RexB said:
Hang 'em High! Swing 'em from the yardarm! And are there still enough critters in Rhode Island to rustle?
The last time there were critters worth rustling on Prudence Island was when the British Army landed during the Revolutionary War and tried to buy supplies (sheep) from the islanders. When they were refused, the Brits shot a couple islanders and burned most of the homes before taking off with the sheep. Nice. Since then the islanders have been a bit wary of tourists who speak English.
With regard to your desire to add a grapple function to your bucket. It's nice to hear that you have seen the light. While I favor true grapples, a bucket grapple is much more useful than a bucket and chain hooks. There are a number of decent grapple arms that can be either welded or bolted to the bucket. They can be had via ebay or direct from the manufacturer. Some are made by small shops and a few by the bigger companies like ATI or Add A Grapple. You need to figure out how long the arm should be and in general a slight under bite is preferred to any overbite. Most of the people who sell the grapple arms can talk you through the appropriate measurements. The person on TBN I'd talk to is 3RRL who put a couple on his bucket. I don't really see the need for two but his set up could be done with just one arm too. If I were doing it I'd weld a reinforcement strip along the top of the bucket then weld the grapple arm bracket to that. I think that is better than bolting.
Choosing what hydraulic control system to use has been the subject of numerous TBN threads you might want to read through. I have used two of the three types most commonly mentioned. Rear remotes and diverter valve. I have not used an electric over hydraulic system but I think everyone agrees that is the cat's pajamas if you feel like shelling out $800+ t get one. If you already have rear remotes then all you need to run a grapple are two lengths of hose and QC fittings to go from rear remotes over rear axle, under operator station, up FEL post, along FEL arm to terminate on the FEL torque tube or even to go all the way to the grapple arm. You'd need to measure carefully probably using a hose or something like it as a template. As I recall it was about 16-18 feet on a CK20 to the torque tube. Using the rear remotes to control the grapple is as easy as shifting a 4 on the floor while driving. At first you'll take your eye off the grapple to look at your hand but after a few hours it becomes perfectly natural (like a 4speed shifter does). You need to develop a bit of muscle memory to just drop your hand off the FEL controller to the rear remote control and then operate the open/close. I did that happily for two years until I upgraded my CK to a DK. Never felt the need to invest any extra money into a diverter valve.
When I bought my DK I also got a great deal (independently) on a WRLong 4n1 bucket over ebay. That bucket just happened to come with a WR Long diverter valve set up complete. So, I had it installed on the DK and now use that. I do like it but it is really not a major advantage over the rear remote set up. I still have a bit of trouble with unintended movement of dump/curl when using open/close as you need to train yourself to only press and release the controller button with the FEL joystick in neutral position. I am pretty good about not pressing it (activating) except in neutral but I often find I release while the joystick is left or right which means that the grapple stops open/close but then immediately (unintentionally) dump/curls. That is never an issue with rear remotes as your hand is off the FEL joystick when operating the remotes. It also would be less likely an issue with the electric over hydraulic. In any case, the diverter is still a very useful option and it is just a matter of training yourself. The WRLong diverter setup costs something like $550-600 or so plus a half day or so of your time to install.
My advice on the controller would be to use rear remotes to start if you already have them. Much simpler to get started and you can always recycle the hose if you decide to get a diverter or electric over hydraulic.
Good luck. Grapples rule.
