Root Rake/Grapple For Kubota B2910

[Xfaxman]

:thumbsup: good progress.

 

[rswyan]

Xfaxman,

Thanks ... it seemed like I got quite a bit done in a fairly short period of time, which is always encouraging ...

On the menu for today:

1. Remove pins and bushings and clean up the bores (bushings) and O. D.'s (pins) a little, to get whatever corrosion is on there from sitting for the past year off.

2. Cut off base end of cylinders, rotate them 90 degrees, and weld them back on.

3. Install pins and bushings in the upper and lower sections and tack/weld them in place.

4. Weld on four pieces of 2" tube x 5" long that act as stops/braces.

5. Move the bottom bar with the rake teeth from my van into the shop. I took it over to a friend's yesterday and used his rosebud to straighten it a little ... the bar had bowed from welding on the rake teeth and gussets and was out of flat/straight by probably 3/8 of inch or better ... think I got it to within a 1/16th.

Always hate handling this thing by hand ... the teeth on it are very sharp ... not exactly something you'd want to fall into or drop on your toe.

Need to check it for fit against the top jaw, to make sure there's no interference before I tack it on the bottom frame.

 

[RedNeckGeek]

Thanks for posting a link to this thread over in Good Morning! Reminds me of the forklift adapter I built for the tines I found at the junk yard, but this is much more involved. Good to see you're back on it; I'm not sure I could have stopped that close to the finish line :laughing:

 

[rswyan]

Yesterday I managed to get 10 of the 12 bushings for the pins welded in and got around half of them cleaned up so the pins would slide in easily. Used a die grinder and a stone ... I had already previously reamed them out with a reamer, but of course the heat from welding distorted them:

Modified the cylinder guards on the arms of the upper jaw, so there should be no interference when the upper jaw is closed:

Also got the mount cut off on the base of one of the cylinders and got the cylinder end cleaned up to weld it back on rotated 90 degrees, so the ports are on top:

 

[rswyan]

Today I got the bottom bar with the rake teeth welded on, along with welding on the outside plates that tie the bottom bar to the bar (3 x 2 rectangular tube) in the middle (height-wise), and welded about 1/2 of the circumference of the 2" pipes that tie the masts/towers together on the top. Also ground out the rest of the bushings that I had welded in yesterday:

Another angle:

Rear:

 

[rswyan]

Jaw opening = 66 1/2" inches, tip to tip ... :

Edit: Scratch that 66 1/2" ... the cylinders weren't mounted when I measured it ... (doh ! :ashamed: )

 

[rswyan]

Thanks for posting a link to this thread over in Good Morning!

My pleasure ...

Reminds me of the forklift adapter I built for the tines I found at the junk yard, but this is much more involved. Good to see you're back on it; I'm not sure I could have stopped that close to the finish line :laughing:

Sometimes, ya just gotta walk away ... :laughing:

 

[rswyan]

On today's list:

1. Pick up bandsaw blade @ Harbor Freight - Done

2. Cut four gussets out of 1/4" plate for the lower part of the masts/towers where the QA plate attaches

3. Get bushing welded on base end of first hydraulic cylinder

4. Use modified cylinder to align bushing in upper jaw and tack/weld bushing in place.

5. On second cylinder, cut off bushing on base end and clean it up, and then do steps 3 and 4

6. Remove upper jaw from grapple

7. Weld two 5" sections of 2" pipe onto the upper part of the masts/towers

8. Weld two 5" sections of 2" pipe onto the lower part of the masts/towers where the QA plate attaches

9. Weld four gussets onto the lower part of the masts/towers where the QA plate attaches

10. Install upper jaw and hydraulic cylinders

11. Measure for hydraulic hoses

 

[Xfaxman]

Sounds like a good plan

 

[rswyan]

I thought so ...

At any rate, I managed to get items 1, 3, 4, 5 and 6 done yesterday.

Noticed another potential issue: With the ports placed on top/facing up, the hydraulic fitting on the base end of cylinders may hit the 5" long sections of pipe mentioned in no. 7 above that tie the masts/towers together when the grapple is fully opened. Won't know for sure without mounting the jaw and cylinders and opening it up all the way.

Glad I stopped where I did ... although I wish I had stopped at just tacking the pipes ...

I see two possible solutions to that issue:

1. Eliminate the short sections of pipe.

2. Mount the cylinders so that the ports/hoses are on the bottom, rather than on the top.

I'd really prefer solution no. 2 above ... it should leave the hoses and fittings better protected, assuming the hose has the bend radius to make the turns required ... but it also might cause the hoses to rub on metal quite a bit (I'd planned on using protective sleeving anyways)

I'm planning on using 1/4" Hydraulax Tough hose assemblies from Discount Hydraulic Hose, which has a minimum bend radius of 1.8".

Picture of the cylinders showing the one cylinder after I modified it:

Looks like I might need to beef up the welds a bit.