FEL Grapple from Scratch W/ Lots-O-Pics

[JohnBarlow]

I too am interested in the clamping/welding issues. Looking at the "front" mount for the hydraulic cylinder, the supports are welded onto two sides of a box-section - surely you got some heat-related bending of this, even if small ?

I have been trying to weld short sections of the total joint to reduce bending, but my welds never look as nice as when it is a continuous bead. And clamped the steel box section still has some "spring" in it, such that when the clamps come off it is (slightly) bent.

I am also interested in the support backing bar on the bucket - it stops short of going all the way to the main "braces" that connect to the arms of the tractor - would it have been stronger taking the load to the main brace, not leaving the stress-riser at the corner of the thicker plate welded to the thinner bucket plate ?

Great job, I should force myself to get some spare time to make one!

John Barlow

 

[GuglioLS]

I too am interested in the clamping/welding issues. Looking at the "front" mount for the hydraulic cylinder, the supports are welded onto two sides of a box-section - surely you got some heat-related bending of this, even if small ?

John,
I just went out & took some measurements just for you !

Below are two pictures, the one on the left is the inside width of that front cylinder bracket you mentioned, the one on the right is the inside width at the top of the bracket. As the caliper shows 2.7005" on bottom & 2.7000" on top, so yes, I got .0005" of warp, or I was not perfectly square when I clamped it prior to welding, OR the paint is a little thicker at the bottom due to "sagging"

I am also interested in the support backing bar on the bucket - it stops short of going all the way to the main "braces" that connect to the arms of the tractor - would it have been stronger taking the load to the main brace, not leaving the stress-riser at the corner of the thicker plate welded to the thinner bucket plate ?

Yes it would have been stronger and allot heavier too. Rob & I opted to go the light weight route so as to not diminish the lift capacity by all that much. The whole assembly (everything, pins, cylinder, jaws, brackets, plates, etc) weighs ~ 125 pounds. There is a 32" long X 4" wide X 1/2" thick reinforcement plate welded to the back of the bucket as well. The front top edge of the bucket is rolled over & welded so it's plenty stiff.

Great job, I should force myself to get some spare time to make one!

John Barlow

Thanks for the compliment. Yes you should make the time - a grapple is handy indeed.

Thanks for your questions and comments.

Larry

 

[hill]

VERY Nice job and report!!!

BUT: I ought to hate you guys. Here I was just about ready to begin building a grapple for my new Kubota. I bought some steel, I have a Millermatic 210, a 60 amp plasma cutter, a Bridgeport mill, a South Bend lathe. Plenty of clamps, lots of precision measuring tools -I'm pretty well equipped for such a simple thingy, I thought.

And along comes the results of that plasma table directed off an CAD program, and step motored in every direction to easily cut perfect shapes out of plate steel with no work or stress at all. Easy as pie and as nice as you please, thank you very much.......... I'm a SICK man!!.

Went to the website of "the Thumb" and bought a grapple of that name quick as you like and disgusted with myself. Money I've got,
I'll never spend it all. But how can I take any pride in my grapple?.

With my tools and meager skills using them developed over some 30+ years in and out of trades and managerial positions I couldn't make such a nice job of it as yours is on my best day.

Maybe I'll wish that your grapple will grapple YOU!!

 

[3RRL]

Don't feel Hill, I've been hated by better people than you.
Hahaha, just kidding.
There's nothing wrong with buying a grapple like you did. I bought mine before I designed Larry's after seeing what I'd LIKE mine to do.
lol ... I would rather have money like you than skills or friends...they're over rated!

 

[GuglioLS]

VERY Nice job and report!!!

BUT: I ought to hate you guys. Here I was just about ready to begin building a grapple for my new Kubota. I bought some steel, I have a Millermatic 210, a 60 amp plasma cutter, a Bridgeport mill, a South Bend lathe. Plenty of clamps, lots of precision measuring tools -I'm pretty well equipped for such a simple thingy, I thought.

And along comes the results of that plasma table directed off an CAD program, and step motored in every direction to easily cut perfect shapes out of plate steel with no work or stress at all. Easy as pie and as nice as you please, thank you very much.......... I'm a SICK man!!.

Went to the website of "the Thumb" and bought a grapple of that name quick as you like and disgusted with myself. Money I've got,
I'll never spend it all. But how can I take any pride in my grapple?.

With my tools and meager skills using them developed over some 30+ years in and out of trades and managerial positions I couldn't make such a nice job of it as yours is on my best day.

Maybe I'll wish that your grapple will grapple YOU!!

But how can I take any pride in my grapple?.

Sorry to have ruined your day
OK then, just drill some holes in it and paint it to look at least as good or better than this -

The perfect blend of man and machine -



Don't you just love to hate those pictures? They really accentuate the shear beauty of the most perfect grapple design and fabrication ever (IMHO) (thanks Rob)

Hill - now that you have all those tools to make anythingy you desire, then passed on the perfect opportunity to one up us, what are you going to use them for?



Larry

 

[toy]

Don't feel Hill, I've been hated by better people than you.
Hahaha, just kidding.
There's nothing wrong with buying a grapple like you did. I bought mine before I designed Larry's after seeing what I'd LIKE mine to do.
lol ... I would rather have money like you than skills or friends...they're over rated!

I also have another problem with the grapple project, In the picture there wasn't enough of the mill drill lathe combo so we could know what kind of machine you have guess I'll just have to guess. Congratulations on another fine project, thanks for sharing with us and it is always good to see the different tools and what they are capable of.

 

[hill]

But how can I take any pride in my grapple?.

Sorry to have ruined your day
OK then, just drill some holes in it and paint it to look at least as good or better than this -

Hill - now that you have all those tools to make anythingy you desire, then passed on the perfect opportunity to one up us, what are you going to use them for?

Larry

Use them for? I don't know, maybe I'll take them to the dump.

But if I decide to use any of them to drill holes as you suggest I know that the placement of them will be done with an artistic sense of esthetics that I won't say is more highly developed than yours is, because to say so might be taken as insulting, but will say is decidedly different than yours.


Hmmm, I have quantumview notices of delivery of 'the thumb' already, telling me that delivery may be expected on Aug. 31. Pretty good service I'd say, and it means that I'll be able to complete the job ALMOST as quickly as you did yours.

 

[Ductape]

Hill...... let me know ahead of time what day you are headed to the dump.

 

[Ronbo]

You had 4 jaws cut but it loks like you only used 2 for your grapple. Are you gong to send the extra jaws to me?

Ron

 

[GuglioLS]

You had 4 jaws cut but it loks like you only used 2 for your grapple. Are you gong to send the extra jaws to me?

Ron

Ron,
Nice try -
I was wondering when someone would notice that little detail of the "extra" jaws & brackets. I had them made up for a friend and fellow member. He lives about an hour from Rob. He just flew to Texas, bought a motor home, then stopped by my place in New Mexico to pick them up on his drive back to California. So sorry, they are already spoken for. You do get extra points for being very observant.

Larry