Grapple Millonzi Grapple

[MadReferee]

Don't have a BH, but planning hydraulic top link. Guess I could use that feed for the grapple. I plan to have box blade in back for counterbalance. Can I disconnect the HTL line without losing control of BB??

Probably. It might move a bit from shock loading and depending on the condition of the male QD on the hose it might leak a little. A DPOCV on the cylinder would just about eliminate movement.

 

[MadReferee]

Hey Island, Why don't you run it from the FEL power beyond circuit? Just curious as I was planning to run mine that way. I see what your post says but if there was a elec switch on the loader joystick wouldn't that be easyer. My rear lever is on the same side a my FEL stick so it looks like it will really wear my right arm out.

I believe he has stated before that he didn't want to go the extra open center valve route. For IT's application use, his method works works for him. For me it doesn't and I went with an additional electric solenoid valve.

 

[flINTLOCK]

Would you have a dealer install the electric solenoid?? How does a DOCV work??

 

[MadReferee]

Would you have a dealer install the electric solenoid?? How does a DOCV work??

It only takes a few minutes to do it yourself. I bought the kit from WR Long.

A Double Pilot Operated Check Valve (DPOCV), also sometimes referred to as a lock valve, will lock the cylinder in place until a pilot pressure is applied to the valve. This is the simple explanation. Do a little search here and you will find more info as I don't want to hijack this thread.

 

[flINTLOCK]

Thanks for the help. Don't worry about hijacking since I started it.

 

[flINTLOCK]

Great pictures of your "light" grapple. I think it should work for what I need. How do you know if you're trying to pick up more weight that the FEL is capable of. If you have enough weight out back, will you blow a hose or would something else give??

 

[jeffinsgf]

A check valve on the HTL would keep it at whatever position it was in when you disconnected, but you will loose the ability to adjust it. Whenever I am using my 3rd SCV for something other than my HTL, I put the old manual TL back on.

My third SCV control is right next to my rockshaft control. A diverter valve on the joystick would be more convenient, but it would have cost a lot more than the 3rd SCV (at least on my tractor).

I had a grapple from Attachments International that I bought on eBay. It was fine on my Bobcat (before I sold it), but a little heavy for my tractor. I like the looks of this Millonzi.

RE: hydraulic overload. Nothing to worry about. If you pick up more than you are properly ballasted for, your rear tires will come off the ground. Just drop your load and take a smaller bite. If you have more than enough ballast for maximum capacity, your hydraulics have a pressure relief valve that will kick out and prevent the operation of the unit. In this case, the answer is the same, take a smaller bite.

 

[IslandTractor]

Hey Island, Why don't you run it from the FEL power beyond circuit? Just curious as I was planning to run mine that way. I see what your post says but if there was a elec switch on the loader joystick wouldn't that be easyer. My rear lever is on the same side a my FEL stick so it looks like it will really wear my right arm out.

To be honest, I ran it originally from the rear remote because it was easier to set up (I already had the rear remote) and I wanted to get working. It takes 15 minutes to run hydraulic lines with zip ties while it would take a good half day to install a diverter. I also have the FEL and remote lever on the right side but I find after using the combo for an hour or so that it became a "no look" automatic movement to drop my hand off the FEL stick and grab the remote lever. Just as natural as reaching for a floor shifter on a car. Once I got used to it there just has not been much reason (except the BH) to get myself organized to install a diverter. It also saved about $500 for the diverter rig.

I think people sometimes exaggerate the complexity of controlling the grapple. You really just open the jaw, use the bucket just as you normally would and then close the jaw. There are very rare instances when you'd like to be moving the grapple and opening/closing it at the same time. Therefore there is really no penalty for needing to take your hand off the FEL control to open/close the thing.

Having said this, I am sure that someday I will get tired of switching the BH and grapple lines as the combo do get used together very effectively, so I'll end up putting in a diverter. Maybe next year, maybe not. Also, if I choose to put another $500 into the tractor I'd have to consider the value of the diverter vs. box blade or hydraulic topping lift etc.

 

[3RRL]

flintlock,
I went the extra mile and installed the electric solenoid valve. The switch mounts in you loader joystick. Makes it very easy to operate the grapples and bucket at the same time without having to do one or the other. Plus, you get a true third function where both bucket and grapple can move at the same time.

I posted a thread about installing the bucket grapples and valve. I received a ton of information and instructions from MadReferee and others. I took Mad's advice and I'm glad I did. Here is the thread. INSTALLING GRAPPLES AND WR LONG VALVE There are a lot of pictures showing the installation.

For most grapple use IslandTractor is right, especially for shrub and burn piles. For most operations, I drive into the pile and close the grapples. However, I have a lot of boulders that I am moving so it is difficult to get the boulder inside the bucket before lowering the grapples. Sometimes they don't catch that way. So what I do is fully dump the bucket with grapples wide open and grab the boulders from the top ... like using your thumb and fingers to lift/grab something. I can close both the grapples and curl the bucket at the same time, capturing the boulder before it rolls away. I can also lower the fel at the same time too while I'm getting a bite on it.

 

[IslandTractor]

flintlock,
I went the extra mile and installed the electric solenoid valve. ...I posted a thread about installing the bucket grapples and valve. I received a ton of information and instructions from MadReferee and others. I took Mad's advice and I'm glad I did. Here is the thread. INSTALLING GRAPPLES AND WR LONG VALVE There are a lot of pictures showing the installation...

3RRL, How long did it take you to complete the installation of the electric solenoid kit? It looks from your posts that it took a while to first map out the hydraulic schema but how long did the installation take after you got that sorted out?