Front-End Loader Danuser Intimdator

[2manyrocks]

can you give the dimensions of this pipe? I asked a friend if he can get this pipe fabricated for me(as I have the necessary chains and hooks). he asked for more pictures, not quite sure why. I had given him the picture from your post. Maybe the dimensions would help him.
I found a scrap piece of thick-wall pvc, cut an opening out of it with a sawzall and will try that.

PVC will shatter into sharp pieces and won't dig into the saplings like a piece of metal pipe. The metal pipe needs to be big enough for the size of chain and chain hooks you will be using.

 

[nancyk]

"PVC will shatter into sharp pieces". If it does, so be it. I could not find what I really wanted. Looking at the pvc contraption, I doubted if it would function as desired.

 

[BnRidge]

I have both, pipe/chain and a tree puller. On steep slopes I can attach the pipe to 30ft of chain to get at and remove invasive brush. It's labor intensive, on and off the tractor, one bush/tree at a time. But we have 1000s of trees and invasive bushes, mostly in and around fences, lot lines, rocks and larger trees. The puller can grab ahold of situations in an effective and productive way. Here, it's earned it's keep.
ck4010
stinger stp34

 

[hornett22]

The advantages of the hydraulic tree puller seem to be that you don't have to get off the tractor, you can push and pull the tree, and then you can more easily move the tree once its uprooted. The $4,500 price tag vs $50 for a chain and pipe seems pretty steep.

Your psi numbers are similar to those stated in a Messick's video on youtube warning about psi spikes when using a grapple. The Messick's video said some grapples come with a check valve to limit pressure, but I've yet to figure out how to incorporate some kind of overpressure protection for the MTL grapple I bought. So it's still sitting on the pallet, unused, and I have yet to install any kind of third function kit, either.

Is there some way of adding overpressure protection when installing a third function kit?

I've been using my MTL grapple for hundreds of hours with ZERO issues. Overusing it many times with a Mahindra 1626.

I think you'll be fine.

 

[2manyrocks]

I'm showing about 80+ hours on my L2501 most using an MTL grapple. No problems so far. I couldn't have done as much work as has been done without the L2501/grapple setup. I was advised on TBN to get the HST transmission, and that was the smartest choice I could have made for my situation involving so much grapple work.

There is still a place for the simple pipe and chain method, however, when it comes to pulling out small saplings.

 

[nancyk]

pipe and chain method- as my pvc pipe will fall apart on its first use, can someone tell me: can the pipe be aluminum, will that hold up? shortest length pipe could be? Thanks.

 

[2manyrocks]

Aluminum is soft metal and will tear after a while. Would be better to find about a foot of regular metal pipe with a diameter sufficiently large for you to pass your chain hook through. A scrap yard should have something that would be cheap or look for a cutoff at a welding or machine shop or maybe a plumber.

 

[nancyk]

got it made. my hayman stopped by this morning and between his sawzall and my grinder, we did it. will try it out in a few days.

 

[Smokeydog]

got it made. my hayman stopped by this morning and between his sawzall and my grinder, we did it. will try it out in a few days.

Simple devise makes short work of pulling the small stuff. Imagine a piece of square tubing would work as well and might be easier to cut a hole for the hook. Not roll away when transporting either.

When I can get my wife to help, we can make a pile pretty fast. She has the choice of tractor or hook up and usually chooses the latter. East Tennessee hills be careful.

 

[4570Man]

Aluminum is soft metal and will tear after a while. Would be better to find about a foot of regular metal pipe with a diameter sufficiently large for you to pass your chain hook through. A scrap yard should have something that would be cheap or look for a cutoff at a welding or machine shop or maybe a plumber.

You can buy short lengths of pipe from hardware stores.

 

[2manyrocks]

I made one up today out of some scrap 2" diameter pipe about 6" long that had quite a bit of internal rust. After pulling a few 2-3" saplings this afternoon, it's already bent, but still functions and doesn't let go. The way metal prices have shot up, might as well buy a few feet of pipe to have on hand because it probably will cost more to buy in the future. Metal pipe prices at the box stores have gone through the roof. That's why I suggested sourcing it elsewhere.

edit: Used it a few more hours this afternoon. IMO, it's significantly faster than trying to double wrap a chain around a sapling and virtually 100% effective. It slipped only once and that was on a sapling that I had already pushed over and was missing half of its trunk at the base.

 

[nancyk]

I tried the pipe and chain and it worked super-well. I am impressed. The pvc and chain held up and also pulled a few trees, tho didn't go great on small trees. Thank you to all for your insights.

 

[2manyrocks]

The pipe does two things.
First it allows a grab hook chain to slip or choke the load when pulled. Tightening around the tree.
Second the pipe end edges bite into the tree for better grip.

Just have to make one loop around the tree and hook into the pipe. Self tightens when pulling. The loop at the bottom goes around the tree.

Simple but highly effective tool for slippery stems or brush bunches like Russian olive, privet or multiflora roses. Can loop it wide and pull tight saves from crawling underneath.

A slip hook works too but doesn’t have the pipe edges to bite and slips off. Spring time the barks gets real loose and slippery.

Often hook up both ends of chain/pipes to different trees and pull out at the same time.

Wife bought me a fancy spring loaded, wicked looking, spiked grabber from Northern tool. This simple frontier tool works better, easier and faster.

I've nearly always either used a slip hook or double wrapped chain to pull small trees and brush until trying the chain/pipe method this weekend.

The chain/hook is not only faster to secure to the sapling because it doesn't require any fiddling to put into proper place, but the pipe edge really digs into the sapling and the chain tightens more securely than any other method I've tried.

IMO, this is one of the most effective, cheapest and quickest tips I've ever come across.

 

[Smokeydog]

I've nearly always either used a slip hook or double wrapped chain to pull small trees and brush until trying the chain/pipe method this weekend.

The chain/hook is not only faster to secure to the sapling because it doesn't require any fiddling to put into proper place, but the pipe edge really digs into the sapling and the chain tightens more securely than any other method I've tried.

IMO, this is one of the most effective, cheapest and quickest tips I've ever come across.

Tip I saw on FarmShow magazine…30 years ago?Great magazine that I’ve enjoyed.

Works on rocks too. Irregular shape hard to choke and easy to slip so having some teeth helps.

 

[jyoutz]

That might work for thinning my pine stands. 800 - 1200 small ( 1" to 6" on the butt ) pines. Every other year now. I use a chain saw for a couple reasons. It's really quick - it leaves the root ball in the ground. I end up dragging these pines to collection piles and then chipping them. I do not want to be running root balls thru my chipper.

With my little Stihl - I average 150 to 175 pines cut out per hour. I've found it works best if I take a half hour break every two hours or so.

There is a product made purposely for this use.

WoodlandPRO FSE Cat Logging Choker (3/8

Wire rope logging chokers from WoodlandPRO. FSE logging chokers are commonly called cat chokers, because they are often used in the logging industry with a

www.baileysonline.com

 

[GeneSimm7]

Use your hoe.

 

[California]

View attachment 749460

The pipe bites and allows the grab hook chains to slip. Grabs slippery and small stems. Also rocks.

I wonder if welding an eye on the outside of the pipe, to attach that hook, would work as well.

That would be simpler to build.

 

[jyoutz]

I wonder if welding an eye on the outside of the pipe, to attach that hook, would work as well.

That would be simpler to build.

Simpler to just buy a log choker cable. They aren’t expensive.

 

[2manyrocks]

Josh, it is more efficient because the pipe nearly always grabs the tree without having to carefully wrap the chain multiple times and then hoping the chain will actually grab. It takes a few minutes to cut the opening in the pipe, but it saves much more time having to get on and off the tractor.

Looping the chain over a wheel still gives you additional leverage in an upward direction.

I have a log choker cable, but like the pipe much better because the lip of the pipe will actually dig into the trunk making it more slip resistant. Pipe is cheap at the scrapyard.

 

[RayIN]

The pipe does two things.
First it allows a grab hook chain to slip or choke the load when pulled. Tightening around the tree.
Second the pipe end edges bite into the tree for better grip.

Just have to make one loop around the tree and hook into the pipe. Self tightens when pulling. The loop at the bottom goes around the tree.

Simple but highly effective tool for slippery stems or brush bunches like Russian olive, privet or multiflora roses. Can loop it wide and pull tight saves from crawling underneath.

A slip hook works too but doesn’t have the pipe edges to bite and slips off. Spring time the barks gets real loose and slippery.

Often hook up both ends of chain/pipes to different trees and pull out at the same time.

Wife bought me a fancy spring loaded, wicked looking, spiked grabber from Northern tool. This simple frontier tool works better, easier and faster.

This works well pulling multifloral rose, and other bushy shrubs.