Turning a shear grab through 90°?

[PREES]

I'm not a grease monkey so if we go ahead we will be asking someone to build it for us but I thought I might get some good advice on here (even if it is don't do it!)

We have a shear grab with a push off attachment but we would like to place the blocks length ways against our feed barriers, unfortunately we don't have enough space to access the barriers at right angles so we wondered whether it might be possible to make a headstock that can pivot the grab prior to pushing off the block. Will it work? We are currently trying to see if we can gently push the block around 90° with the grab but we are concerned that the block will fall apart. The idea is to keep the block intact so we can feed 2/3 times per week without silage deterioration.

 

[Jameshenry]

I wouldn't say it's impossible but it would need to be built hellish strong to cope with the strain as it would be all swivelling off one corner , also i would imagine would need to lock back into the working position when taking silage out of the clamp to take the strain off the corner pivot and ram, then you would also need a diverter valve to switch between rams , it also depends how keen the chap is who has to build it , bit of a head scratching project i think! if it were me i would try and find a easier solution ,

 

[fastfish]

Just push the blocks of silage around 90 after it’s out of the grab

 

[PREES]

Just push the blocks of silage around 90 after it’s out of the grab

We are just waiting for the correct attachments to commission the push off element and we will try just pushing them around. If it works great but we are a bit concerned that the blocks we have slid off whole look to be too unstable to push around hence just thinking of plan b! Maybe (ideally) the push off will leave the block sufficiently intact to push through 90°!

 

[milkloss]

The problem you’ll have is that a decent block will be too tippy to push round. We ended up just alternating the blocks (yards both sides) and mauling them up two or three times, I believe a good additive prevented much loss in this situation.

We now have put a row of quadrant bales up the middle and blow the silo in from the feed passage using a Lucas g straw blower and there is very little wastage but it is a daily job. The beauty here is that we can build our self feed pit taller as we are cutting the top off for the alleys. One full Lucas 60 sized feeder per 60 foot alley, it is daily but less scraping around and loader work every few days packing as much as you can in an alley.

 

[Bloders]

what size is the shear grab and what machine do you have it on?
if the machine is big enough i cannot see why you cant make a slewing headstock to mount the grab onto. As said, it would need a locking device to lock it in the "normal" position for grabbing the silag out, then un latch it and swing it round on the kingpost to the side.
If you wanted to make it swing both ways, i think it would become impractical, but one way should be quite feasable.

 

[joe soapy]

Liscombe used to place the block on a pallet at times,
Or thinking out of the box,,,, a sideloader forklift

 

[ACEngineering]

Maybe a scrap digger and use the back actor king post and rams etc???

weight will be an issue then though?

What about a little pivot steer loader?

 

[Bloders]

Maybe a scrap digger and use the back actor king post and rams etc???

weight will be an issue then though?

What about a little pivot steer loader?

i think that would be too heavy.
Id either start from scratch, and design it to suit, OR, is use the kingpin from a truck or similar.
Remember, it wont be swivelling that often (not as often as steering around a corner etc) so should be ok, though id probably build it to suit.
I built a post driver which swings through 90 degrees years ago (was in practical farm ideas at the time) - something similar would be the job

 

[goodevans]

wouldn't it be easier to buy a narrower longer shear grab even if it meant putting an extra grab out, surely silage will last 3 days anyway and they will eat more if it is slightly broken up anyway

 

[Rolie]

We are just waiting for the correct attachments to commission the push off element and we will try just pushing them around. If it works great but we are a bit concerned that the blocks we have slid off whole look to be too unstable to push around hence just thinking of plan b! Maybe (ideally) the push off will leave the block sufficiently intact to push through 90°!

Couldn't you push the block round 90 deg with the push off by having it do the pivoting . Less steel needed. Push it off then have a ram and pivot on one end of the push off. Shear grab might not carry as much tho with the gubbins in the load space. Maybe a cleverer man than me could make one ram of the push off mechanism longer than the other to swing it around 90?

Just a thought

 

[Smiffy101]

Would it not be easier to make a grab that rotates around a different axis
If it turned so that whith the headstock in traveling position the grab was on its side then crowd headstock forwards 90 degree open grab a block will slide out in the correct orientation

Either that or make the grab swing from say the back right hand corner so when its retracted the ram pulls the grab into some locating pins or similar for strength

 

[Khan]

Our Redrock grab has a central blade and has a push off on one half, we set grab down, open it and push off lhs on left hand of feed passage and then move grab over to Rhs of pasage and slide other half off. Keeps blocks fairly intact.

 

[KennyO]

Couldn't you push the block round 90 deg with the push off by having it do the pivoting . Less steel needed. Push it off then have a ram and pivot on one end of the push off. Shear grab might not carry as much tho with the gubbins in the load space. Maybe a cleverer man than me could make one ram of the push off mechanism longer than the other to swing it around 90?

Just a thought

I just thought you could make the push off pivot from one corner. So it swings like a door and pushes block round.

 

[Turra farmer]

I'm not a grease monkey so if we go ahead we will be asking someone to build it for us but I thought I might get some good advice on here (even if it is don't do it!)

We have a shear grab with a push off attachment but we would like to place the blocks length ways against our feed barriers, unfortunately we don't have enough space to access the barriers at right angles so we wondered whether it might be possible to make a headstock that can pivot the grab prior to pushing off the block. Will it work? We are currently trying to see if we can gently push the block around 90° with the grab but we are concerned that the block will fall apart. The idea is to keep the block intact so we can feed 2/3 times per week without silage deterioration.

Cheap skid steer to lay against barrier ?

 

[Mr Charisma]

How about dropping grab fulls of silage of onto a couple of trolleys which can be put into position by hand

 

[Will 1594]

Our Redrock grab has a central blade and has a push off on one half, we set grab down, open it and push off lhs on left hand of feed passage and then move grab over to Rhs of pasage and slide other half off. Keeps blocks fairly intact.

Most sensible idea , what you are wanting to make sound too complicated heavy and won't be strong enough for the average stock person look at the forces those big Rams put on a shear grab a central blade and push off seems easiest or two half grabs on a telescopic frame but please keep it. Kiss. ,,keep it simply simple , Instead of gym. Buy a decent gripe and have half hour griping when you look round of an evening

 

[Paul E]

Off set the entire grab, but carry on as normal?

 

[TomD]

How about making the silage in ready made blocks that you could place in front of the barriers maybe they could be called bales then not worry about shear grabs

 

[Gerbert]

Sounds like you need an Ahlmann