Hydraulic Quick Attach

[Threepoint]

Pat, terrific job on this project! I'm envious of your fabrication skills. :applause: Perhaps you can eventually post a video showing it in action!

Hope your FIL is doing better.

 

[downsizingnow48]

This is the cylinder:

0.875x3x0.5 DA HYDRAULIC CYLINDER

On cost, I put hydraulics out to the loader for a grapple. The additional cost for the qa was:

Diverter (I see MountainViewRanch has them for $112 shipped)
Cylinders ($70 ea)
Plus hoses, fittings, electrical hookup

 

[Industrial Toys]

Very nice work.

Just a word of warning. I have a diverter valve on my loader, albeit not a new one. After getting a new grapple last year and using this new toy a lot, some pressure was leaking into my SSQA cylinder. The grappled disconnected and ended up hanging from it's hoses. Now I check the Quick attach periodically when using the remote circuit heavily.

 

[aeblank]

On cost, I put hydraulics out to the loader for a grapple. The additional cost for the qa was:

Diverter (I see MountainViewRanch has them for $112 shipped)
Cylinders ($70 ea)
Plus hoses, fittings, electrical hookup

So you did/are going to add a 3rd function, specifically for the grapple and then you added the diverter to the 3rd function circuit?
Interesting setup. I'm sure it'll work well. Plenty of hydraulic hoses kicking around your FEL.

 

[downsizingnow48]

Industrial Toys thanks for the heads-up. I was wondering if that could be something to watch.

aeblank I have to confess am not too clear on third function vs true third function vs remote etc. A while back I installed this:

2 SPOOL PRINCE SV SECTIONAL CONTROL VALVE OPEN CENTER

It is located against the left fender. One valve for the backhoe thumb or anything else on the back of the tractor. And one for the grapple or anything else on the front of the tractor.

Threepoint thx for the note, FIL is getting slowly better.

This is a good place for a hat tip to Xfaxman, davrow and countrybumpkin, who made me realize I needed to fit the thing to a genuine Kubota bucket. That probably saved a lot of aggravation.

 

[downsizingnow48]

Industrial Toys - studying your note again. What I had thought of was ordinary leak-down back through the valve. Hadn't occurred to me that the problem could come the other way also through unwanted pressure. Do you think this item would be a fix:

1/4" NPT 6 GPM CHECK VALVE 5 PSI CRACKING

 

[Industrial Toys]

The kicker is that I can check it a million times and it's fine. I used an old high quality valve off some fork truck bail squeeze. I was thinking maybe a limit switch on the actuator tied into a buzzer to alert me when the pins are up. My problem only seemed to happen when I really worked the grapple hard.

Curious about the check valve. There must be hydraulic people on here that might know. I wonder is that is what they use on the top link cylinders. But that would not help if oil was leaking around your piston. Just another problem I have.

I am probably going to retrofit our JD tractor for a SS system. I might just go with a manual diverter valve. I have a brand new one. The problem is, I also put a brand new one on a dump trailer and observed this summer how oil is also leaking into the other circuit when a lot of pressure is being applied. So, I may be into the same problem.

 

[countrybumpkin]

Turned out nice, I've thought about adding a cylinder to my ssqa, I have a single handle that opens and closes both latch pins so I would only need a single cylinder to control the lever. If i do I have been thinking either using a manual double selector vave or two small three way ball valves off the 3rd function, sense you have to get off to hook and unhook the hoses to the gribble or other attachment that uses the 3rd function before or after hooking up to it.

 

[Industrial Toys]

I was thinking about the leakage issue. A simple parallel (to the cylinder) circuit with a restrictor should work well. Any small amounts of leakage would simply bypass but intentional pressure should activate the cylinder. This would have the added advantage of reducing pressure at end of stroke.

 

[downsizingnow48]

Parallel with restrictor sounds like it would be worth a try. Reducing pressure at end of stroke also useful. I thought about incorporating a die spring between cylinder and pin, so the locking pressure would be determined by the spring rather than the cylinder. But decided to go with much simpler direct action for the time being.

 

[downsizingnow48]

The longer qa cylinder hoses arrived and are now installed. Everything works as planned. I will update on any operational issues after a few weeks.

 

[downsizingnow48]

Costs came out higher than I would have liked.

Metal plate, angle, bar, etc - 51 lbs @ $1/lb at surplus yard = $51
Torque tube 48" DOM 2"x.25" = $41
Mount pin bushings DOM 1.5" x .25" = $12
Pin tubes 7" DOM 1.75"x.25" = $7
Cylinders 2 ea @ $70 = $140
Diverter valve = $160 (could have saved $50 if bought from Mountainviewranch)
Hoses (8 ea various lengths) = $140
Fittings = $36
Wiring (fuseblock, wire, loom, switch) = $55

Total $642 materials.
Time = huge.

 

[CDN Farm Boy]

Satisfaction = huge?

 

[downsizingnow48]

Satisfaction is also huge, for sure! After just a few days of using it, I realize I should have installed a QA long ago. So having the QA is a huge plus. Then, the second thing is how to actuate. With over-center crank arms, with a linear actuator, or hydraulic. Making the hydraulic option work is very satisfying.

Making it to the SSQA standard is also part of the satisfaction. The first thing I did was buy a set of forks. Extremely handy. I still think the Euro-Global design is easier to fabricate and also better suited to hydraulic actuation. But the widespread availability of SSQA attachments is hard to beat.

 

[CNC Dan]

Industrial Toys - studying your note again. What I had thought of was ordinary leak-down back through the valve. Hadn't occurred to me that the problem could come the other way also through unwanted pressure. Do you think this item would be a fix:

1/4" NPT 6 GPM CHECK VALVE 5 PSI CRACKING

I think if you swich back and forth the pressure in the hoses (downstream)is transfered to the second set of hoses(downstream). Not much volume though, but repeted uses may add up.

But it will likly go one way or the other, so just make sure it goes to the lock position.

 

[downsizingnow48]

That sounds like it should do the trick. Thanks!

 

[downsizingnow48]

Just to wrap up. I have used it for 5-6 weeks. The locking pins sometimes loosen a bit overnight, I make it a habit to give them a push when starting up. I might add a plate to provide more protection for the valve fittings and hoses. Can't think of any other issues.

Grapple plumbing is complete, that is what I am working on now.

 

[Xfaxman]

Gooder-un. :thumbsup:

 

[ishiboo]

Just to wrap up. I have used it for 5-6 weeks. The locking pins sometimes loosen a bit overnight, I make it a habit to give them a push when starting up. I might add a plate to provide more protection for the valve fittings and hoses. Can't think of any other issues.

Grapple plumbing is complete, that is what I am working on now.

A holding valve would fix this if it's a big deal, no?

 

[downsizingnow48]

A holding valve would fix this if it's a big deal, no?

Yep I think so. Not a big deal for me. I am used to stuff sagging overnight. The routine before was raise the backhoe off the ground, tuck in the outriggers. Now the third thing is a quick push on the QA lever. If it ever becomes a functional issue I will put in a check valve.