Wild KAT attachments

[IslandTractor]

This is the link I was referencing: http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...tentative-conclusion-what-12.html#post2579632

DStig1 posted it in the thread about "Grapple research and tentative conclusion...." started by Missouri Pioneer. The discussion about misfitting adapter plates is in the last couple of pages. For some reason I thought you were part of it.

 

[k0ua]

Bep, you should not have to do this, (the dimensions should have been correct to begin with) but the problem looks pretty easy to fix with a 1/2 inch piece of steel welded on top and slightly forward of the attachment point of the grapple where the pins go into the the slots. Just clamp the piece of steel on after fitting it so that the tapered portion of the pin contacts it correctly, then remove the grapple and weld it on securely. Seems like about an hour repair including cutting out the shims. I don't know if you have a welder and a bandsaw to make the parts or not, but that would be my fix. I have 2 other SSQA attachments, besides the Kubota bucket, and both fit perfectly and the Kubota pins make good contact with about 3/4 inch of the pins sticking out below the contact points at least. It should have been right to begin with, but it sure would be easy to fix.

James K0UA

 

[bubbacuse77]

so overall I am understanding that Wild Kat attachments are good for the price but have some quality control issues?

 

[JFS2295]

Not sure I would classify this as a quality control issue. More like a fitment standardization abnormality going by my past career. To me QC would mean that there are random areas that have failure or operation defects. This would be a fixture issue.

 

[IslandTractor]

Not sure I would classify this as a quality control issue. More like a fitment standardization abnormality going by my past career. To me QC would mean that there are random areas that have failure or operation defects. This would be a fixture issue.

With the evidence presented so far I'd have to agree. My naive reading of the SAE standard for these mounts doesn't reveal what the acceptable setback is for the mounting slots. Maybe someone with more experience can read the standard to determine that and Beppington can post what his grapples mount measurements are.

It's easy to trash the various companies when something doesn't fit but it may not be fair as sometimes the standards are just as much to blame. My Kioti loader QA is relatively narrow and leaves a couple of inches on either side open when attached to my grapple. It doesn't affect use directly but is annoying as the grapple occasionally shifts side to side. It is an example of how variable things can be but still be technically within the standard.

 

[beppington]

Bep, you should not have to do this, (the dimensions should have been correct to begin with) but the problem looks pretty easy to fix with a 1/2 inch piece of steel welded on top and slightly forward of the attachment point of the grapple where the pins go into the the slots. Just clamp the piece of steel on after fitting it so that the tapered portion of the pin contacts it correctly, then remove the grapple and weld it on securely. Seems like about an hour repair including cutting out the shims. I don't know if you have a welder and a bandsaw to make the parts or not, but that would be my fix. I have 2 other SSQA attachments, besides the Kubota bucket, and both fit perfectly and the Kubota pins make good contact with about 3/4 inch of the pins sticking out below the contact points at least. It should have been right to begin with, but it sure would be easy to fix.

James K0UA

That fix would work. And it may come to that. I'm not a welder, though, so I'd have to take it to somebody ... otherwise I'd have already done it myself :thumbsup:

 

[beppington]

so overall I am understanding that Wild Kat attachments are good for the price but have some quality control issues?

It doesn't seem like anything is out of whack quality-wise. The slot for the SS QA pin is off by about the same amount on both sides, so the members appear to have been intentionally cut the size/ shape they are & welded precisely where they are ... They just don't match up to my SS QA's dimensions.

 

[beppington]

With the evidence presented so far I'd have to agree. My naive reading of the SAE standard for these mounts doesn't reveal what the acceptable setback is for the mounting slots. Maybe someone with more experience can read the standard to determine that and Beppington can post what his grapples mount measurements are.

I measured the Wild Kat grapple slots last night, but still need to measure my Kubota bucket's slots. Will post ASAP.

It's easy to trash the various companies when something doesn't fit but it may not be fair as sometimes the standards are just as much to blame. My Kioti loader QA is relatively narrow and leaves a couple of inches on either side open when attached to my grapple. It doesn't affect use directly but is annoying as the grapple occasionally shifts side to side. It is an example of how variable things can be but still be technically within the standard.

My Wild Kat has maybe 1/2" side-to-side play, which seems to be perfectly fine. Probably good to have at least a little play in case either the bucket or the SS QA is dirty or if the paint or welds got a little thick.

 

[whitedogone]

Looks to be a real easy fix to me. At the price Wildkat is charging for thier 48ld unit it seems to me a minor issue. I just ordered a 48" with JDQD. If the JD mount is off it, will be a lot bigger deal. The JD will need to be dead nuts or it won't mate up at all. We''ll see. For those who question the low price, Mine was $550 (delete flat face couplers) plus $188 shipping for a total of $738.

 

[beppington]

Boy I'm really confused now.

I've accurately measured the SS QA "slot" on both my OEM Kubota bucket & the new Wild Kat grapple bottom bucket, & they are nearly the same ... yet the Kubota bucket secures extremely tight & the Wild Kat has a ~3/8" gap that keeps it from being tight.

The distance from the buckets' mating surface to the surface that the securing pin needs to push against is 1.25", +1/32". This is the distance on both buckets. I just don't get it. I guess I'm going to have to set them down side-by-side to see if I can figure out where the difference is.

Here are pics of both:

Wild Kat grapple bottom bucket:

OEM Kubota bucket:

 

[Rockgod]

Looks like the bottom flange on the WK is pushed off the grapple. On the bucket there is no left side lip. Notice the lip attached to the grapple to the left of your blue line. If you take away that lip then you push the slot closer to the grapple backside. That welded on flange is pushing the slot too far off the grapple.

 

[Rockgod]

This lip

 

[beppington]

Looks like the bottom flange on the WK is pushed off the grapple. On the bucket there is no left side lip. Notice the lip attached to the grapple to the left of your blue line. If you take away that lip then you push the slot closer to the grapple backside. That welded on flange is pushing the slot too far off the grapple.

That lip would "appear" to be the difference, but it's not: The 1.25" (+1/32") measurement was made from the mating surface, not that lip.

 

[Rockgod]

That lip would "appear" to be the difference, but it's not: The 1.25" (+1/32") measurement was made from the mating surface, not that lip.

That has to be it, that can't be!

This feels like a riddle :laughing:

 

[beppington]

That has to be it, that can't be!

This feels like a riddle :laughing:

I know! It's ridiculous! All the dimensions that seem to matter seem to be right, yet there's a 3/8" gap! :confused3: And the thing is loose as a goose.

Ah-ha! I just noticed: On the OEM Kubota bucket pic below, look at the gap between the mating surfaces. I have no idea why that gap is there, but the bucket is surely secured nice-and-tight in that picture; I tried to push it all around to make sure it really is tight, & it is. The Wild Kat doesn't seem to have that gap; The mating surfaces are right against each other. Hmmmm ....

 

[Rockgod]

I think your gonna have to shim it.

 

[OrangeGuy]

I had the same problem with a "Gator" grapple I purchased a couple of years ago. I found that shimming the top with two 1/4" by 1 1/4" by 12" steel plates corrected the problem. The shim went on the inside slope of the wedge section just above where the quick attach engaged. This effectively pulled the grapple up thus causing the pins the seat properly. You still need a welder to tack the shims in place.

OrangeGuy

 

[whitedogone]

I ordered on a thursday pm and got a call tesday that my 48" had arrived! That's very fast service considering they probably had to make up one with JD connects. This thing looks very HD. The shipping bill says #420. When I get it to the farm, I'll weigh it to get a actual wt.

 

[Mike_VT]

I bought the bottom 1/2 (bucket part) of their 66" wide "deep" grapple, so I could push the teeth into the ground & pop roots & saplings up, or use it as very strong debris forks. It's a beast, but the fitment to my SS QA is not good ... There's a 3/8" gap between my loader's locking lever's pin & the implement's locking notch surface that keeps the bucket from being secure. I can wiggle it all around by hand & have to figure someday it'll fall off unless I modify it. Believe it or not, yes, the lever is locked down in this pic:

I have a 60" grapple that is very well built and the price and quality is outstanding. I too has the fit issue, to resolve I took some 3/8 round stock and welded it into the slot on th qa plate. Problem solved.

Bottom line for the prove and quality I would look no further. I say this after considering all the brand name grapples out there. I just could not justify the price of the name brand when this is equally as stout and has never let me down.

 

[beppington]

Pics of how mine got fixed. Wild Kat sent 2 metal pieces, & then I took the grapple bucket to a local welder to have them welded on. These "tabs" extend 7/16" further toward the sloped contact surface of the SS QA securing pins (click on them for bigger pics):