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  1. #31
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    Steve has done a massive amount of work to convert my drawings- and a lot of modifications along the way- to .dxf files. I've just emailed them to the two mobs mentioned in this thread for quotes. Hopefully this thing will start to take shape soon.

    One thing I've learned thus far is that I really need to learn to use CAD. I find it anything but intuitive, and of course the times I want CAD are when I have something I need to draw, not the times when I have nothing to do (as if) and can put the time in to learn it. Hopefully this side of retirement.

    Another thing I've learned is that 'duraflex' is apparently an obsolete term and that any enquiry about a high-tensile plate material is met with puzzled looks. The mobs that make these grapples commercially seem to all talk about '400 grade' steel or similar but I'm stuffed if I can find any such thing. This will be 10mm mild steel.

  2. #32
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    Mar 2014
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    South of Adelaide
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    Quote Originally Posted by Pete O View Post
    Steve has done a massive amount of work to convert my drawings- and a lot of modifications along the way- to .dxf files. I've just emailed them to the two mobs mentioned in this thread for quotes. Hopefully this thing will start to take shape soon.

    One thing I've learned thus far is that I really need to learn to use CAD. I find it anything but intuitive, and of course the times I want CAD are when I have something I need to draw, not the times when I have nothing to do (as if) and can put the time in to learn it. Hopefully this side of retirement.

    Another thing I've learned is that 'duraflex' is apparently an obsolete term and that any enquiry about a high-tensile plate material is met with puzzled looks. The mobs that make these grapples commercially seem to all talk about '400 grade' steel or similar but I'm stuffed if I can find any such thing. This will be 10mm mild steel.
    400 grade refers to 400Mpa nominal yield strength. it is available but i doubt many would stock it 350grade plate should be readily available. I would recommend getting the tines cut out of 80bisalloy or whatever equivalent your suppliers have. it will have 1.5-2 times the tensile strength of 250grade m/s plate.

  3. #33
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Location
    Newcastle
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    341

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    CAD ain't CAD....

    Depends vastly on the software.

    I have not found a free or cheap CAD that allows parametric / dimension based sketching / modelling.

    I'm most familiar with Solidworks and find it relatively intuitive. That might be because I learnt on it.

    Fusion360 gets a lot of talk. I didn't like the approach to features / history. They are now increasingly restricting what the hobby (free) licence can do (which perhaps can't complain about too much considering what alternatives cost).

    Software that works on coordinates from origin (AutoCAD used to be like this) is just painful.

  4. #34
    Join Date
    Sep 2012
    Location
    York, North Yorkshire UK
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    6,439

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    Quote Originally Posted by pippin88 View Post
    CAD ain't CAD....

    Depends vastly on the software.

    I have not found a free or cheap CAD that allows parametric / dimension based sketching / modelling.

    I'm most familiar with Solidworks and find it relatively intuitive. That might be because I learnt on it.

    Fusion360 gets a lot of talk. I didn't like the approach to features / history. They are now increasingly restricting what the hobby (free) licence can do (which perhaps can't complain about too much considering what alternatives cost).

    Software that works on coordinates from origin (AutoCAD used to be like this) is just painful.
    I originally learnt about CAD at Uni way back, then I was taught Autocad, which was OK. Then like you I started looking for software that I could use and understand, that was where Turbocad came in. Much later I discovered Qcad, which is the software that I use today. I think that most CAD programs follow similar sets of rules, its down to what suits you as to what software you use.
    Best Regards:
    Baron J.

  5. #35
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    Nov 2017
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    Geelong, Australia
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    57
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    2,651

    Default Question about getting steel plate components laser cut

    https://australiansteel.com.au

    These guys look like they should be able to help out with plate.

    They also have plasma cutting services so might be able to supply and cut at the one place.

    Steve

  6. #36
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    Apr 2012
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    Healesville
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    Quote Originally Posted by Pete O View Post

    Another thing I've learned is that 'duraflex' is apparently an obsolete term and that any enquiry about a high-tensile plate material is met with puzzled looks. The mobs that make these grapples commercially seem to all talk about '400 grade' steel or similar but I'm stuffed if I can find any such thing. This will be 10mm mild steel.
    duraflex = K1045

  7. #37
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    Apr 2018
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    Drouin Vic
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    Thanks for the further tips on material. I guess I can just ask the profile cutters for quotes in material with a 400mpa yield strength. The bloke at the place in Dandenong South where I dropped in last week to discuss it was mystified by this though. Thanks again Steve- i'll call the mob in Braeside. Dunno why my google searching has failed to find them.

  8. #38
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    Sep 2010
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    Lebrina
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    I think you may be making this harder than it needs to be.
    How big is your tractor and loader? For the size of the machine overall, agricultural/utility tractor loaders are not particularly powerful when compared to a skid steer or rubber tyre loader of comparable size. Unless you have a really large tractor then grade 250 or 300 plate will likely do all you would ever need and more.
    My experience has been that if the common grade 250 or 300 plate is inadequate then you enter the realm of Bisalloy or Hardox which is a substantial cost increase and can also be more difficult to fabricate. These more exotic steels split into high tensile and wear resisting families with a third offshoot being armour plating.
    Most tractor buckets are grade 300 at best, with a wear resisting cutting edge.

  9. #39
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    Apr 2018
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    Drouin Vic
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    Thanks for that Karl, I have been thinking on this very thing and I think you are right- I am over-complicating it. I got a quote today for the components in bisalloy and the cut profiles are triple the price quoted for mild steel plate. Then a bit of investigation of the welding requirements suggests it is complicating the fabrication process also. This kind of project-creep is probably unnecessary when I think about the application. The extra thousand bucks is better in my pocket.

  10. #40
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    Lebrina
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    Quote Originally Posted by Pete O View Post
    Thanks for that Karl, I have been thinking on this very thing and I think you are right- I am over-complicating it. I got a quote today for the components in bisalloy and the cut profiles are triple the price quoted for mild steel plate. Then a bit of investigation of the welding requirements suggests it is complicating the fabrication process also. This kind of project-creep is probably unnecessary when I think about the application. The extra thousand bucks is better in my pocket.
    It happens to the best of us.
    How big is your tractor?

  11. #41
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    Quote Originally Posted by Karl Robbers View Post
    It happens to the best of us.
    How big is your tractor?
    It's an old ford 4100, about 50hp
    dump angle from front.jpg

  12. #42
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    Sep 2010
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    Lebrina
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    They were good old girls.
    One word of advice on your proposed brush grab, be really concious of not making it too heavy. You have pretty limited lift capacity with those loaders, (much better than using your back though) and every kilo of steel you put into the grab is a kilo of product you can't lift. I reckon 10mm 250 grade plate will see you right. How are you going to run the top clamp hydraulics as you wouldn't have a third function on your spool valve I'm guessing? Does your loader have down pressure or are the lift cylinders only single acting?
    While I do have a couple of tractors, I don't have loaders on them and use my Toyota Huski skid steer with forks to move actual logs and then swap over to the 4 in 1 bucket for clean up.

  13. #43
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    Drouin Vic
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    Yeah the tractor's ok, 4wd would certainly be better but the budget was very limited when we bought it and top of the list of desirables was a loader so that narrowed the options. I pretty much completely restored the tractor a couple of years ago and have just finished a rebuild of the loader, along with some modifications like double-linkage crowd mechanism. Doesn't look like it I know, I decided to fit it up and use it for a season before getting it sandblasted and painting it; there are already a couple of minor things that I will relocate so that seems to have been a good plan. The loader rebuild included a new spool valve with third function, done with this project (and a couple of others) in mind. The tractor rebuild included a new hydraulic pump but it's still pretty slow on the loader, I have a PTO aux power pack that goes on the 3-point linkage to run the loader if there's a fair bit of loader work to do. The cylinders are all double-acting so there's down pressure.
    I've ordered the profiles in 10mm 350 grade and should have my work cut out for me by mid next week.

  14. #44
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    You've well and truly got your ducks in a row then. Given that you've got the third function, is a 4 in 1 bucket on your list? I can't imagine life without my 4 in 1, they increase your effectiveness exponentially. Maybe a hydraulic post auger off the loader?

  15. #45
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    Quote Originally Posted by Karl Robbers View Post
    You've well and truly got your ducks in a row then. Given that you've got the third function, is a 4 in 1 bucket on your list? I can't imagine life without my 4 in 1, they increase your effectiveness exponentially. Maybe a hydraulic post auger off the loader?
    I haven't seen a need for a 4 in 1, or at least not enough to justify the expense. I had to buy a replacement bucket, the final straw that led to the tractor & loader rebuild was when I tore the old rusty bucket in half pushing out a stump. Won't be trying that again! I looked at 4-in-1 buckets then and could see that it would be nice but not $3k nice. I had a mate's hydraulic augur adapted to the front of the loader for a while and that is on the list for some retaining walls I have planned.

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