My Wicked Grapple bush grabber attachment

[rswyan]

To a point. But his grapple not only traps the brush in the angled slot but he has a lid and tooth that comes in behind the brush/sapling that will hold it in the slot with pressure. A double whammy.

Bingo ...

 

[k0ua]

If your flat surfaces need more grip you could lay several welds right down it such that they "bite" together (interlock).

I was thinking about doing that very thing.

I didn't work on the project yesterday, and may not have any time today either as I have appointments today. But I need to get it finished up before Oct, as that is our busy season with what is known as the AEP or Annual Enrollment Period for Medicare Advantage plans.

But I am also eager to get it done and tried out to see if this is a waste of steel and time or whether I have a viable idea here or not.

 

[Threepoint]

View attachment 480502

Rswyan, interesting approach. Do you have any problems with stringy stuff jamming between the plates so tight you have trouble clearing it?

 

[rswyan]

Rswyan, interesting approach. Do you have any problems with stringy stuff jamming between the plates so tight you have trouble clearing it?

Very rarely ... generally, all I have to do is roll the grapple back all the way and then drag it on the ground in reverse to loosen/remove anything that's stuck.

(James - sorry, didn't to hijack your thread )

 

[k0ua]

I got a little more work done last night but quit before the lightning and thunder started. I don't care to weld with the lightning bolts crashing around.

I got the upper pieces cut and tacked up.

View attachment IMG_20160915_181508436.jpgView attachment IMG_20160915_181521627.jpgView attachment IMG_20160915_182626604.jpgView attachment IMG_20160915_182636802.jpgView attachment IMG_20160915_182703429.jpg

 

[Xfaxman]

:thumbsup: Looking good.

Good job posting the pictures.

 

[k0ua]

So far I am out $0. As this is recovered scrap I had laying around. I think I am going to bolt on the upper piece with some 1/2 inch bolts. I think I am going to need to buy them and some nuts. Again my goal is to do zero modifications to the original grapple and make this a simple project that anyone could do. Of course the thing might not work very well or even at all. It is all pretty much an experiment at this point.

 

[k0ua]

Went out this afternoon, and burnt 3 rods, and got the stiffening spine put on the lower "jaw". and it started to rain. Crap..Had to drag everything inside in a hurry...

 

[k0ua]

Finished this project up about 1/2 hour ago. Man-O-Man does this thing work. Yes it does. Plucked out several saplings and even a couple of little overhead limbs that were hanging down in the way, and pulled one grape vine out of a tree. So far I am very impressed with it's usefulness. I still need to round off some corners and paint it, but it is a working model. I wonder why I did not build it sooner.

Here are some pictures. The steel "chip" on the tackle box is an example of how you can make chip with a 1/2 inch bit drill if it is sharp and you apply the right lube and pressure in your drill press.

There is a before and after photo of one of the little saplings I yanked, it took about 10 seconds to get set up with the tractor (hydrostat helps) and yank it out of the ground. Love this thing!


View attachment IMG_20160917_154612003.jpg
View attachment IMG_20160917_155645722_HDR.jpg
View attachment IMG_20160917_175337951_HDR.jpg
View attachment IMG_20160917_175439371.jpg
View attachment IMG_20160917_175544955.jpg
View attachment IMG_20160917_180100323.jpg
View attachment IMG_20160917_180847898.jpg

 

[rswyan]

Good deal ... and nice chip ! :thumbsup: