Thank you for the concern, jinman.
Your concerns are valid.
I spent some time with it today. That is one heavy piece of gear!
The weight isn't helped much by the fact that the adapters are quite heavy (125 lbs) and set the bucket out quite a ways. I'd say like 8".
The design of the 300/400 JD adapter is horrible (as opposed the the bucket, which is outstanding). I'll take some pics tomorow. They add too much extension and don't fit very well.
I don't have filled tires and my box blade is a wimpy light duty unit, so I used my 665 tiller as ballast. If I pay attention and go slow, I am OK and can get quite a few rocks in there, along with a pile of dirt (it is still a bit too wet around here for rock sifting). I just have to keep it low and shake it carefully!
And ya, no grapple for me.
As it is, I can definately feel the loader straining, flexing a bit, and working quite hard.
I shoulda got the 4 footer /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif