Loader SSQA mount play

[Smokeydog]

Using skid steer grapple I bought about 25 years ago on a M59. There seems to be excessive play in the mounting. Can’t see damage on the tractor or grapple side. Don’t note excessive wear.

At the shop I could slide 1/4” plates between the lower tractor hitch and grapple tab. I also could put a 1/4” plate between the wedge pins and lower mounting tabs with a little spring pressure. The wedge pins have some space between them fully engaged and the lower grapple mounts adding to play.

Didn’t notice excessive play with a previous tractor with a OEM bobtach hitch welded to the loader. Few tractors had ssqa back then.

It would seem easy to shim up the lower ssqa mounting tabs with 3x14x1/4” plates. Weld in 2x2x1/4 plates where the wedge pin lands. That would give a nice contact patch.

Question is this unusual or should consider an alternative method? A few other slots I was going to cover with the shim on the lower ssqa tabs that I don’t need.

 

[Peter 315]

I have a set of forks that are new and I shimmed up the lower mounting tab and just made the slots a little tighter ...... 1/4'' flat plate

 

[Gordon Gould]

I bought a grapple for my M5640 and did the same thing as Peter to tighten it up a little. I bought a SSQA plate for the same tractor for a snow plow mount and it was to tight. I cut off the top angle and moved it up. Seems like poor fit up is to common for a standard mount but there are a lot of manufacturers of tractors and implements.





gg

 

[Fallon]

Titan attachments had a few batches of pallet forks from China that had issues a while back & I got one of em. SSQA pins wouldnt make contact with the slots on the impliment frame they were so loose. I got a few bucks back from them & welded some bar stock across the holes to tighten them up. The angled ends on the pins made decent contact after I made the holes 1/2" skinnier or something. It was a few years ago so details are fuzzy.

Fundamentally the SSQA design is meant to be self-tightening & tolerant of some slop. Things do wear a bit & are made to different tolerances.

 

[Smokeydog]

I bought a grapple for my M5640 and did the same thing as Peter to tighten it up a little. I bought a SSQA plate for the same tractor for a snow plow mount and it was to tight. I cut off the top angle and moved it up. Seems like poor fit up is to common for a standard mount but there are a lot of manufacturers of tractors and implements.

View attachment 648818

View attachment 648819

gg

Shimming smaller definitely easier than making bigger. Nice work.

 

[Smokeydog]

Made two 1/4” plates. Using a small pry bar able to see 3/8” would be better. Made two 3/8” plates. Cut the hole 3/8” narrower for the wedge pin so it would make contact with about 3/8”-1/2” spring compression.
Welded in new plates. Added some 1/4” plate gussets for added strength to the bottom 4x4” square tube. Paint dries fast when metal is warm from welding. Now grapple is nice and tight in the ssqa mount. Ready for another 25 years of use and abuse.

 

[Peter 315]

Looks just like what I did on my forks good job........:thumbsup:

 

[Gordon Gould]

Your two plates look real good!! It is hard to know for sure from the picture but I wonder about this gap too. It should fit tight there if that is an actual gap. Maybe that's a before pic and you already filled that ???



gg

 

[Smokeydog]

First picture was before showing gaps between the tractor ssqa, grapple and wedge pin. Sorry for lack of explanation.


After 3/8” plates, shim welded in.
Now tight in the right places.

 

[Gordon Gould]

Great - Before and after makes it easy to see what you did. Thanks for the clarification.

gg