now i went & did it..

candyman · Feb 19, 2012

don`t know how this happened saw it after i pulled big herman in the barn. wa out grapplinig today don`t recall grabbing anything to big, but must have.

so now that i bent the brackets, how do i straighten it back to where it was. ??

suggestions.

candyman

gengine · Feb 19, 2012

That's a tough one....maybe start swinging a big hammer. If that doesn't work, get a bigger hammer! Or maybe chain your grapple closed, then use the hydraulics to 'open' the grapple. The cylinder may just bend you bracket back in place, then pull out your welder and beef it up if you can. If not your cylinder may put some pressure on the bracket, then start swinging those big hammers.

Willl · Feb 19, 2012

Bent once, it'll bend again.

First one · Feb 19, 2012

Candyman
Is that a wildkat grapple ? and is that one made out of 1/2" or 3/8" ? Hope you can get it back in shape . Maybe call wildkat and see what they'd do. Good luck ,I know someone on here will be able to give you some good advice.

nickel plate · Feb 19, 2012

Have you been having other flexing problems? I see a couple of fairly fresh welded and unpainted pieces of angle iron between the two sets of jaws.

shortthrow50 · Feb 19, 2012

gengine said:
That's a tough one....maybe start swinging a big hammer. If that doesn't work, get a bigger hammer! Or maybe chain your grapple closed, then use the hydraulics to 'open' the grapple. The cylinder may just bend you bracket back in place, then pull out your welder and beef it up if you can. If not your cylinder may put some pressure on the bracket, then start swinging those big hammers.

If the hydraulics are strong enough to bend that then that unit was engineered properly. Shouldn't be able to ruin the whole unit under the operating pressures

Willl · Feb 19, 2012

shortthrow50 said:
unit was engineered properly.

Don't ya mean wasn't ?

Depmandog · Feb 19, 2012

I would call the factory to see if they would repair or replace the grapple. They most likely will tell you it was your responsibility to reset the relief, or at least warned you of the possibility of damage. Wouldn't hurt to call them.

To fix, (if they refuse) it would be easier if they would send out a new bracket, the it shouldn't be too difficult of a repair. I would look at modifying by adding some steel gussets on both the front and back of the bracket.

I don't think you will get anywhere by banging on it with a hammer. Chaining and using the hydraulics to bend it back in place cold....could be dangerous as all get out. I wouldn't try it. (maybe if you had a helper to get the bracket cherry red - then maybe).

Good luck with the repair.

Hollow · Feb 20, 2012

A rosebud and a big hammer. Why is it made like that? There should be a gusset sloping down from just low enough to clear the cylinder to the front of the bracket to support the cylinder post. Poor engineering?

Unless I'm missing something, the steel here should not have been cut out.

If there is a way to tie that jaw down you might be able to heat it with a torch and use the cylinder to pull it forward. You wouldn't have to worry about the post bending out of alignment that way. You'll for sure have to brace the post after you get it back straight because it will never be as strong as it was.

Best of luck to ya...

Gary Fowler · Feb 20, 2012

You are never going to straighten that back to original shape no matter how much heat you put on it. It will likely never bend back in the same place. If you tried to chain it down and use the hydraulics, you would likely bend something else Best bet is to send photo to manufacturer and suggest that they make new brackets for this that are heavier steel. You would then have to cut the old ones off (both sides)and weld on then new heavier ones. The part where the cylinder attaches should be a solid piece that is nearly as wide as the space between the ears on the cylinder and then I dont think it would bend. It possibly needs larger gussets also as the on shown is bent. I would check the beam that these are welded to to see if it is bent or twisted. I may be that the best way is to ship it back for a retrofit. They should fix it for you at no charge. IF they wont, insist that they provide beefier gussets that you can weld on after removing the old ones. Maybe your new welder friend can weld them on if you get new ones made. I would go with double thickness that you have now and hope that the main beam doesnt bend next.

candyman · Feb 20, 2012

i sent a email with pix this a. m. we`ll see what they say.

thanks guys.

c/m

Herkypilot · Feb 20, 2012

That was a Wildcat grapple. Candyman posted in Dec: "wildkat about the 48' econo grapple for my kubota mx5100 4 wd. hydro."

I was looking at getting one of these for my MX5100 also as Wildcat is about 40 min drive from me. I'll stand by to see how this plays out.

Good luck to you Candyman, I hope they make good on this and beef up their grapples. Unfortunately, Wildcat has produced hundreds if not thousands of grapples which are stacked up on their lot and if most have this type of setup, that's a lot of modifications to make. I agree with previous poster that hydraulic cylinder shouldn't overpower the strength of the steel. It would render these grapples useless in short order.

Grapples are stacked up on the right and behind.

GregbkH · Feb 20, 2012

I have the WildKat 48" grapple with the single jaw. I also tweaked the cylinder support post on my grapple. It caused the grapple to not close as far as it used to by a half an inch.

I don't believe that the cylinder over powered the grapple support. I did it myself by holding some pretty heavy 4+ foot logs for bucking. All that leverage and a bit of bouncing forced the support back, not the cylinder.

Gary Fowler · Feb 20, 2012

I still say that something else should give before the cylinder attachment support buckles. They need to design a retro-fit to beef those up prior to selling and provide the beef up to any customer asking for it free preferable but at no more than cost of shipping.

First one · Feb 20, 2012

Also, in the post where he got it ,wasn't he saying something about it being bent when it arrived .(Was it the same size?) Then, it was tweaked before he started using it and only got worst. If he(Candyman) took the pic's of it when he got it , I would think that they would do something for him or they might just say you should have let them know the first day he got it . Anyway ,they should make it right I could see that on most of the grapples I've seen you could always beef up something about it or add more tines to make the openings closer. I'm having mine beefed up today by having more gussets welded on the top tines and a few more braces for support, before I bend mine more then just the tip of the tine.

candyman · Feb 22, 2012

no answer to my email, so i called & talked to connie tuesday told her what happened that i had sent email with pix said she would look for it took my phone # .

we`ll see if i get a call back & what they will do. !!

c/m

wdchyd · Feb 22, 2012

Hollow said:
A rosebud and a big hammer. Why is it made like that? There should be a gusset sloping down from just low enough to clear the cylinder to the front of the bracket to support the cylinder post. Poor engineering?

Unless I'm missing something, the steel here should not have been cut out.

If there is a way to tie that jaw down you might be able to heat it with a torch and use the cylinder to pull it forward. You wouldn't have to worry about the post bending out of alignment that way. You'll for sure have to brace the post after you get it back straight because it will never be as strong as it was.

Best of luck to ya...

x 2......looks like heat, slice, tweek, reinforce and reweld is the ticket...

nickel plate · Feb 22, 2012

Quite a few TBNers just in the past year have purchased various designs of WildKat grapples most of which have posted that the price was one of the contributing factors leading to their decision to buy.
This incident of the load bar twisting out of shape falls into three possible categories of failure: operator abuse, under engineered product design or a combination of both.
To all that have a Wildkat grapple I suggest that you follow this thread and contribute your personal findings.

candyman · Feb 22, 2012

hey all,

got a email from wildkat today it read.........

the owner told me to tell you if you pay freight to get it back to so we will repair or send you a new grapple. but we have to get the broken one back to do a warranty claim.

what do all think, sound fair or not. ???

c/m

First one · Feb 22, 2012

candyman said:
hey all,

got a email from wildkat today it read.........

the owner told me to tell you if you pay freight to get it back to so we will repair or send you a new grapple. but we have to get the broken one back to do a warranty claim.

what do all think, sound fair or not. ???

c/m

I'd say get it back there and tell them you want another new grapple , not that one repaired , you could pay someone to weld it up for the amount it would cost to ship it back , if your far away. I'd ask to have those points that got tweaked reinforced or made out of 1/2" or 5/8" to make sure it won't happen again. Ask how much they would charge to have it welded up the way you want it . At least they got back to you and seem to want to make it right with you .:thumbsup: