Grappling fun - A Picture Thread....

[Gordon Gould]

Great pic Gordon! It's nice to see some snow on the ground. How far away is the mill from you? If I had one somewhat nearby I would do the same thing.

I have two close places to sell logs. A sawmill that takes softwood saw logs and pallet grade hardwood 7 miles east and a log yard 7 miles south. So trucking 500 to 700 BF at a time is a reasonable thing for me to do since I have the time.

gg

 

[fitter1]

GG, what is the cost to have the trees milled if you don't mind my asking?

 

[Jim Timber]

I think he's selling the logs to them so they can turn them into lumber for sale.

It's 7 miles to drive around my block. :laughing: Closest mill is 40 miles.

 

[Gordon Gould]

GG, what is the cost to have the trees milled if you don't mind my asking?

Well I am not exactly sure. I sell the logs for $300/MBF ( per1000 BF) or 30 cents a BF. That load in the picture should get me about $180 when my check comes next week. Seems if I go to the mill and buy some rough cut green spruce/fir lumber it costs between 50 and 75 cents a BF. Dry and planed is more. If I was going to have some wood milled for my own use I would hire a guy with a portable band saw mill. He could set up right on the landing. It would be cheaper and save all the trucking. Those guys with the portable mills can do a really good job and are very economical if you want some of your own logs turned into lumber. Their rate is usually by the BF depending on the size of the job.

gg

 

[PSEbowhunter]

Been a while since I've checked this thread. These pics you posted show perfectly how awesome a grapple is to have! Can you just imagine how many trips you would have had to take without that grapple!
Nice pics and tractor setup. Congrats and thanks for posting!
(by the way, is that PVC Pipe for choker chains? That's a good idea, how did you attach it?)

I love having that grapple. It has made moving stuff around so easy.

Yes it's a 4" pvc pipe for holding my chains. I got the idea from this tbn thread http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/showthread.php?t=271963
Mine is attached via an angle iron bracket I made bolted to the loader frame. The upper portion is secured by plumber pipe hanging band because I didn't want to drill into the frame.

 

[IslandTractor]

I love having that grapple. It has made moving stuff around so easy.

Yes it's a 4" pvc pipe for holding my chains. I got the idea from this tbn thread http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/customization/271963-how-do-you-store-you.html
Mine is attached via an angle iron bracket I made bolted to the loader frame. The upper portion is secured by plumber pipe hanging band because I didn't want to drill into the frame.

View attachment 452771

View attachment 452772

I like how you mounted your tool box too. I am often tempted to mount the tractor from that side and always have to remind myself about snagging my shorts on the joystick. Mounting the toolbox there is another barrier that makes sense. It also allows you to have a much larger toolbox than Kioti supplies.

 

[Snowback]

At the great suggestion of user "Piston" - I am including this info here for grins. Originally shared at EA's Original Wicked grapple thread.
-------------------------------
Today was a good day. Finally able to bring home the new addition. This is a 60" Single Lid Wicked Grapple Single Lid Root Grapple on a Mahindra 2538 Page not found | Mahindra - It is exactly what I was looking for and although I have not worked it hard yet, it has done exactly what I needed it to on its first day. (Unloading attachments and posing for pictures can't be that hard right?)

Perfectly cradles and carries factory bucket around in case of need to move dirt.​

Very useful for unloading HD Box Blade without getting off to hook up chains. Notice the leverage of the heavy blade, but light weight grapple helped tractor breathe easy during move.​

Right and Left Views

Sturdy and well built unit - perfect alignment of top lid and bottom tines​

Third function kit from EA, (WR Long Unit with EA specialty fittings seamlessly mated to grapple and worked flawlessly)
Note the position of rocker switch on loader controller which is perfectly placed for index or middle finger activation​

I'm looking forward to putting it through its paces. Thanks Ted and Travis and everyone else at EA! Also Thanks to all those on TBN who provided input and suggestions!

 

[4570Man]

Who needs to carry a chain with a grapple?

 

[Piston]

Great additions Snowback! Thanks for posting. Now we all want to see some paint scraped off of that beautiful grapple! Congrats.

By the way, since it was a repost from the EA thread, I'm curious if it is still brand new or were those photos taken some time ago? The third function valve looks like a clean setup.

 

[Gordon Gould]

A little off subject but I have to say I like those beefy front tires on the Mahindras. Wish my Kubota was setup more that way especially for grappling work.

gg

 

[4570Man]

A little off subject but I have to say I like those beefy front tires on the Mahindras. Wish my Kubota was setup more that way especially for grappling work. gg

I have noticed that. The Mahindras look pretty nice.

 

[Snowback]

I'm curious if it is still brand new or were those photos taken some time ago? The third function valve looks like a clean setup.

Yes - the tractor just came into the fold in late December and was at J5 while I figured out grapple. That was ordered New Year's Eve with 3rd function from EA. Only took a few days for it to get here and just picked up the final package yesterday.

If you look close at the 3rd function picture, you can see my favorite tractor attachment on the steering wheel that I moved over from the outgoing Max 25. (Grapple comes in a close second...) I wonder why hydraulic tractors don't come standard with a steering spinner? It's a game changer when doing loader and grapple work.

 

[IslandTractor]

A little off subject but I have to say I like those beefy front tires on the Mahindras. Wish my Kubota was setup more that way especially for grappling work. gg

Kubota B and L tractors are optimized for lighter weight to improve finish mowing. That means lighter front axles which in turn means lower rated FEL and therefore bigger front tires are not necessary.

Check out similar HP CUTs from Mahindra and Kioti who do not try to build lighter weight tractors. For example Kubota L3940 weighs about 500lbs less than Kioti DK40se or Mahindra 4540. You see the same thing with MX style which is a smallish utility style which still weighs a few hundred pounds less than equivalent Kioti DK.

I don't know if it is an absolute rule but generally tractors in same HP range that have higher loader lift capacities will have bigger front axles and bigger front tires.

 

[Gordon Gould]

Kubota B and L tractors are optimized for lighter weight to improve finish mowing. That means lighter front axles which in turn means lower rated FEL and therefore bigger front tires are not necessary.

Check out similar HP CUTs from Mahindra and Kioti who do not try to build lighter weight tractors. For example Kubota L3940 weighs about 500lbs less than Kioti DK40se or Mahindra 4540. You see the same thing with MX style which is a smallish utility style which still weighs a few hundred pounds less than equivalent Kioti DK.

I don't know if it is an absolute rule but generally tractors in same HP range that have higher loader lift capacities will have bigger front axles and bigger front tires.

I was curious on the tires that the 38 hp Mahindra had - got a surprise

38 hp 2538 front 7-16 Rear 11.2-24
30 hp L3010 front 7.2-16 Rear 12.4-24 - my tractor

PLUS I have 2 more inches ground clearance - Don't know why those front tires look so big ??

Like you say the Mahindra is 400 lbs heavier and the loader is stronger but it is also 25% more hp than my L3010 so you would expect that.

Hope the rain stops - I would rather be out on the tractor.

gg

 

[Luke'sScreenName]

Kubota B and L tractors are optimized for lighter weight to improve finish mowing. That means lighter front axles which in turn means lower rated FEL and therefore bigger front tires are not necessary.

Check out similar HP CUTs from Mahindra and Kioti who do not try to build lighter weight tractors. For example Kubota L3940 weighs about 500lbs less than Kioti DK40se or Mahindra 4540. You see the same thing with MX style which is a smallish utility style which still weighs a few hundred pounds less than equivalent Kioti DK.

I don't know if it is an absolute rule but generally tractors in same HP range that have higher loader lift capacities will have bigger front axles and bigger front tires.

Ya I was curious too. My MX4800 has 12-16.5 R4s and a Kioti NX5010 or DK50SE has smaller 10-16.5s

 

[IslandTractor]

Ya I was curious too. My MX4800 has 12-16.5 R4s and a Kioti NX5010 or DK50SE has smaller 10-16.5s

I guess the "utility" designation on the MX changes things a bit. Kioti doesn't have a direct comparator as the DK and NX are more like the Grand L lineup from the other orange company.

 

[94BULLITT]

Ya I was curious too. My MX4800 has 12-16.5 R4s and a Kioti NX5010 or DK50SE has smaller 10-16.5s

My 4240 has 10-16.5 too.

 

[Xfaxman]

My big beefy front tires are the same size as my puny little rear tires, 14" wide on 17.5" wheels.

The 44" wide grapple:

A heavy load on the front tires:

Compressing the pile:

 

[IslandTractor]

My beefy front tires are the same size as my beefy rear tires, 14" wide on 17.5" wheels.

I know that farm tractors originally had narrow front wheels to deal with row crops. I don't understand why modern 4wd CUTs, which not typically used that way, are not available with much larger front tires/wheels. Better traction, less damage to ground etc.

 

[Snowback]

I was curious on the tires that the 38 hp Mahindra had - got a surprise

38 hp 2538 front 7-16 Rear 11.2-24
30 hp L3010 front 7.2-16 Rear 12.4-24 - my tractor

- Don't know why those front tires look so big ??

I think it's because they are indeed bigger if I'm not mistaken. Those 7-16s you noted are the size of the skinnier Ag tires that are available on the 2538. For the amount of loader and grapple work that I'll be doing I opted for the wider and slightly taller R4s which are 10-16.5s. The rear R4s are 43x16-20 and are a good size in my mind for a CUT under 40 HP. The tires were definitely a selling point for me, both front and rear. (I wonder why the size/numbering conventions are different from time to time? Some tires have width and rim size while others have all three parameters including diameter.)

Here is a side by side of the two types of tires on a 2538. Ag first and then the R4s. I did not see the Ags in person, but these images are good representations. Both fronts and rears are markedly wider. Not as good as R1s for mudbogging with a plow, but I hope to avoid that kind of work if possible. Now if you wanted to more easily grub out roots with your grapple, then having the R1s and working in a little mud might be fun!