Grappling fun - A Picture Thread....

[MinnesotaEric]

Why is your hood up??

I was having trouble starting my tractor because the brake switch wasn't triggering because one side of the brake linkage was binding from rolling a stump under the chassis which banged up my belly armor up against the right side brake linkage. In the cab, the problem was acting like the battery wasn't up to speed and so I checked my battery disconnect as the very beginning of puzzling out the problem.

 

[IslandTractor]

I was having trouble starting my tractor because the brake switch wasn't triggering because one side of the brake linkage was binding from rolling a stump under the chassis which banged up my belly armor up against the right side brake linkage. In the cab, the problem was acting like the battery wasn't up to speed and so I checked my battery disconnect as the very beginning of puzzling out the problem.

Mother Nature has many devious revenge strategies.

 

[Luke'sScreenName]

I was having trouble starting my tractor because the brake switch wasn't triggering because one side of the brake linkage was binding from rolling a stump under the chassis which banged up my belly armor up against the right side brake linkage. In the cab, the problem was acting like the battery wasn't up to speed and so I checked my battery disconnect as the very beginning of puzzling out the problem.

You should do durability testing for Kioti. Have you counted the number of things you have broken?! Good for you, tractors are made to be used not coddled.

 

[MinnesotaEric]

You should do durability testing for Kioti. Have you counted the number of things you have broken?! Good for you, tractors are made to be used not coddled.

I'd love to do something like that but in this instance the linkage bound against an underbelly plate I installed. When a stump along lakeshore I'm clearing rolled under the tractor. Without the plate the linkages, wiring, and hydraulic hoses are all exposed on that side.

What I've learned from using the belly armor is that my basic belly armor with high ground clearance is a good design, but I should make a new set out of thicker, stronger material and add a couple of stand offs.

My armor has taken multiple hits and is pretty banged up now. But the armor has done its job and nothing it has protected has been damaged.

 

[Jim Timber]

How thick is that sheet?

I've been planning on 1/8" for my up-armoring where wires and hoses are. I've already had one harness ripped out from an errant stick that popped up as I drove over it while looking the other way.

 

[IslandTractor]

Given a 6000 lb tractor plus momentum, it's hard to imagine that any belly armor less than 3/8" would not deflect and potentially crush or squeeze something beneath it if the tractor rides up on a stump or rock. I'm thinking that Eric's armor does a good jib protecting against broken brush and smaller/medium sized branches but asking belly armor to have near zero deflection when the tractor gets hung up on a stump is a bit extreme. Live and learn. If I were Eric I'd leave the current belly armor in place and just avoid traveling over stumps. It's also a good reason to uproot trees rather than chainsaw them (or chainsaw very close to the ground).

 

[Jim Timber]

Smaller tractors, and those with cabs tend to have less ground clearance. I've driven clear over 12" logs on the ground. I'm only concerned with snagged brush and protecting the brake lines, wiring, and hydraulic lines under the drivers platform on my machine - well above the bottom of the rear axle.

My MFWD axle protective tube might get upgraded to something stronger than the plastic it currently is, and that's the lowest part of the belly other than the axles themselves.

I don't leave tall stumps. It's just more to remove later, and wood that's left out of the first log (wasted money). Just about anything under 5" is getting pushed over if I need to drive around it now that I have the root grapple. It's faster than cutting them.

 

[IslandTractor]

Just about anything under 5" is getting pushed over if I need to drive around it now that I have the root grapple. It's faster than cutting them.

I haven't felled a tree less than 10-12" diameter that I could reach with the tractor in years. Smaller trees get the root grapple treatment while the larger ones are toppled with help from my BH and ripper.

I hate digging out stumps. Much easier to uproot the whole tree. Faster. Less of a divot. I also get to choose where the tree falls more accurately by pushing. I'm sure experienced lumberjacks can drop trees safely too but I feel safer pushing than chainsawing.

 

[MinnesotaEric]

My wee, little, cab tractor that only has 15.7 inches of ground clearance tore a cat IV driveshaft in half today.

Smile.

Jim, I made my plates out of 16g. So 0.0625. You should be good with 0.125.

 

[Jim Timber]

You've got a lot of crap hanging down at that 15.7" mark though. The steps are actually the lowest thing between the tires on mine.