John Deere Grapple bucket

[Jon B.]

got this one new on ebay 1250 .00 freeshipping

Yabbut...

You can't pinch an 8" log with that thing! :msp_smile:

Mrs. B. was adamant that I couldn't add another two years to the ROI (return on investment, for you economics-ignorant readers) of wood-fired heat. I told her 5 years, then bought a new saw and a splitter, adding two more years.

$400+ isn't going to be a hard sell; $1200 would be.

Jon

 

[terryknight]

Good answer! :msp_biggrin: I do wish the JD loaders had standard skid-steer attach plates instead of their proprietary fittings. Yeah, adapters are available but then I can't use the original bucket w/o rebuilding it. Maybe I should, anyway. The JD-to-skidsteer adapter is dumb; adds weight and expense. Taking off the JD attachment and pinning on a skid-steer plate is the sensible solution.

Jon

when i bought my JD this june i got the QA SS carrier. had to wait 4 weeks for it to be built but i'm glad i did

like tom says there are some on ebay like so

72" Root Grapple Rake Skid Steer Attachment Rock Tractor Bobcat Kubota Tractor | eBay

 

[Jon B.]

Yes, indeed. There's a Titan ad on ebay today featuring a JD quick attach, 60" grapple rake for $1150 and free shipping. Right as mine is on the UPS truck today for delivery.

However, I read about these on Tractorbynet this morning. Quite a few people are underwhelmed by the performance of the Titan equipment; bent tines, under-engineered parts that bind and bend, etc. And, it weighs 500 pounds. My bucket and thumb should be under 300, I think. I'm only adding 50-70 pounds to the stock 72" bucket.

I'll run "The Thumb" for a while and see if it serves my purposes. I'm not clearing any ground, grubbing stumps and rocks, just gathering firewood, so it should do. Should. I hope.

Jon

 

[Jon B.]

It's here! And mounted. The guys at Green's Machine Shop shipped it within a couple of hours after I placed an on-line order. UPS had it at my door in two days (Illinois to Minnesota).

I made one mistake when installing it, though. I looked at the mounting holes in the bracket and figured they were 3/4 inch. While at the ag supply store, I bought 4 3/4" Grade 8 bolts, washers and nuts and a (high-priced) 3/4" drill. Turns out the holes are sized for 5/8" bolts, so I could have saved a few dollars and the bother of re-drilling the (one-inch thick!) bracket. Oh well; it won't fall off...

I had it all mounted and operational in a couple of hours, more or less. I did have t buy a few more bits and pieces to finish the next day, though.

Here are some pics, I hope:



Jon

 

[Jon B.]

This is the auxiliary valve I use for the Thumb and for the swivel spout on the snow-blower.

The kit comes with flow restrictors, as the 2" diameter cylinder would be wicked fast at full flow. They're right behind the quick-couplers in the earlier set of photos.

And, though the 'Thumb" was $429 shipped, I still spent another $250-280 on hardware, hoses and fittings. Good thing I didn't have to add a solenoid valve, too!



Jon

 

[GeeVee]

You'll like that grapple a bunch, Jon. Will definitely help what youre doing. You Have forks? You might want to give it a try on them forks, too. Kind of like the grapples they use at Mills where they unload the whole log truck at once.

 

[ncat]

I have the extra hydraulic valves - 2 of 'em - on my 4600, so just need hoses and a cylinder (or two).

Attachments International (I think it is) claims to have a grapple to fit an existing bucket but their web-site doesn't allow much navigation...

I'll keep searching. Lots of them exist for skid-steer loaders.

Jon

Hi Jon B
I too have the John Deere 4600 with 2 extra hydraulic valves. However, the levers they are attached (on the fender) to are seized. Do you have pics of yours? To see if they are the same as mine? I can not find any info on breaking it down to see what my issue is. Thanks