I haven't had much time to do much tractoring for the past few months due to a family emergency. Last weekend we had a pretty nasty storm roll through that knocked a large branch off of one of my pecan trees that thankfully landed in the front yard and not on my house! Long story short, I had to hook up the grapple that hasn't been attached for a few months. I lowered the FEL and the 3 point and shut the tractor off. Once off, I move the loader handle every which way to relieve the pressure and pressed the third function buttons back and forth to relieve what I could from there, but I couldn't manage to get the flat faced couplers to push on. What I ended up doing was cracking the fitting on the grapple side to let a little fluid out and that worked. When I previously disconnected them, I shut the tractor off and did all the same song and dance of relieving pressure before disconnecting. I'm not sure if maybe it was cold when I disconnected and now it is hot and there was a little buildup? Or, maybe I should connect the two grapple hoses together after they're disconnected so they can stay equalized? Advice would be appreciated as I don't want to have to crack the fitting every time I have to reconnect. I'm sure there is something that I'm doing wrong or need to start doing to rectify this.
Hard time connecting flat face connectors on grapple
- Thread starter dochsml
- Start date
you did all you can do. There's no perfect easy way or perfect connector. Temp difference (hotter) will cause fluid to expand. simple physics. i'll push the ends of my connectors with an stick, rock, pliers, whatever's handy to spill some out. (not flat faced mind you) i added a ball valve to the lower cylinder hose at the disconnect to 'trap' the fluid behind the valve... i take my grapple on and off several times a day and like leaving it open which makes it all but impossible to reconnect due to the weight of the grapple on the cylinder/oil.
Before disconnecting any implements I turn off the tractor and relieve the pressure in the remotes. Keeping the implement stored inside and out of the sun helps too.
On my grapple I find that after connecting the SSQA, putting the bucket in dump position so the grapple isn’t putting any load on the cylinders is enough to minimize hydraulic back pressure.
If I leave the bucket outside in the sun all day I would have to crack a fitting on the grapple to relieve pressure.
On my grapple I find that after connecting the SSQA, putting the bucket in dump position so the grapple isn’t putting any load on the cylinders is enough to minimize hydraulic back pressure.
If I leave the bucket outside in the sun all day I would have to crack a fitting on the grapple to relieve pressure.
I always connect the two flat face connectors on the grapple together when I take it off the tractor. It helps but not always perfect. I made a flat face connector with a hose for draining fluid pressure off the grapple, works much better.
Bmyers
Well-known member
Lifetime Member
Equipment
Grand L3560 with LA805 loader, EA 55" Wicked Grapple, SBX72 BB, LP 1272 mower
I purchased the tool because I didn't want to have to take my connectors apart. I have had to use it once, worked just as promised. I had a guy at work that couldn't connect his hoses. I had him take it home and try it (dealer told him he would need to disconnect the fitting). He tried and it worked perfectly.
I still think it is a little expensive, but it does what is advertised and does it in seconds.
I just get 2 pipe wrenches and loosen fitting, let it leak a little fluid and then tighten the fitting. It has happened several times this summer with my large high flow 3/4 flat face connectors on track loader attachments, tractor attachments are easier to manage.
GBJeffOH
Active member
Equipment
L4060, EA Grapple, 6' LP Brush Hog, 8' snow plow, 6' LP tiller, EA Forks, Spraye
GBJeffOH
Active member
Equipment
L4060, EA Grapple, 6' LP Brush Hog, 8' snow plow, 6' LP tiller, EA Forks, Spraye
I made this. If the oil warms up after you unhook the attachment their is air in the black pipe so it compresses the air a little. never any problem hooking up.
Attachments
Jchonline
Well-known member
Lifetime Member
Equipment
Kubota L6060, KX040-4, M7060, RTV X1100C, M62 (sold)
I just made 2 flat face to pioneer hoses about 6 in long each. I pop them on the grapple when I disconnect it . Pioneers bleed on their own (or I can always do it myself) with the pressure after heating up…plus I have A few extra couplers if I have a failure on the machine. Works great.
One thing i have found helpful with my BH (havent done the swap on my grapple yet). is to connect the hoses together. Ever since ive been doing that i have had zero issues getting the connectors on the tractor, even after the BH has sat out for weeks; summer and winter. if you have a male on one side of your cylinder and a female on the other one, you can connect them together so that when you pop them apart it will relieve the pressure on the grapple.
And you will always connect them to the right up/down or left/right ports. I do the same with the auger, the grapple, snow plow, and rake.
so far I just used zip ties on the grapple and snow blower. 1 line and 1 tractor fitting have a zip tie on them.
I experienced the same problem today, and I moved the loader stick in all 4 directions with the engine off, and the ignition on. Then I activated both buttons on the 3rd function valve, again with the engine off. This released all pressures in the system, adn the flat faced couplers went together without any issues.