Bota2620 said:
I purchased a 2008 B series 2620 a couple of weeks ago. The dealership just received the tractor, but is still waiting on the LA364 FEL and 60" belly mower. .....
Is the quarter inching over position control a big deal? I guess for me, I probably won't know the difference as this will be the only tractor I will use.
Any recommendations on grapples for the FEL? I don't want to modify my new tractor to much to accommodate the
grapple, but this looks like a useful tool.
Quarter inching is probably not important for you if you are using a MMM and your use is limited to residential mowing and utility tasks. It would be of more use if you were using 3pt implements. (Edit: after reading your subsequent posts I see you will use a box blade and bush hog. Position control makes managing those devices faster and easier to set a given cut height to return to but you can do everything with the quarter inching valve).
You have a few choices for adding a
grapple function. The simplest is just to add a
grapple arm to your standard bucket. If you are a do it yourselfer you can get a
grapple arm off ebay (Andy Tatro sells one that lots of TBNer's have liked). You can also buy a more expensive complete kit that requires only some drilling and bolting from either ATI or Add A
Grapple. Both of those seem to work well and cost in the range of $600 or so. A third option is to get a light weight "real"
grapple. Millonzi, WRLong and ATI and a few others sell these. Be careful not to get a
grapple that weighs much more than 300lbs as the LA362 has less than 1000lbs lift capacity at the pivot pins so any
grapple weight is deducted from that to get your net lift capacity. I don't recall the cost of the ATI or WR Long grapples but both are considerably more money than the Millonzi LD48 which costs about $850 if you say you are a TBN member.
You'll need to figure out hydraulic controls to run a
grapple too. There are two basic choices 1) diverter valve or 2) use rear remotes. I'm guessing that you have not opted to have any rear remotes installed but the dealer could do that. Not sure what Kubota charges but $500 would be about par. To use a rear remote you'd basically just order a couple lengths of hydraulic hose and fittings to run from the rear remote outlets to the
grapple. It just requires some zip ties to secure the hoses as you lead them over the rear axle, under the operator station, up the FEL mount post and down the FEL arm. Sounds more complicated than it is and it takes about 15 minutes to do. I used 1/2 inch hose but 3/8 or even 1/4 would be fine for a
grapple. Just make sure you get the right fittings to match the rear remote and
grapple fittings. The other option is more costly but popular: the diverter valve. Basically you'd get your dealer to order one from WRLong as a kit and either have them install it or do it yourself. (A few people build their own diverter valves but that requires quite a lot of effort for parts sourcing). I think these diverter valve kits go for about $600 or so now. The advantage of the diverter valve is that you don't need to take your hand off the FEL joystick to operate the
grapple. With the rear remote set up you move your hand from the FEL joystick to the rear remote controller which is not a big deal...something like reaching for the 4speed shifter in a car rather than operating the gears with a wheel mounted paddle shifter. I've used both systems, liked both, and don't have a strong preference. If you have any need for a rear remote (log splitter, top and tilt etc) then go that route. The diverter valve route is easier if you just want a turn key solution installed by the dealer.
Good luck with your new tractor. Post pictures!
