Grapple Failure

[IslandTractor]

Pretty sure that is 1/8 tubing.. that is the crux of the failure. But it can be fixed.

And, people should refuse to buy these grapples from companies who cheat to save themselves a paltry $10 while weakening your $1000 grapple investment. They will keep cheating so long as customers are naive to the issue. The design is not the issue. It is a stupid manufacturer decision.

 

[bhh]

Absolutely.

I'm not wonder so much about the design as the material. What wall thickness is the top tube? It really should be 1/4 inch. Some of these companies try to save a few bucks and use 1/8 or something less than 1/4". Bad idea. This is exactly the type of damage that will occur although not usually due to simple grapple opening and closing. Damage occurs when pushing with the open upper jaw or even just using the upper jaw closed to push. No grapple is built to tolerate that sort of leverage and misuse. The upper jaw is simply designed to clamp down on whatever is in the grapple maw. Push with lower jaw.

Yes, I agree. There has been no pushing with the upper jaw. I'm almost 100% sure this damage is due to the force of the cylinder opening the jaw and bottoming out against the "tower" and crossbar before the cylinder stops engage. I'm curious what the company's reaction would be if they saw this thread.

 

[k0ua]

Yes, I agree. There has been no pushing with the upper jaw. I'm almost 100% sure this damage is due to the force of the cylinder opening the jaw and bottoming out against the "tower" and crossbar before the cylinder stops engage. I'm curious what the company's reaction would be if they saw this thread.

Copy/Paste it in an email and let them see it.

 

[IslandTractor]

Copy/Paste it in an email and let them see it.

What company built it and who sold it?

 

[bhh]

What company built it and who sold it?

WILDKAT ATTACHMENTS by Mid-State Equipment Buckets, Grapples, mowers, augers, and more for your Bobcat, John Deere, and others!
The cylinder is Chinese but I believe the grapple itself was manufactured in the U.S.

 

[IslandTractor]

WILDKAT ATTACHMENTS by Mid-State Equipment Buckets, Grapples, mowers, augers, and more for your Bobcat, John Deere, and others!
The cylinder is Chinese but I believe the grapple itself was manufactured in the U.S.

Well, until we hear that they have mended their evil ways, I certainly wouldn't advise anyone to purchase a Wildkat grapple.

This is truly just an F U by the manufacturer. I looked up the difference in price between 1/8" and 1/4" wall square tube a year or two ago when this problem first popped up. The difference in cost to the manufacturer is literally pennies per foot. The original versions of this style grapple were all made with 1/4" wall tube and I never saw reports of failures. Now somebody has figured out how to make a grapple cheaper and worse. Too bad. I think we on TBN need to spread the word aggressively as this was politely pointed out a couple of years ago and there are some manufacturers who either don't care or are not concerned with delivering a quality product.

Wildkat, heal thyself.

 

[7879fordman]

100 % happy with my wildkat grapple its a different design though . I will buy another from them matter a fact I will be buying another . But it will be the design I have and not like yours .

Sent from my iPhone 5 using TractorByNet

 

[Recoveryhill]

I earned a living for a number of years with a machine and welding shop. You name it, we fixed it from trash packers to buckets to booms, and everything in between. This was mostly all commercial grade machinery, used hard by professionals, and it breaks. Now with the category of homeowner machinery and attachments out there and a lot of competition on price, you have the same issue with the threshold for breaking quite a bit lower.

No one wants anything to break, but these tools break. When something breaks that can't be repaired, now that's a bad blow. The savy equipment owner looks at how something broke and beefs it up when he repairs it. That can push the next break up or down the line, but so it goes. Steel is a wonderful material. Get a welder to patch you up and add some beef.

 

[puckgrinder85]

My .02 is like many others said its from closing the jaws on something pushing that cylinder tower backwards. I wouldn't say the weld itself failed but it tore the metal right at the edge of the weld. Thin tubing was stressed in a way tubing really doesn't have a ton of strength, like adding grab hooks on a thin bucket, you need to disperse the load. I too would span some thicker metal down do the bottom cross brace and I'd go up as far as possible without interfering with the cylinders movement. Then off of that piece I'd put a piece perpendicular from the bottom of the broken tube down to the lower cross brace, in essence making a "T" off the add in rear reinforcement. You're going to need to strengthen it from two way, from the back and the front. Just one or the other may not be enough.

 

[bhh]

Well, until we hear that they have mended their evil ways, I certainly wouldn't advise anyone to purchase a Wildkat grapple.

This is truly just an F U by the manufacturer. I looked up the difference in price between 1/8" and 1/4" wall square tube a year or two ago when this problem first popped up. The difference in cost to the manufacturer is literally pennies per foot. The original versions of this style grapple were all made with 1/4" wall tube and I never saw reports of failures. Now somebody has figured out how to make a grapple cheaper and worse. Too bad. I think we on TBN need to spread the word aggressively as this was politely pointed out a couple of years ago and there are some manufacturers who either don't care or are not concerned with delivering a quality product.

Wildkat, heal thyself.

To be fair, I/we don't know for certain it is 1/8" walls. That does appear to be the case but I will attempt to confirm. I will not be at the property where this equipment is this weekend but will try and take a look next week. I'm most likely going to try and get this thing fixed with the help of a neighbor and then start saving for an Everything Attachments Wicked Root Grapple. Having a grapple is awesome and I made the investment to have the third function hydraulics installed so I want to be able to get the most out of it. This thing's been on light-duty brush work for the past year but I'm about to start cleaning up a 2-3 acre section of my property that was logged about 10 years ago to put in some food plots and will be putting it through a lot more than I have so far.

 

[allen in texas]

It failed in normal use. That is not acceptable. JMO

 

[bhh]

I've alerted the company to this thread as they are in the unique position to state exactly what the top tube thickness is and contribute insightful information into exactly what failed and what steps could be taken during repairs to correct any design or manufacturing flaws.

 

[ovrszd]

I'm guessing we'll just hear crickets.

 

[murphy1244]

I'm guessing we'll just hear crickets.

Would you reply? I sooner be stoned.

 

[ovrszd]

Would you reply? I sooner be stoned.

Exactly.

 

[bhh]

I expect you're right, but that is a statement itself. I never expected a full replacement for an out of warranty product but as a business owner myself, I understand that ignoring problems don't solve them and there are usually reasonable solutions to things that are mutually beneficial to all of those involved.

 

[murphy1244]

I expect you're right, but that is a statement itself. I never expected a full replacement for an out of warranty product but as a business owner myself, I understand that ignoring problems don't solve them and there are usually reasonable solutions to things that are mutually beneficial to all of those involved.

Try a Grapple from MIE Hound Dog Brush / Debris Grapples

 

[TomSeller]

The 1/8" tubing on the Wildkat Econo model was documented here on TBN a few years back. I have a heavier Wildkat and it is very robust. When ordering, I asked about the 1/8" tubing Econo model and they said people claim they don't need a heavy grapple and that they are just "going to move shrubs with it". I am not weighing in one way or the other, it is just what they said.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/244801-broke-my-grapple-am-i.html

Personally, I would have built it with 1/4" tubing even if people say they are going to move shrubs. Pushing ( as in the link above) or pulling with the grapple lid is hard on the grapple if you think of the geometry, I try not to do it.

 

[puckgrinder85]

Why would you buy an entirely different grapple when this one can be made to work just fine with a few feet of metal and a little welding? You can give me the old one i'll weld it up.

 

[7879fordman]

Why would you buy an entirely different grapple when this one can be made to work just fine with a few feet of metal and a little welding? You can give me the old one i'll weld it up.

Ya tell me about it . Easy fix to fix it and never need another . Makes no since to me either .
I will pay shipping for this broke wildkat if ya want to throw it away . And I will fix it and use it and never complain .

Sent from my iPhone 5 using TractorByNet