J.D. 1050 my new helper...

[xj35s]

unfortunately it's a lot of sand and some clay here and there. lots of fertilizer going in.

[wsdstan]

Thanks.  It is that way here in places.  My neighbors field next to mine has about 18" of old river bottom dirt on top of five feet or more of pure sand.  We put a irrigation line in a few years back and it was like trying to trence snow. 

[xj35s]

Okay, I'm bragging again. I'm not real proud though. Not quite how I wanted it. I'm hoping it will kind of draw the material into the bucket as it closes.
I should have added the toothbar before finishing this grapple. I don't know if it'll hit a tooth or land between them. No matter really. I have a hydraulic splitter valve coming. I'll be able to operate the bucket or the grapple using the same lever by a toggle switch. 2 lines in 4 lines out, for two seperate two way cylinders. I hope that makes sense?
This entire contraption comes off by removing 4 bolts from the top of the bucket. My intension is to build some attachments that will be able to bolt onto the sides of the thumb. I'll drill two holes on each side and weld a nut to the inside. Then I can build a rake, toothed top bar, or tiny clamping back blade.
Just killing time since I'm not working and can't go anywhere.

[wsdstan]

The overall design looks like it will push material like brush and old scattered hay left from feeding into the bucket.  It also should hold small tree limbs longer than the width of the bucket so they can be picked up and moved.

I don't mean this in a criticizing way but I think the vertical bars and the pivot points are potentially going to wear quickly or bend if too much weight or pressure is applied.  For light loads it should work well.  I have a lot of debris stacked up along our creek in places and this would make short work of picking it up and carrying it to a burn pile.

It looks like a good deal to me and especially so since you built it with materials on hand.  Good job.

[xj35s]

I agree. I have two piles of slab wood to move I hope it lasts long enough for that. The square tube across the top is 14 gauge, the down bars are 4" x 1/4". Yes I should have built a double shear at the pivot. I need to incorporate a bump stop and hope to use it as a second side of the pivot. Right now it can go past center and flip back towards the tractor. The ram closes fully but allows the grapple to open enough to go past the center point.
I hope this small ram isn't ridiculously fast. I have a flow limiter If I need it though.

[xj35s]

The top pipe ripped to pieces where the ram mount was welded on and I bent the angle iron top of the thumb. I got some very heavy rectangle tube wth a 1/4" wall from my neighbor. I bartered for it. I am clearing a few hundred sumac trees from his side hill. In the process I bent the teeth and broke one off completely. I wish I could find it too I don't want to pop a tire. It did a killer job getting them out of the ground though. I should have welded some 1/2" square to the bottom of the teeth behind them along the bottom of the bucket. It would have helped hold them straight. I will now...

[wsdstan]

Well it worked well till it broke and that is progress.  Next one will be better.  Hope you find the broken tooth, they are probably hell on tires, just like deer antlers.

[wolfy]

.....and cultivator shovels. 

[xj35s]

I should move the teeth pictures over here. They are in the 3D Printed thread in make your own gear forum if you want to see them.


Maybe this should be in that thread? I don't know. The focus is on the JD so I'm sharing it here.


I got a hydraulic valve that actuates another cylinder from an existing lever. Called a thrid function. The bucket curl lever will also activate the Grapple or pivot my snowplow angle at the push of a button. Cool right? Push the button for the thrid cylinder to function release for the bucket curl function.

I needed a place to mount the switch. I really wanted it on the lever. So back to Design Spark Mechanical to draw up a part. saved it to a .STL file and sent it to my 3D Printer. Printed it out and mounted it.

Here is the kicker. I 100% guessed at the angle of the hexagon shaped groove for the lever's rod. Look how perfectly it aligned with the handle.

I knew the outside diameter. Notice I also recessed two hexagon holes so the 1/4-20 nuts would fit perfectly inside the cinch plate. My first design had a hole for the wires but they would have gotton pinched against the rod when tightening and I gave up trying to model that detail into the design. I didn't want to weaken the part.
Does that not look factory made?

[wsdstan]

Sheet, xj you nailed that design and fabrication.  That does look factory or at least $100 at the JD dealers parts counter.

Well done.

How long did the printer take to produce the two pieces?

[crashdive123]

Paint it green and everybody will think that JD produced it.

[wolfy]

Indeed, it does look 'factory made,' except for the color.  The good side of that is, it doesn't look like a 'factory made' part.....custom made by our own xj35s!

[xj35s]

It took about 30 minutes to draw up and roughly 4 hours on the printer. Thanks guys. I have a 2 bottom 16" moldboard plow, 7' 3pt disk, and a woods PD8400 finish mower. Getting more homesteader all the time!!

[wsdstan]

Thanks xj, a fellow who works on my computer has a 3d printer at his shop and his takes that kind of time as well.  I wonder if they sell John Deere green plastic for the printers?