He Beefed Up Manure Grapple Fork To Handle Bigger Loads

He Beefed Up Manure Grapple Fork To Handle Bigger Loads MANURE HANDLING Miscellaneous Dale McLaen turned an old manure grapple fork into a log lifting industrial strength grapple The old skid steer grapple fork was headed for the scrap yard when McLaen bought it for $200 “I bought it from a neighbor to use for moving slab boards and small logs ” says McLaen “It was a disaster at first The 1-in square teeth were too light and would bend like petunias in the wind when lifting odd shape logs so I decided to fix it ” The fix consisted of removing the old teeth and making a template on the steel frame for new teeth He cut out holes for 4 heavy-duty supports with a plasma cutter The supports were 2-in ID heavy walled steel tubing that McLaen ran through walls at the front and back sides of the grapple fork frame “I welded them in place and then added gussets between them and the back of the frame for added strength ” says McLaen “I did have to mill the pipes out a little so the new teeth would fit ” The new teeth are 1 7/8-in OD high strength steel and slip into the supports The pipe supports stick out about 1 1/2 in from the front side of the frame “I drilled holes through the supports and the new teeth and secured them with 3/8-in bolts ” says McLaen “If the teeth do get damaged I can remove them easily ” McLaen says the bulked-up grapple fork has worked great for removing brush piles logs slab wood and scrap of all types He is quite satisfied with his scrapyard save “I had to purchase new materials for the teeth and the teeth holders ” says McLaen “I probably have $400 total invested in it ” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Dale McLaen McLaen’s Service 13756 Hwy 11 Rutland N Dak 58067 ph 701 724-6232; mclaen@drtel net

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