My Grapple Project (part 1)

[kubotabilly]

Part 3 - Back on track

I shortened the rear cylinder mount and tacked it in place. (pic 11)

 

[kubotabilly]

Part 3 - Back on track)

Next I inserted the square tubing through the center arm. I also made 3 pins to replace the long drift pin used earlier. (pic 13)

 

[kubotabilly]

Part 3 - Back on track

I also added a center rail mount and drilled 2 holes in the top of the bucket to secure the mount. Jim, you can see that I mounted my toothbar, getting ready for the final adjustments.(pic 15)

 

[kubotabilly]

Part 3 - Back on track)

I know everyone was concerned that I may weld my grease fitting holes closed, so just to satisfy your curiosity /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif. (pic 14)

 

[kubotabilly]

Part 3 - Back on track)

Next, over to the welding table for some serious welding. I started this project using my Lincoln AC/DC welder and I was so frustrated over the “L” shaped arm dilemma that I vented my frustrations by buying a Millermatic 251 mig welder /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif. I feel a lot better now /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif. Big Blue does a mighty fine job!!! /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif(pic16)

 

[kubotabilly]

Part 3 - Back on track

Boy, I feel good /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif. It was a vacation day well spent /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif. That's it for today everyone, more tomorrow night. I'm going to reply to several previous posts and call it a night.

PS> Here's what I felt like doing last night to the neighbors JD 585 /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif.

Bill

 

[kubotabilly]

RedRocker,
I gave the wrong Miller Plasma cutter number in one on my previous posts, it should of been the 375 plasma cutter. The 375 is not a cnc setup but it's a great machine.

Bill

 

[kubotabilly]

Steven,
And pics you shall have /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif. I think I have things back on track /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Bill

 

[kubotabilly]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I have done some work on the geometry of the grapple arm and cylinder pivot locations. I wrote a simple spreadsheet to allow me to plug in placement values and it will compute my cylinder stroke. )</font>

WhiteRock,
Jim said in a previous post that he "envys people with a work shop". I envy people like yourself that have brains to figure out problems. I'm no dummy but I do most of my projects by the old trial and error method. I do appreciate your offer on the spreadsheet perhaps I can make future changes that would benefit me. I'll PM you my email address. As far as the number of cylinders, I'm using one and I did think of mounting 2 outside the arms as you suggest, but I would of had to make my grapple wider and I really didn't want the extra weight.

 

[kubotabilly]

Dan,
I was going to buy my cylinder from Northern but then I found the same thing at TSC fro the same price. Here's a thought on hydraulic hose routing. Hydraulic hoses are like extension cords, they have a memory. Just rout them where you want them and let them hang that way for a few days and presto, they will always return to the way you originaly placed them. Having your grapple open wide enough is the toughest part of the design. All I can say is keep looking at all those grapple pictures and keep looking at posts on this website and with a little bit of help from above your grapple will work the way you want it to /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

PS> I have enough grapple photos that I can heat my house for 1/2 of next winter /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Bill

 

[kubotabilly]

WhiteRock,
Yes, that was my original plan. I must have looked at that photo a million times and just could not get the design to work. Here's my theory, there are alot of factors that come into play here. 1) The depth & height of your bucket. 2) the design of your arms in relationship to your bucket size. 3) The degree of rollback that Kubota's larger loaders have is either 40 or 45 degrees, that's alot of rollback. I feel the downfall of my "L" shaped arms was the fact that they extended too far out in front of my bucket therefore I had to mount the cylinder farther back to accommodate my opening that I wanted to achieve. It didn't work out or else I gave up to quickly /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif.

Bill <font color="black"> </font>

 

[notamustang]

<font color="orange">I was so frustrated over the “L” shaped arm dilemma that I vented my frustrations by buying a Millermatic 251 mig welder . I feel a lot better now . Big Blue does a mighty fine job!!! (pic16)
</font>

I am glad you feel better I feel a little worse /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif
Looks great Bill, I do have a legit question though. PineRidge moved his center tooth on his bucket over to allow for tighter closing of his grapple, do you see this as a problem or are the new arms close to the plane of the bucket edge and not foreseen as a problem? Thanks Steven

 

[kubotabilly]

Steven,
I adjusted the grapple via the clevis on the front of the cylinder. The adjustment allows me to keep my center arm
off the center tooth and saves me revamping the toothbar /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif.

Bill

 

[PineRidge]

Bill looks to me like you are back on track again.

<font color="blue"> I adjusted the grapple via the clevis on the front of the cylinder. The adjustment allows me to keep my center arm
off the center tooth and saves me revamping the tooth-bar .
</font>

I thought about doing the same and I also thought about moving the lift arm off-center an inch or two but when I set in the saddle seeing the center lift arm off center would drive me batty. I opted for repositioning the center tooth on my tooth-bar as it only took about 45 minutes of additional time and all 3 lift arms close tight against the buckets edge.

Keep posting those pictures your project looks great!

I also have some left over New Holland blue paint I can send you for when the grapple is finished, you are getting close. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[kubotabilly]

Part 4 - Moving right along

Good evening everyone. After attaching a few gussets to the bottom tube, it’s ready to be remounted. (pic 17)

Bill

 

[kubotabilly]

This is the mount I made for my front hydraulic outlets. I ran the hoses to my rear outlets for now and will no doubt buy a solenoid in the future and mount a button on my joystick like Pineridge & others have done. (Hydro pic )

 

[kubotabilly]

Time to finalize the cylinder mounts. Once in place, they were tacked, I mounted the 2 x 8 cylinder from TSC. (pic 18)

 

[kubotabilly]

All remaining hydraulic plumbing was completed and a restrictor was added to slow down the cycle time. The restrictor has a 1/32” hole and was purchased at TSC. Just in case the hydraulic police are watching, these fittings are all high pressure compliant and are not the garden variety black pipe fittings. (pic restrictor)

 

[kubotabilly]

Part 4 - The moment of truth /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

First test, grapple open, PASSED. It gave me an opening of 33” from the floor to the tip of the arm, more that enough to grab a log or pile of brush. If I can grab a log with that diameter, I probably won’t be able to lift it anyway. (pic grapple open)

 

[kubotabilly]

OK, it works. So I’ll check everything to make sure it’s welded, do alittle grinding and then it’s off to my paint room for a coat or two of NH blue. Yea right, it would make the ‘bota look like a high school mascot /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif, blue & orange, no way /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif.
I'll be posting the final photos on Saturday night. I must warn you, sunglasses will be needed to view them /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif.

Bill