Mahindra 3550

sounds like a plan!!! I just hope you don't end up having to jump off the machine and switch the pins every 5 min. either way I would like to see a build thread of that project.

 

also as long as you can lift the "lid" and wiggle it. it wouldn't be hard to switch the pins.

 

Yup. Will do. I'm not as concerned with it being able to close tight all the time. I have a lot of brush/stump/dead log clean up to do in the years to come. Need capacity

 

Here is my Have Grapple on ground. Pull up to grapple with loader bucket or backhoe. Put strap or chain on lid, take up slack and hold weight of lid. Pull hinge bolts and pin. Raise lid up to higher set of mounts. Align and place bolts and pin in. Should work. I

 

Google is always interesting. Type in adjustable grapple. And I envision something similar to this.

 

Yes you'll need to operate at a higher rpm than your use to. Part of it is due to the hydro the other is the powerband is higher with this motor. Peak hp is at 2800rpm where with your old ones it was probably down around 2200.

 

If I'm reading this right I think that'll work good.

 

that picture is worth a thousand words stupid me, I was picturing something totally different. I was thinking another cylinder mount on the lid of the grapple. something where you would pull the pin farthest from the seat. then raise the lid of the grapple a couple inches. then put the pin in the new hole. but your idea would open the grapple much farther.

 

Ya. I see that on the tach there is an arrow that points near 2500 RPM for PTO peak operation to be at 540RPM.

 

Gasifier Does the lid not open 90* on your grapple?

 

Gas might be easier to make the rear cylinder mount taller & pivot with 3 different pin holes.
I can sketch something and scan it you.

 

I would like that! Thanks. I also wonder if a longer hydraulic ram/cylinder would be better.

 

No.

 

Kind of what I was thinking
or make the mount point angled back further and buy a longer cylinder

 

Aaaaaaa-hem! I haven't smoked a pipe like that in a while! Sorry.

 

This afternoon I went to work directly behind the barn. Forgot to take any pics. The snow coming off the roof was building up too high. (We had been leaving the snow because it provides traction for the horses, as appossed to slippery, frozen clay.) But now when things started to melt water was starting to run back into the horse stalls. So I used the 3550 and parked where I needed it to use the 75B backhoe to break up all the snow and ice and pull it down away from the back wall of the barn. Surprising just how hard that combination of snow/ice/compacted horse chit can be! Then I used the front bucket and cleared everything away and pushed it over toward the fence. Wife followed up after I was done and raked off some of the broken up clay and manure into larger holes I left. Then I tossed her 6 big feed bags of saw dust from the Amish saw mill into the double stall. She had cleaned the stall all out and pulled a bunch of the old sawdust out the stall doors and spread it all over the ground outside the doors to give them a nice surface to walk on. So she broke all that new sawdust up and put a nice new layer down through out the stall. The horses didn't even say thanks. They just kept eating and pooping.

 

Nice work Gasifier , with the temps getting close to 50 this weekend things will be a mess.

 

I see that. I'm going to try to get some things done with the tractor tomorrow while still enough snow here and the ground is still frozen.

 

If I were to buy a new one I would look hard at Manihandra. Nice tractor!!!