot left at this point. I'll spend sometime this weekend grinding, sanding, checking for missed welds and then wash the whole thing down with acid to prep for painting. I might add some steel flat stock in the middle to protect from branches that might come through the middle towards the tractor.
Xfaxman
Super Star Member
- Joined
- Feb 8, 2013
- Messages
- 12,864
- Location
- Guthrie, OK
- Tractor
- Toolcat 5610 G - Bobcat V417 - TORO+Loader
Smokeydog
Elite Member
I move lots for brush, trees and roots. Those plates between the tines do lot of the grabbing. Also handy for setting crosstie fence posts.
That big of a weldment is not easy to fabricate. Challenges of design many. Building a one-off takes crazy time and ingenuity. Remarkable the many skills you have.
Grapples stay on the tractors more than any other implements. Been a game changer. I’m sure you will find it super useful.
Is anyone fabricating grapples from AR400? Your selection of material over T1, xx60, xx80 steel?
That big of a weldment is not easy to fabricate. Challenges of design many. Building a one-off takes crazy time and ingenuity. Remarkable the many skills you have.
Grapples stay on the tractors more than any other implements. Been a game changer. I’m sure you will find it super useful.
Is anyone fabricating grapples from AR400? Your selection of material over T1, xx60, xx80 steel?
OP
fasttruck860
Bronze Member
Measures right at 37" tooth to tooth.
You're not the first person to tell me the grapple will always be on my tractor. I'm really looking forward to cleaning up my woods and creating some trails for the kids.
I've seen a few companies use AR400, but also some of the cheaper ones just using A36. I guess A572 Gr50 would have been a good option. I think most shy away from the AR plate because of the welding procedure. I didn't follow the procedure to a T on every weld, but I did use the correct wire, delayed the cool down period, no overly restrained fitments and I also didn't sink a ton of heat into the metal.
suncoast
Silver Member
Nice weld table. I used casters on one I built also. Yours is more stout than mine Good job
OP
fasttruck860
Bronze Member
Thanks, it's simple and was fairly cheap to build plus my shop is small so everything has to be mobile or up against a wall. After moving the grapple around on it I'm going to add some additional bracing to keep the legs steady. I intend on making some holders for my grinders and the little things that keep falling off the top.
Smokeydog
Elite Member
Clever trick using a router to square up plasma cut holes. Used die grinder with burr many times. Have to remember that one.
Smokeydog
Elite Member
Cross tube mounted cylinders are easy to drill and tap for grease fitting but requires two brackets on each end.
Might find a loader pins with end grease fittings that work?
Option of making pins or drilling bracket mounts.
That crimp force geometry and cylinder selection is what the high end grapples manufacturers have figured out better.
Might find a loader pins with end grease fittings that work?
Option of making pins or drilling bracket mounts.
That crimp force geometry and cylinder selection is what the high end grapples manufacturers have figured out better.
OP
fasttruck860
Bronze Member
I think I'm going to drill the pins and put a fitting in the end. This should be serviceable and easy enough to do.