What cha think of this? Grapple..

EddieWalker · May 19, 2009

You might want to look at electric dump bed systems. I don't know the ratings of them, but some will do several yards of material. The little electric motor runs a hydraulic pump that works the dump cylinder. Speed and response times might be a factor, but it should be a starting point for doing some searches.

Good luck,
Eddie

jd2305cd · May 19, 2009

yeah I have, but those little hydraulic units are expensive and take up a lot of room so again the best option would be the power beyond or diverter..

Just saw that video, thought it was a simple quick setup if i could find the unit cheaper...

Thanks for the replies..

SuperDuty335 · May 19, 2009

Every linear actuator I've dealt with didn't have enough *** (as you put it) to move its own *** out of the way. I'm not impressed with 12v powered dumps either. So, unless you don't need to move much ***, an actuator will work just fine.

jmc · May 20, 2009

In followup to Kennyd's comment #5, there are some businesses that misrepresent themselves by posting leading questions here about their products as though they were just normal members looking for information- apparently trying to creat a buzz about their product. If this is one of those companies, I'd be wary of dealing with them.

As far a the product goes, I'm intrigued by the product and can understand the temptation to use it for a grapple. My questions would be what is the current draw because you might need to use very heavy wire and a solenoid. Also, if that 400 pounds spec someone mentioned is the thrust of the actuator itself, the clamping force at the tip is going to be WAY less than that due to the mechanical disadvantage of mechanism. The video suggests that by the way the whimpy brush barely compacts.

jd2305cd · May 20, 2009

I agree JMC... But i just saw it on the internet when was looking at different grapple designs.. Thought it was a neat setup.

But after ten emails, they can't even tell me the specs of the unit or who its made by so i could get more information. So as far as i am concerned they are hiding something / acting shady..

whodat90 · May 21, 2009

I don't know, I think it may very well work. Checking on ebay, I found 8" stroke linear actuators with 1000lb force/3000lb holding capacity for $245. Also found 8" stroke hydraulic cylinders for between $50 and $150, but when you add the plumbing and control it comes out to pretty much the same cost. Seeing as how my loader will only lift 1000lbs anyway, I consider it a viable option. Another factor is that for about the same price you can get the same force in different stroke lengths; a bit of kerjiggering with the pivot points and attach points and you could easily adjust the amount of force available at the tips.

http://cgi.ebay.com/8-Super-Duty-Linear-Actuator-1-000lb-Push-Pull_W0QQitemZ350201184270

bostonbear · May 21, 2009

electric is not bad but it is mostly your set up and acuator selection. bad angles week actuator:

good acuator good angles

kennyd · May 21, 2009

whodat90 said:
I don't know, I think it may very well work. Checking on ebay, I found 8" stroke linear actuators with 1000lb force/3000lb holding capacity for $245. Also found 8" stroke hydraulic cylinders for between $50 and $150, but when you add the plumbing and control it comes out to pretty much the same cost. Seeing as how my loader will only lift 1000lbs anyway, I consider it a viable option. Another factor is that for about the same price you can get the same force in different stroke lengths; a bit of kerjiggering with the pivot points and attach points and you could easily adjust the amount of force available at the tips.

8" Super Duty Linear Actuator 1,000lb Push/Pull - eBay (item 350201184270 end time Jun-11-09 07:04:03 PDT)

Look at the speeds...

jd2305cd · May 21, 2009

Yeah but there are others out there that have 2-3 inches a second, in a 8 or 12 inch rams that pretty quick.. Seconds not minutes..

GuglioLS · May 22, 2009

JD2305,

Based on the size of a 2305, I think you can make it work, especially if what will be grappled is nothing more than twigs and light brush. Don't forget your going to need jaws and brackets custom designed for the correct swing and clamping geometry and most likely plasma cut to fit the 2305 FEL bucket. I understand your desire to keep costs and time invested to a minimum, however once you invest in the material and time to build and install a set of grapple jaws that can withstand several thousand pounds of force, ultimately your going to have a need / desire for more clamping power than a linear actuator can provide. Actuators have quite a few moving parts subject to damage from wear and tear from the environment and subject to damage with the slightest tweak beyond it's capacity. You can hit a hydraulic cylinder with a hammer or drop a log or rock on it and it's none the worse for wear, can you say the same of an actuator? Also consider the duty cycle of an actuator, many are rated at only 25%, which means for every 2.5 minutes of use it will have to cool off for 7.5 minutes. A hydraulic cylinder has one moving part, 100 % duty cycle and is proven to be more resistive to abuse. The push force of a 2.0" ID hydraulic cylinder @ 2300 PSI is 7222 pounds. In the long run, a hydraulic cylinder will be the wiser investment (IMHO) On the other hand if you are 100% sure you will never need or want anything more than maybe 100 pounds or so of clamping force and your sure you will never bump, dent, or exceed the capacity of the actuator, then it should be just fine.

These are the basic parts needed for a hydraulic grapple:

Add a couple of hoses and that's it. A cylinder can be installed @ around $330.

Cylinder 60
Valve 120
Sub plate 50
Hoses & fittings 100

Larry