BX landpride grapple repairs and modifications

maclean

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BX25D
Jun 25, 2014
242
3
0
Lowell, Or
So this is my third and hopefully last hinge repair on my grapple.

I've ripped the hinge off the frame, and bent the strut on the jaws...mostly on the left side.

The hinges on the frame finally wallered out and this is what I did to fix it.
 

GreensvilleJay

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BX23-S,57 A-C D-14,58 A-C D-14, 57 A-C D-14,tiller,cults,Millcreek 25G spreader,
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They'll certainly outlive the rest of the grapple !! You're sawhorses show how I can reuse the 6 extra pallet forks I made out of 2by4 3/16 steel tubing.
Jay
 
Oct 24, 2019
228
8
18
IN
I'm guessing this is a Land Price SGC0548? What, and for how long, did you have to do with it to break it? It is their lightest and smallest grapple, and I'm considering buying one. Just wondering what it can and can't handle.
 

D2Cat

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I wouldn't expect those pillow block bearing holders to last too long. They are not designed for the kind of stress that grapple will apply to them. But I guess if they are big enough on a smaller grapple...who knows.
 

maclean

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BX25D
Jun 25, 2014
242
3
0
Lowell, Or
I'm guessing this is a Land Price SGC0548? What, and for how long, did you have to do with it to break it? It is their lightest and smallest grapple, and I'm considering buying one. Just wondering what it can and can't handle.
I'd buy the everything attachments one if I had to do it again. The land pride is super light weight...which makes some sense with a BX...but it's too light weight...I've bent the frame...ripped and peeled the hinges off twice...if this fix doesn't hold I am stripping off the hydraulics and making a new one from scratch.
 

maclean

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BX25D
Jun 25, 2014
242
3
0
Lowell, Or
I wouldn't expect those pillow block bearing holders to last too long. They are not designed for the kind of stress that grapple will apply to them. But I guess if they are big enough on a smaller grapple...who knows.
For $20 for the set on Amazon I'm willing to roll the dice.

My guess is I rip them off the frame...it's .125 wall tube...or less.
 

dlsmith

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Nov 15, 2018
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I wouldn't expect those pillow block bearing holders to last too long. They are not designed for the kind of stress that grapple will apply to them. But I guess if they are big enough on a smaller grapple...who knows.
I agree with D2Cat, and I also am afraid the bolts you are using through the pillow blocks, even though they are grade 8, will bend.

What size are they? 5/8 or 3/4"?

What bore size are the cylinders?

If they are 3", they will produce around 14,000# of force each, 2" cylinders will produce around 6,000#. I don't think the pillow blocks or bolts will hold up to that for long.

But, I could be wrong.
 
Last edited:

maclean

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BX25D
Jun 25, 2014
242
3
0
Lowell, Or
I agree with D2Cat, and I also am afraid the bolts you are using through the pillow blocks, even though they are grade 8, will bend.

What size are they? 5/8 or 3/4"?

What bore size are the cylinders?

If they are 3", they will produce around 14,000# of force each, 2" cylinders will produce around 6,000#. I don't think the pillow blocks or bolts will hold up to that for long.

But, I could be wrong.
3/4" bolts.

Pillow blocks are rated at 2900 lbs each...so roughly 6000 lbs a side.

Looks like 1" cylinders.

-Mac
 

GreensvilleJay

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BX23-S,57 A-C D-14,58 A-C D-14, 57 A-C D-14,tiller,cults,Millcreek 25G spreader,
Apr 2, 2019
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While I don't yet own a grapple, I'd think they are more about lightly gripping material as oppossed to 'biting' through it. Just enough force to hold not crush ?

Jay
 

maclean

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BX25D
Jun 25, 2014
242
3
0
Lowell, Or
While I don't yet own a grapple, I'd think they are more about lightly gripping material as oppossed to 'biting' through it. Just enough force to hold not crush ?



Jay
True enough and hopefully this will allow me to do just that...I usually use the grapple for picking up logs, wood chips, cleaning up brush, slash piles...nothing crazy.

Of course crushing something would be fun...but the BX and this grapple are not up to the task.

Like others have mentioned...the cylinder pressure this grapple is capable of was sufficient to rip the hinges off the .125 wall tubing. Hopefully these pillow blocks spread that pressure out over a larger surface area and it holds. We'll see...not an engineer...just cobbling it back together and trying something new.
 

North Idaho Wolfman

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I've build quite a few grapples and other equipment.

More than likely two things will happen, the bolts will bend (too large of a gap between them and the bearings) and that will in turn break the pillow blocks, or the the pillow blocks will just break.

If you use the grapple to back drag or pull material, then they will snap real quick.

My hinges on my grapples are 1 1/4 hardened steel pins, and 1/2" AR 400 steel, and if i push them too hard I too can break them.

The hydraulic force of your cylinder is 5,655 PSI, 2" cylinder, 4 stroke, 1 1/8 rod.
That force is at the cylinder the force on the hinge is 2 to 3 times that due to leverage, so somewhere in the range of 10,000 and 15,000 psi.
 

GreensvilleJay

Well-known member

Equipment
BX23-S,57 A-C D-14,58 A-C D-14, 57 A-C D-14,tiller,cults,Millcreek 25G spreader,
Apr 2, 2019
9,672
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Greensville,Ontario,Canada
I looked at the pictures again and suggest adding some 'shims' between the pillow blocks and the grapple arm. Simple 3/4" water pipe,cut to length would be fine.

Jay
 

maclean

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Equipment
BX25D
Jun 25, 2014
242
3
0
Lowell, Or
I looked at the pictures again and suggest adding some 'shims' between the pillow blocks and the grapple arm. Simple 3/4" water pipe,cut to length would be fine.



Jay
Have the pipe and was already thinking about it. Regular pipe has a weld bead inside and it takes a bit of rat tail filing to get it to work.

Originally wasn't going to set them this wide...needed to clear the pins on the hydraulic rams since the brackets for the pillow blocks protrude to the rear.

All great suggestions folks...thanks!
 

GreensvilleJay

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Equipment
BX23-S,57 A-C D-14,58 A-C D-14, 57 A-C D-14,tiller,cults,Millcreek 25G spreader,
Apr 2, 2019
9,672
3,921
113
Greensville,Ontario,Canada
hmm.. I forgot about the infernal, er, internal weld bead.....
you could bore out a hardwood block, then trim the outside down to fit.....
..hate to use a zillion washers, but something should fill in the gaps.

Jay
 

maclean

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BX25D
Jun 25, 2014
242
3
0
Lowell, Or
hmm.. I forgot about the infernal, er, internal weld bead.....

you could bore out a hardwood block, then trim the outside down to fit.....

..hate to use a zillion washers, but something should fill in the gaps.



Jay
They make 3/4 inch tube without the weld bead. Or you hog it out. Still a good suggestion. Time or money.
 

Yooper

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May 31, 2015
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Spacers would be just a waste of time. They would just facilitate bending and then cracking the cast pillow blocks.