yet another grapple....

[mykleh]

Well with a ton of advice, help, guidance from Rob on the do's and don'ts of grapple design here is where I stand as of today. I am currently having a slightly used tooth bar tweaked from 68" to fit my 60" bucket. Once that is complete and I can verify I don't have any interferences the design will be off to the laser cutter!! quick question for the assembled group... my New Holland doesn't have a straight ledge/lip to bolt to so you can see my attempt at building up a flat strong platform of 1/2" plate.. for those with a grapple is the 1/2 over kill? to many gussets underneath? I would like it light as possible but not at the cost of bending it all up the first time I use it.. positive and negative feedback is welcome!

 

[GuglioLS]

Those Grapple jaws Look very familiar.

My suggestion - as long as your going to get parts laser cut, I suggest lightening holes in the gussets as well. Depending on how strong / thick the top of your bucket is where the gussets attach, maybe consider some individual oval pieces underneath each gusset to spread the forces over a wider area or a 1/4" re-enforcement plate. Just my two cents worth.
BTW what software are you using to draw 3D? Oh and I would really like to see a video of the laser cutter in action.


Larry

 

[mykleh]

As I stated all the help and credit for the original design go to Rob as he shared his design with me. All I did was modify it to fit my bucket (longer arms different swing points) and figure out the bracing.. yeah after I posted the pictures I thought some holes in the gussets would be in order. The bucket is 3/16 steel. I was hoping using the long top plate with more gussets would already diffuse the torque and twist issues... I use SolidWorks. I don't think I'll get a video of this round of cutting... my buddy works at a laser shop and will run it for me, I supply the steel.

 

[SPYDERLK]

Well with a ton of advice, help, guidance from Rob on the do's and don'ts of grapple design here is where I stand as of today. I am currently having a slightly used tooth bar tweaked from 68" to fit my 60" bucket. Once that is complete and I can verify I don't have any interferences the design will be off to the laser cutter!! quick question for the assembled group... my New Holland doesn't have a straight ledge/lip to bolt to so you can see my attempt at building up a flat strong platform of 1/2" plate.. for those with a grapple is the 1/2 over kill? to many gussets underneath? I would like it light as possible but not at the cost of bending it all up the first time I use it.. positive and negative feedback is welcome!

I like your reinforcement design. It gives me an idea. You may want to use fewer and lighter gussets - only at the grapple applied stress points, but weld a 3/16 plate all across the back in order to close the section. With closed section and 1/2 top you probably dont need any more than a center gusset. Close with two separate plates welded to/at center gusset
larry

 

[Havoctec]

mykleh

What program is your design drawn in? I am planning to build the same thing and it would save a lot of tiem if you would be willing to send me your drawing file.

 

[3RRL]

Hi there Mike,
Glad to see you are posting your project now. I sure looks good to me.
Your question about 1/2" being overkill...on Loretta's bucket, she is getting quite a bit of flex even with her 1/2" plate on top. So I'll be taking that mounting plate off (on the original design) and adding a bunch of holes to it to lighten it up and then add a tube or bar completely across the top lip for better rigidity. Adding lightening holes to all your gussets will help with the weight consideration and not hurt the strength...maybe even eliminate a couple of the gussets since you can always add them later. You could also consider making all the interior gussets out of 5/16 or 3/8 stock instead of 1/2 inch, but still put holes in them if you are getting them plasma cut anyway.
Great job and your CAD drawings are great too. Nice to see another satisfied customer.

Well with a ton of advice, help, guidance from Rob on the do's and don'ts of grapple design here is where I stand as of today. I am currently having a slightly used tooth bar tweaked from 68" to fit my 60" bucket. Once that is complete and I can verify I don't have any interferences the design will be off to the laser cutter!! quick question for the assembled group... my New Holland doesn't have a straight ledge/lip to bolt to so you can see my attempt at building up a flat strong platform of 1/2" plate.. for those with a grapple is the 1/2 over kill? to many gussets underneath? I would like it light as possible but not at the cost of bending it all up the first time I use it.. positive and negative feedback is welcome!

 

[mykleh]

Thanks for the feedback guys... sorry for the slow reply I was on vacation last week... Havotec it is drawn in Solidworks... I have my "flavor" of 3RRL design in 3-D. 3RRL has it in the "original flavor" in 2-D. As GuglioLS mentioned to me when I started making mine the asking/granting of permission goes to 3RRL and then I'll be happy to forward.. I still have to make the tweaks recommended here as well first...