Hydraulic connections won’t go on Grapple

[Dan Lamb]

Hey guys ,
I know it’s not the tractor and it’s not the grapple , I must be doing something wrong . When I first got my Grapple and third function put on I could switch back and forth the bucket and grapple no problem,and yes I do move the joystick all 4 ways and the buttons on the 3rd function ,to equalize the pressure. lately every time I try to switch I have to loosen the fittings on the tractor or both , can anyone correct my procedure to disconnect , thanks guys in advance , Dan

 

[Midniteoyl]

 

[mcfarmall]

It's a common problem. As the air works its way out of the grapple cylinder(s), lines, hoses, etc. there's less room for fluid expansion due to temperature change. I bought a set of couplers that fit the grapple and outfitted them with small ball valves. I install the valved couplers when I take my grapple off, then crack the ball valves before attempting to connect them to the tractor. Works every time.

 

[LD1]

Tractor should never be an issue. Cause you can shut tractor off and bleed. But depending on how it's wired....you may have to have the key ON for it to energize the solenoid and bleed.

If you do this when unhooking too...there should be minimal residual pressure on the grapple. Only issue could be if unhooked when cold and trying to rehook on a hot sunny day.

What kind of couplers do you have? Are they flush face? Or are they an ag-type coupler where the ball/poppet is exposed on the male end?

 

[k0ua]

Here is what I do for what it is worth.

My grapple is stored on a pallet inside the barn. The connectors are a male and a female AG connector that match the corresponding connectors on the torque tube of the tractors loader. When removing grapple, I keep the grapple up in the air at a comfortable height and do not set it on the pallet yet. I stop the tractors engine and equalize the pressure in the control valve by working it back and forth slowly. Then get down and unhook the male and female ends. Of course a tiny amount of fluid "pukes" out when the connections are broken.

Then I perform a second step of immediately hooking the male and female ends of the grapple hoses back to each other. and immediately unhook them. This causes more fluid to "puke" out from the grapple hoses. Since you have one hose in each hand, you have something good to push against (each hand) and remember the grapple is not in any "cramp" and the oil inside the grapple hoses and cylinder is likely warm. I then reconnect the hoses again and drape them over the grapple to store the grapple. This keeps the connections clean as they are connected to each other and no dirt can get in the connections.

This seems to cause a "deficit" of oil in the grapple hoses and it seems that pressure never builds up inside the hoses when the grapple is stored. Then I open the SSQA and drive forward and place the grapple on the pallet for long term storage.

I never have trouble with pressure build up and reconnection with this method. Your Mileage May Vary, but this works for me.

 

[Frankenkubota]

Hey guys ,
I know it’s not the tractor and it’s not the grapple , I must be doing something wrong . When I first got my Grapple and third function put on I could switch back and forth the bucket and grapple no problem,and yes I do move the joystick all 4 ways and the buttons on the 3rd function ,to equalize the pressure. lately every time I try to switch I have to loosen the fittings on the tractor or both , can anyone correct my procedure to disconnect , thanks guys in advance , Dan

i've been fighting that for 1.5 years. i'm convinced it's pressure build up in the attachment, in my case, 4 in 1 bucket.

i have done this at least 10 times.......wait till morning. It's cooler so less pressure, it's worked every time.

All the gyrations with the jiggling this and that and hold this button down etc worked once in a while but not always!

Once i had to change implements in the middle of a hot day and cracked the nut on the 4 in 1. 5 drops of oil came out and i was able to attach, no problem.

 

[Zebrafive]

I installed two couplers to the lid of a 5 gallon bucket. My grapple gets hooked to it when removed. Works for me.

 

[JohnnyMX]

A guy at the local Kubota dealership finally set me straight and I have had zero issues since. You probably have a pressure built up when you unhooked the implement and now it is stored in those lines. This is for an electronically controlled W.R. Long 3rd function kit, but probably anything electronic.

Try this:
1. (FIRST TIME ONLY) Bleed off pressure by either tapping/pressing the connector or loosening the connector if really bad.
2. Hook it up to the tractor.

3. To UNHOOK, get the implement where you want to detach it.
4. Turn the tractor off; turn the key back to the on position (not started/gauges lit up) and work your third function switch. You have to take the pressure off without the tractor/pump running.
5. UNHOOK the lines BEFORE you start the tractor back up
6. Finish detaching the implement as usual. The next time you hook it up you should have ZERO issues; They will both just pop on.

IF you forget to do this, although you probably won't since you've experienced the joy of not being able to hook up, you'll need to repeat the first two steps to manually bleed off if you can't just force them on.

 

[TractorGuy]

I tap the male poppet end of the grapple hose on the frame. This relieves the pressure buildup on the grapple lines. A little fluid comes out but not enough to be a concern.

 

[rScotty]

I installed two couplers to the lid of a 5 gallon bucket. My grapple gets hooked to it when removed. Works for me.

That's a clever idea. I wonder if a short "dog bone" made of PVC pipe with couplers in each end would work as well?