Grappling fun - A Picture Thread....

[rswyan]

Here's a few of my recently (yesterday) completed home-built root rake/grapple ... I'm sure lovin' it so far:

 

[IslandTractor]

Here's a few of my recently (yesterday) completed home-built root rake/grapple ... I'm sure lovin' it so far:

View attachment 465286

View attachment 465287

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View attachment 465289

Interesting and quite novel clamshell design. I like the fact that the upper arm pivot point is moved forward a foot or so. That will prevent the dreaded "pinch point" problem inherent to clamshells where the first log is clamped but prevents the grapple from closing further so the rest of the load falls out.

Show us more of what it can do. Nice work!!

 

[TomSeller]

Here's a few of my recently (yesterday) completed home-built root rake/grapple ... I'm sure lovin' it so far:

And you should. Pretty dang nice! Good job!

 

[dragoneggs]

And you should. Pretty dang nice! Good job!

You can say that again... too bad we don't have the double post problem anymore :laughing:

 

[rswyan]

Interesting and quite novel clamshell design. I like the fact that the upper arm pivot point is moved forward a foot or so. That will prevent the dreaded "pinch point" problem inherent to clamshells where the first log is clamped but prevents the grapple from closing further so the rest of the load falls out.

That was the idea ...

Show us more of what it can do.

My pleasure.

From yesterday:

From today:

Nice work!!

Thanks ...

 

[rswyan]

And you should. Pretty dang nice! Good job!

Thank you very much.

I spent most of today moving debris - mostly old logs and stumps - to the rear (south) property line. There used to be a large pile of them in the photo below:

There's a shared trail between my neighbor (east) and I, which connects to a gas line right of way on the south end of properties. It's where I took these two photos from.

We've both had some problems with trespassers, so I blocked off access to our properties (via that trail) from the gas line right of way:

Still have many, many loads to go.

Yesterday (and this evening) I worked on clearing out the area below ... we used to have a garden (mid-ground, on the far side of the wood pile) ... in the background the trees have encroached from my neighbor's property, which is what I was clearing:

 

[IslandTractor]

rswyan, can you show us some photos of your grapple without a load to demonstrate the geometry wide open and fully closed? Side view would be best. The pivot point arrangement is unique. I thought initially that the pivot point was forward of the frame but another TBNer pointed out that actually there is a pivot point at the frame it's just higher than on a typical clamshell. It looks to me now like you avoided the pinching problem of a scissor type joint by designing in a void with "C" type upper jaw so there is never contact between the upper jaw and back of the grapple as happens with a typical clamshell. What do you call your design? A cantilevered clamshell????

 

[rswyan]

rswyan, can you show us some photos of your grapple without a load to demonstrate the geometry wide open and fully closed? Side view would be best.

Sure, wide open:

Works pretty good for raking too:

Jaw opening, tip to tip = 55 1/4"

Jaw height from ground when open, with lower jaw/frame oriented vertical = 54"

The one below is of it closed ... BEFORE I cut off some metal on the upper jaw arms (where it was contacting the bottom of the hydraulic cylinders and preventing it from closing further) and lengthened the hydraulic cylinders by 1/2".

It closes a little further now - the tips of the upper jaw are probably within an inch or so of the slots in the root rake:

Sorry ... don't have any current side view pics of closed in it's current config. If I can remember I'll snap some later today ...

The pivot point arrangement is unique. I thought initially that the pivot point was forward of the frame but another TBNer pointed out that actually there is a pivot point at the frame it's just higher than on a typical clamshell. It looks to me now like you avoided the pinching problem of a scissor type joint by designing in a void with "C" type upper jaw so there is never contact between the upper jaw and back of the grapple as happens with a typical clamshell. What do you call your design? A cantilevered clamshell????

Sounds good to me ... :thumbsup:

:laughing:

 

[Tomtint]

Sure, wide open:

View attachment 465344
Works pretty good for raking too:

View attachment 465346

Jaw opening, tip to tip = 55 1/4"

Jaw height from ground when open, with lower jaw/frame oriented vertical = 54"

The one below is of it closed ... BEFORE I cut off some metal on the upper jaw arms (where it was contacting the bottom of the hydraulic cylinders and preventing it from closing further) and lengthened the hydraulic cylinders by 1/2".

It closes a little further now - the tips of the upper jaw are probably within an inch or so of the slots in the root rake:

View attachment 465345

Sorry ... don't have any current side view pics of closed in it's current config. If I can remember I'll snap some later today ...


Sounds good to me ... :thumbsup:

:laughing:

That's a real nice set up. Looks great

 

[rswyan]

dragoneggs and Tomtint,

Thanks to both of you for your kind comments.

 

[Gordon Gould]

Good job rswyan. That grapple looks like a real worker !!!

gg

 

[rswyan]

gg,

Thanks.

My next door neighbor has a Bobcat 763 that's currently over at his son's ... I'd be curious to see what it could do on that, although I'm not sure it would mount, given the way I tied the QA plate in.

The Bobcat probably has nearly 3x the lift capacity of my little Kubota and a few more ponies under the hood ...

 

[IslandTractor]

Rswyan, have you weighed your grapple yet? If you haven't then let's start a pool to guess the weight. I'm in for 425lbs.

It really looks great. I'm trying to imagine the practical pros and cons of your design. It does appear to be pretty heavy and is certainly stout. I'd imagine that a traditional clamshell would hold a single small log more securely for bucking but that yours would do that job as well as any standard root grapple (like mine). Your grapple will certainly hold more brush than a regular clamshell too because it doesn't have the scissor joint. Yours would be much more efficient than either a standard clamshell or open bottom type grapple at collecting scattered tree branches. I'm guessing that the relatively short bottom tines would be a disadvantage in levering and popping roots with the FEL but the stout design would permit lots of pushing.

 

[lostcreekranch]

Rswyan, have you weighed your grapple yet? If you haven't then let's start a pool to guess the weight. I'm in for 425lbs.
.

Or maybe start the weight pool here?

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/showthread.php?t=320507

 

[Xfaxman]

Rswyan, have you weighed your grapple yet? If you haven't then let's start a pool to guess the weight. I'm in for 425lbs.

-------------------------------------

My guess is 395lbs.

 

[IslandTractor]

Or maybe start the weight pool here?

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/build-yourself/320507-root-rake-grapple-kubota-b2910.html

We'll let rswyan decide where the weight pool should occur. I somehow missed that entire grapple building thread so just saw his grapple for the first time yesterday here.

 

[rswyan]

Jaws closed as far as they will go, as they currently are, after I made the mods I mentioned previously:

 

[rswyan]

Rswyan, have you weighed your grapple yet?

Nope, not yet.

If you haven't then let's start a pool to guess the weight. I'm in for 425lbs.

LOL ... great idea !

Since I'm the one that will be providing the answer, I'll recuse myself from offering a guess

It really looks great.

Thanks again.

I'm trying to image the practical pros and cons of your design. It does appear to be pretty heavy and is certainly stout. I'd imagine that a traditional clamshell would hold a single small log more securely for bucking but that yours would do that job as well as any standard root grapple (like mine).

Likely true.

Your grapple will certainly hold more brush than a regular clamshell too because it doesn't have the scissor joint.

I think that may be the case ... but I haven't tried to put it to the test, until I get some expanded metal to cover the lower frame.

Something that recently moved up the "priorities" scale:

Yours would be much more efficient than either a standard clamshell or open bottom type grapple at collecting scattered tree branches.

Having used neither of those you mention I couldn't say for sure, but it seems to be working pretty good so far.

I'm guessing that the relatively short bottom tines would be a disadvantage in levering and popping roots with the FEL ...

I have less of a lever ... but (theoretically) more of a mechanical advantage I believe, because the lever is shorter.

...but the stout design would permit lots of pushing.

The limitation appears to be the stoutness of the FEL arms ... not the grapple ...

I'm trying to be pretty careful in using it, because I don't want to screw up or break something. Our tractor is fairly small and light ... 30 hp/1700 lbs (?) without the FEL or anything hangin' on the 3PH.

But to your point, it does seem to do pretty decent with roots ...assuming they aren't too large or tough.

I was kinda surprised when it popped this one today: