Crusarius
Well-known member
and also teaches much better welding than the pretty beads a mig lays down.
Stump Bucket Grapple Build
- Thread starter f150skidoo
- Start date
Griff93
Well-known member
I wasn't necessarily advocating dua shield over stick. I figured if the OP had a stick machine, he would be using it. I was just trying to suggest something to help him get more out of his machine especially since he has spent lots of time preheating. I haven't used it much but dual shield made my miller 175 capable of thicker materials without hitting the duty cycle. It's not something I've done much of but I'm considering it more due to how slow stick welding usually is. Time is money when you're in business.
Crusarius
Well-known member
you got my attention. Is dual shield still used with gas?
I have a miller 252 so power really isn't a problem. but I still like to know. I also have a pair of stick welders that I occasionally use for really thick stuff.
I have a miller 252 so power really isn't a problem. but I still like to know. I also have a pair of stick welders that I occasionally use for really thick stuff.
OP
f150skidoo
Well-known member
readhead
Well-known member
Switching back and forth can be a pain. If you buy a DC stick machine you can TIG weld with it also for the price of a torch and tank.
Griff93
Well-known member
What's a pain about swapping back and forth? If you're using a 0.030/0.035 liner, all you have to do is load the wire and swap the tip. The polarity is the same as regular mig wire for dual shield from everything I've seen. You have to turn up the gas regulator but that's the only other thing I can think of.
I've welded for a long time and never really have been exposed to dual shield until recently. It definitely seems to have it's uses. I'll be using it more in the future for heavier duty welding stuff that I want to use my mig for. I have two large stick/tig machines(310A and 350A) but I have a feeling I won't be using them as much anymore. They still have some advantages in certain situations.
Here's a decent video about dual shield.
I've welded for a long time and never really have been exposed to dual shield until recently. It definitely seems to have it's uses. I'll be using it more in the future for heavier duty welding stuff that I want to use my mig for. I have two large stick/tig machines(310A and 350A) but I have a feeling I won't be using them as much anymore. They still have some advantages in certain situations.
Here's a decent video about dual shield.
readhead
Well-known member
You are right. For a home shop it probably isn't a big deal. I have 14 mig machines on the floor and changing them doesn't make sense for me. Has to be used out of the wind and be prepared for lots of smoke.
OP
f150skidoo
Well-known member
Okay back on track. While I was waiting for the call from my steel supplier for me to go and pick up the arms I ended up painting the bucket. When I picked up the arms I was extremely impressed with the cut quality. I used my mag drill with a 1.5" annular cutter do drill the hole for the DOM pivots.
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OP
f150skidoo
Well-known member
The holes cut into the arms are for a piece of 3" 3/8" wall DOM tubing to slide 1/2" past on either side of the 3/4" arms, so I can put a bead on both side of the arm. The tolerance between the hole and the tubing was way to tight to slide on by hand. Instead of beating the **** out off it with a hammer I used the 20 ton press to push the tubing through. I need to adjust a few things before I tack the grapple together. But I wanted to mount the cylinder to check the stroke so clamped the mounts on temporarily for the test.
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OP
f150skidoo
Well-known member
I wanted to get the bucket done and painted today so I didn't bother taking many pics. But got it welded out after lots of pre heating. Used 1/4" plate to protect the cylinder from damage from grappling items. Fully open theirs 43" of clearance from the grapple arms to the bucket floor, the top grapple excluding the cylinder weighs 185 pounds.
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txvwnut
Well-known member
Looks great man, it looks factory built.
vekster
Well-known member
Awesome job man.
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Duker
Well-known member
That looks great!. That is one stout grappler. I bought a grappler for my tractor and it has been fantastic in clearing brush from our property. You are going to love it! Let's see some pictures of it in action! [emoji3]
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OP
f150skidoo
Well-known member
Got it all finished this morning and by the afternoon I rubbed a bunch of the paint off
I ended up having to do a mod on it, The hydraulic lines kept falling between the Q/A and the loader arms so I made a hoop out of 1/4" rod to prevent that. But this thing has tons of clamping force, Small branches up to 3" in diameter it will cut them in half. I picked up a 1400 lbs granite boulder in the grapple and tilt the bucket to full dump without the rock from falling out.
I ended up having to do a mod on it, The hydraulic lines kept falling between the Q/A and the loader arms so I made a hoop out of 1/4" rod to prevent that. But this thing has tons of clamping force, Small branches up to 3" in diameter it will cut them in half. I picked up a 1400 lbs granite boulder in the grapple and tilt the bucket to full dump without the rock from falling out.Attachments
Muggzy
Well-known member
That's cool as hell! I want to drive around and just tear s#!t upGot it all finished this morning and by the afternoon I rubbed a bunch of the paint off
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readhead
Well-known member
Excellent job. What should we expect next?
OP
f150skidoo
Well-known member
I don't think anything for awhile. I have a few small things to build but nothing major
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C_F
ALLIANCE MEMBER
It sure does! Sweet!
I'm with Mugzy, I'd be cruising around the yard ripping out lots of **** with that baby!
Thanks for taking us along for the ride, I really enjoyed watching this build.Oh, and a Mag drill with an annular cutter...I can sure think of a few times when I could have used a tool like that. It looks like it cuts really slick!
OP
f150skidoo
Well-known member
It sure does! Sweet!
I'm with Mugzy, I'd be cruising around the yard ripping out lots of **** with that baby!
Oh, and a Mag drill with an annular cutter...I can sure think of a few times when I could have used a tool like that. It looks like it cuts really slick!
Annular cutters are the cats ***. I run them in my milling machine all the time also. The best thing about them is they drill a very accurate hole. Drilling a
1 1/2" hole with a hole saw ends up having a hole with .125" or more oversized, But a annular cutter holes is 1.499".
OP
f150skidoo
Well-known member
I think I'm a bit under 1000.
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bimmer1980
Well-known member
Just curious how the grapple is working for you..... Any pics of it in action?
OP
f150skidoo
Well-known member
Well its worked fantastic, so far I've probably pulled 400 trees with it. Last weekend I cleared a acre of spruce & pine trees ranging from 8-20 feet tall. That acre had around 200 trees and I pulled all the trees with the roots still attached in 6 hours. unfortunately I didn't remember to take any pictures. But everyone that has seen the bucket all thought I had bought it.
SiGmA_X
Well-known member
Badass build, f150. The dump trailer build is top notch, too. I hope you loop us in on your future projects!
crabjoe
Well-known member
Looks fantastic and super heavy duty ... but how much does it weigh?
OP
f150skidoo
Well-known member
I think it weighs around 600 lbs which isn't to bad.
ToddW
Well-known member
Awesome build!
I've got a question, and don't mean it to be negative I'm trying to understand.
I live in the woods, mostly uneven ground, and use a TLB and the backhoe has a thumb. I usually will just grab the root ball of the small tree / bush and rip it out... they are anywhere from 5' to 30' tall. In summer our soil is like concrete so this works best in spring or winter.
The ground is uneven and I would have to drive a LOT more than twisting the backhoe to pull out 4-6 from 1 spot. Obviously for big trees I use the backhoe and dig around and get it out... sometimes I end up digging 15' perimeter and the "main" root/tree is 8' and 4-5' around!! It's crazy.
Am I missing something about usage of this device that I would find useful?
I want to build a general grapple bucket for moving roots, bushes, logs, etc, but not really ripping them out as I don't think it would be efficient for me.
Let me know
I've got a question, and don't mean it to be negative I'm trying to understand.
I live in the woods, mostly uneven ground, and use a TLB and the backhoe has a thumb. I usually will just grab the root ball of the small tree / bush and rip it out... they are anywhere from 5' to 30' tall. In summer our soil is like concrete so this works best in spring or winter.
The ground is uneven and I would have to drive a LOT more than twisting the backhoe to pull out 4-6 from 1 spot. Obviously for big trees I use the backhoe and dig around and get it out... sometimes I end up digging 15' perimeter and the "main" root/tree is 8' and 4-5' around!! It's crazy.
Am I missing something about usage of this device that I would find useful?
I want to build a general grapple bucket for moving roots, bushes, logs, etc, but not really ripping them out as I don't think it would be efficient for me.
Let me know