stacked a few logs today

rick1 · Jan 21, 2016

stacked some logs with the grapple today

Bob Harvey · Jan 21, 2016

Looks like a productive and phun day.

Adirondack case guy · Jan 21, 2016

You might want to head jm's warning about working the tractor with the front wheels dished out. Especially in the woods.
Loren.

rick1 · Jan 21, 2016

rims will not work turned the other way they will hit the front drive componets btdt
RICK

ohiojim · Jan 21, 2016

so what's the big deal about the wheels being turned around ??????? i've had mine reversed for 6 years

rick1 · Jan 21, 2016

have no idea
RICK

JD Seller · Jan 21, 2016

Ohiojim and Rick. The big deal will be when you break the MFWD front axle. The further out you have the rims dished puts more load on the pivot/bearings/spindle on the end of the MFWD axle/planetary. That is the weak area of those type of axles. Then you haul wide logs and the load goes even higher.

Your trying to do HEAVY lifting with a compact tractor. Your doing much more than it was designed for.

rick1 · Jan 21, 2016

the logs i carry around are not that big or heavy the guy i bought it from hauled round bales around with it ever since it was new that weigh alot more than the logs i move around.no offence to anyone but i will take my chances.
RICK

JD Seller · Jan 21, 2016

Rick I am not running your tractor down. Look up the RATED capacity of the front axle. The logs AND round bales both would be over the rated capacity of the front axles. With the rims in the wider position it puts more strain on the axle pivots.

I have seen them break and I have seen the cost involved. A broken front planetary/hub/spindle on a MFWD can easily be in $1500-2500 per side to fix. Used parts are hit and miss for these too.

Look up the rating on the front axle in your operators manual. Also usually the operators book will tell you what positions to have the tires in for loader work. I know for JD the manual stated NOT to run the wheels dished out for loader work.

rick1 · Jan 21, 2016

i wasnt thinking that at all jd. i hear everything your saying and i know your right.be honest with you that is how they were on when i bought it and i never give it a thought.but i am going to dig into it a little deeper the last thing i want is to brake something.
RICK

Jeff NWOH · Jan 21, 2016

You're probably wondering how you ever got along without the grapple.....

JD Seller · Jan 21, 2016

Rick that is all I was trying to "help" you do. Maybe your axle is rated to where it is fine. I just know the ratings on the JD compacts surprised me when I actually looked them up. They were not as high as the more traditional "farm" tractors of much the same size. There is not as much "safety" margin built into them. This is to keep cost down to were they can compete in the market place. Most of the compact market is to fellow that never used them like a farmer or woodsman do. If you look at a 50 HP utility tractor an compare it to a 50 HP compact tractor the rated capacity of the front axle and loader will be way less on the compact.

I keep thinking about a city raised neighbor that saw me pushing out small trees with my JD 6400 loader tractor. First of all the ground was wet and the trees where more grubs than serious trees. The JD 6400 is an 85 PTO HP tractor that weights in at over 10K. SO the neighbor fellow went out and bought a 35-40 GROSS engine HP compact. He literally destroyed the front end and loader trying to push out trees like he had seen me doing. Wrong machine for the job at hand.

rick1 · Jan 21, 2016

your right it is very handy in the woods especially.saves me alot of manual work easier on the old body.though i think a skidsteer with a grapple would be the ticket.you can see the entire bucket of a skidsteer and lining yourself up with logs/brush would be alot easier.being out in front of the tractor sometimes can be touchy nice looking rig you have there.
RICK

rick1 · Jan 21, 2016

thanks jd

fixerupper · Jan 21, 2016

In my humble opinion you don't have a real loader till you have a grapple. You also can put more stress on a loader with a grapple when you carry a 20 foot log that is twisting and stressing the loader as you drive.

Eldon (WA) · Jan 21, 2016

(quoted from post at 19:48:34 01/21/16) i wasnt thinking that at all jd. i hear everything your saying and i know your right.be honest with you that is how they were on when i bought it and i never give it a thought.but i am going to dig into it a little deeper the last thing i want is to brake something.
RICK

Whatever you do, don't turn as sharp as it will go when loaded like that...that is when the axle is the weakest. A friend snapped his without a load on it turning sharp in deep snow.

Andy Martin · Jan 21, 2016

I sure like my grapple!

Cutting brush with a tree shear and grabbing some good loads during cleanup.

VicS · Jan 21, 2016

We have a 50 HP JD compact. Have used it hard 2000 plus hrs. Second set of front tires. No trouble yet.

Eldon (WA) · Jan 21, 2016

(quoted from post at 21:40:38 01/21/16) I sure like my grapple!

Cutting brush with a tree shear and grabbing some good loads during cleanup.

This H&H brand grapple is almost indestructible....and farmer made! It is on my skidsteer more than 75% of the time. Not cheap, but worth every penny!

sms · Jan 22, 2016

Excavator with thumb works well also.

Butch(OH) · Jan 22, 2016

We have taken to cutting firewood log length and hauling it out of the woods for further processing also. Seems like we can get more done with less effort? Processing takes place up by the barn whenever time,ambition and weather all co-inside, LOL. Our grapple stays on the skid steer 90% of the time also. Ours is the Eel-claw from Eel river steel. Not he heaviest grapple on the market but ours has given zero trouble over the 8 or so years we have owned it.

Blackhole49 · Jan 22, 2016

This is the second time someone has warned him about the front tires being wrong for loader work. Wonder if anything will change before the next pictures?

Blackhole49 · Jan 22, 2016

As a side note, I like the chainsaw holder, Is it lined with anything to protect the chain?

Ken Macfarlane · Jan 23, 2016

If you run the rims in narrow the Kubota axles will take a lot of abuse but they are heavier than the older JD's. The first Kubota's were not built so heavy and had trouble. Pretty much every japanese / korean tractor makers front axle is too weak when they first entered the market because the didn't use loaders in their home country.

Bret4207 · Jan 23, 2016

Compared to a farm type tractor, a skid steer has no ground clearance. That's the downside I've seen.

stacked a few logs today

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