grapple angles

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sterlclan

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Joined
May 1, 2004
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528
I want to fab a grapple for my root bucket any ideas on how to figure the mounting points for the grapple and cylinder? I would think that if those two were not right the grapple wont work. Math was never my strong point. ideas? Thanks...........Jeff
 
I'm doing the same thing, picked up half a grapple bucket (1 one set of arms), I may be wrong but this is my idea.
Extend the hyd. cylinder and with the end of the grapple arms resting on the bottom of the bucket, mark the mounting locations for the hyd. cylinder and arms then weld.
It might be better if a thin piece of wood or some other spacer were placed between the ends if the arms and the bottom of the bucket, this would stop any damage to the bucket with hyd. cylinder extended all the way. I guess?.
 
I'm doing the same thing, picked up half a grapple bucket (1 one set of arms), I may be wrong but this is my idea.
Extend the hyd. cylinder and with the end of the grapple arms resting on the bottom of the bucket, mark the mounting locations for the hyd. cylinder and arms then weld.
It might be better if a thin piece of wood or some other spacer were placed between the ends if the arms and the bottom of the bucket, this would stop any damage to the bucket with hyd. cylinder extended all the way. I guess?.
You're better off having more pressure on the bucket than not enough. There's nothing more annoying than trying to grab a piece of sheet metal and it won't grab enough. And keep in mind that bucket cutting egdes eventually wear down so it's best to move the tooth/teeth in ward rather outward toward the front edge. Case in point when I and 30 other buddies went to Miss. to clean up Hurricane Katrina in '05 I was the only one who bought a $5300 Bobcat brand industrial grapple bucket. The other guys bought the cheapest they could find. Long story short their bucket cutting edges wore down 10 times quicker and much farther than mine. After 500 hours on mine the teeth are still way behind the leading edge, and very little is worn away. Theirs look like snaggle tooth lions with big-time overbite---which drastically reduces the "grab-ability". And their grapple teeth were badly bent too. You get what you pay for. BTW, my grapple closes so tightly that I can literally close one tooth on a single link of tow chain and pull stuff out (like pulling myself out of Mississippi mud hole) without it pulling off the tooth.
 
Just measure your cylinders lengths retracted and extended, then tack up your pivot points and and measure the distance with the jaw open and closed. Move around as needed.
For the pin on the back end of the cylinder: The closer you move it to the main grapple jaw pin the more the jaw will close with 1" of cylinder travel, but the less force it will have.
I would leave 1/2" of stroke left when its closed, so as the pins wear it will still close tight. Further, it would be good to have the grapple point meet the cutting edge back 2 or3" so as the edge wears down it does not develope a overbite.
Ken
 
Just measure your cylinders lengths retracted and extended, then tack up your pivot points and and measure the distance with the jaw open and closed. Move around as needed.
For the pin on the back end of the cylinder: The closer you move it to the main grapple jaw pin the more the jaw will close with 1" of cylinder travel, but the less force it will have.
I would leave 1/2" of stroke left when its closed, so as the pins wear it will still close tight. Further, it would be good to have the grapple point meet the cutting edge back 2 or3" so as the edge wears down it does not develope a overbite.
Ken
thanks as soon as I get some fab done Ill post some pics .Right now I'm working on an old army generator so the bucket will have to wait.....Jeff
 
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