Information on Markham TB orders

[MicroPilot]

Can someone please explain to me how to measure my bucket for a toothbar?? The website is a little confusing to me. Why do you have to measure 8" back from the edge??

"****Please Note: When ordering a Tooth Bar for your bucket, please measure your bucket 8" back (from the tip of the Cutting Edge ) inside the bucket, then measure all the way across the inside of the bucket (from Side to Side). We will custom build the Tooth Bar using your measurement minus ï½¼". Please make sure the measurement is correct."

That's because some buckets do not have straight sides parallel to each other. Some buckets narrows towards the back. See the attached pic and note where the tooth bar bolts into the bucket.

 

[3RRL]

That is so you get a good measurement from side to side.
Sometimes a bucket will "bow out" at the very edges from use. If that's the case, then the toothbar they build might not fit when it gets 8" deep because it is tighter in there.

On edit, I see MicroPilot beat me to it.

 

[JDeerekid]

That's because some buckets do not have straight sides parallel to each other. Some buckets narrows towards the back. See the attached pic and note where the tooth bar bolts into the bucket.

Oh, I think I see. You want to measure across your bucket at the point where you are going to bolt the toothbar to the bucket.

 

[3RRL]

Oh, I think I see. You want to measure across your bucket at the point where you are going to bolt the toothbar to the bucket.

Yes, to be sure it will fit in there as designed.

 

[mjncad]

When I got my Markham toothbar, they supplied 2" long bolts to mount the toothbar to the bucket. They are just perfect in length. I also put a couple of hardened (GR5 or 8) washers between the bucket wall and the toothbar mounting bracket. The washers help prevent any bowing in the bucket wall if you really crank the mounting bolts down tight.

Picasa Web Albums - Matt - John Deere 42...

Picasa Web Albums - Matt - John Deere 42...

Picasa Web Albums - Matt - John Deere 42...

Picasa Web Albums - Matt - John Deere 42...

 

[wedge40]

Can someone please explain to me how to measure my bucket for a toothbar?? The website is a little confusing to me. Why do you have to measure 8" back from the edge??

JDeerkid - If your doing it by yourself, I would use a memory stick (think that's the name). Basically you take two small sticks (1x1 or 1x2) and then you make sure each will fit inside the bucket. Place them side by side, push the end out till they stop. Place a mark across both sticks, pull them out, realign the marks then then measure the length. This may be over kill, but it's easy to do with just one person and it makes for an accurate measurement.

My bucket is built pretty solid so I had a lip along the edge of mine that I had to grind down to get the bar onto the bucket. It looks like they took the sheet steel and folded it over then welded it to make it more sturdy.
Thats Koyker for ya.

Wedge

 

[ninefinger]

There is a really good thread with pictures on installation. I am not sure who it was but it also seems that this gentleman drilled the holes at the front of the mount so when he did not need the teeth he could loosen and fold the bar back in the bucket. Maybe some one remembers the thread and can post a link to it. The thread was started by 3RRL.

 

[IslandTractor]

Okay boys,
for all who is interested , I think we just about have the LD grapple figured out, we did some CAD today and plan on cutting tomorrow! Assembly shall begin!

Great to hear Markham is going to produce a LD grapple. Millonzi sold quite a few of them (many dozens) in the past year or two just to folks on TBN so there is clearly a market for an appropriately sized grapple for CUTs. I bought Millonzi's LD48 and have used it successfully for over two years. There are a few tips to pass on that you should consider in getting into this market.

There are two big points I'd try to get across. One has to do with size and the other with adapters.

A major point you skidsteer implement manufacturers need to keep in mind is that CUTs are not nearly as powerful as skidsteers and CUTs are used typically by owners on their property not by construction crews. Bottom line is that the Millonzi LD48 has held up well even on 40+hp CUTs with over 2500lbs lift capacity and that grapple was made of 3/8 inch mild steel and weighed only 280lbs. A more recent version of the LD48 was beefed up just a bit by building just the outer tines of 1/2 inch stock and adding a bit more cylinder and tine tip protection to the upper jaw but it still weighed only 300lbs and small change.

The biggest hassle Millonzi seemed to have in building these grapples was in dealing with the pin specific adapters. I know that WRLong doesn't seem to have any trouble with that issue but Millonzi struggled and usually asked the purchaser to provide the pin specifications. As Markham has always asked the customer to do their own bucket measurements you might want to think about that issue. I imagine that a little research on the major CUT brands would allow you to produce templates that would be far more reliable than getting customers to measure. Besides, I think Millonzi always custom built these pin adapters so never had a tried and true template to cut their own variation and misfit rate. Many of your potential customers will not have standard QA adapters on their CUTs so the pin adapter issue is a major consideration as you produce these things. If you can keep the price at or below what you are selling the 66 inch version you'll have a great market but most of the business will likely be for pin mounts rather than QA so it is important to get this issue front and center in your manufacturing plans.
A couple of smaller points: curving the bottom tines just a bit (see Millonzi photos) is great for getting under roots and rocks. Most manufacturers just have straight tines which seems unnecessary in these days with CAD systems and automated precision cutting. Also, making the upper jaw at about half as wide as the bottom tines seems a good ratio for holding things in place but still allowing a single hydraulic cylinder to contol it. Finally, unlike the clamshell style grapples, you don't need a lot of force on the upper jaw to keep loads in place so don't oversize the ram.

You are a small company so it might be hard to introduce a lot of new things at once but a light duty QA adapter would be another obvious product. I had a heavy duty overbuilt Horst adapter on my first tractor but now have a lighter duty stock Kioti QA adapter which would clearly be easier and cheaper to build and works just as well.

Best of luck with developing a light duty grapple for CUTs. TBN guys will beat a path to your door if you get it right.

 

[wedge40]

A couple of smaller points: curving the bottom tines just a bit (see Millonzi photos) is great for getting under roots and rocks.

IT - I was looking at the photos and at first I thought the fourth one was just a big pile of brush. Big deal. Then I opened the photo and found a tractor hidden in there.

Wedge

 

[Glowplug]

Now let's not overwhelm Melissa with all these great ideas!

Regarding the bucket measurement. . . .I marked my bucket exactly 8" back with a grease pencil then CAREFULLY measured the distance across several times to be absolutely certain I had the right measurement. My toothbar fits so well that it seems like it was built onto the bucket during initial construction! The toothbar is the best bang for the buck you can spend on your tractor if equipped with a loader!