Section 2: Operating Procedures
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8. Purge hydraulic system of trapped air by operating all
hydraulic functions several times before putting unit
into service.
Operating Safety
DANGER
!
To avoid serious injury or death:
•
Do not drive up to anyone or an animal in front of a fixed
object such as a wall or bench. Never assume that the power
•
Do not lift a load that cannot be contained or have objects
smaller than the openings in the attachment.
•
Keep bystanders, pets, and livestock away from your work
area. Never allow anyone to go near or under the
attachment or its load. The attachment and/or load can fall.
•
Keep load positioned forward enough to prevent accidental
spillage on operator and power machine.
•
Keep load slightly tilted back to secure its weight against
the hitch frame. Rotating top of hitch frame back too far can
cause load to shift and fall rearward onto the machine and/
or operator. Rotating top of hitch frame forward too far can
cause load to shift and fall forward.
•
Make sure all objects are contained and/or secured before
lifting. Do not lift a load that cannot be contained in the
attachment as the load can shift and fall.
•
Use a “spotter” when it is hard to see in the direction you
are traveling and when placing a load that obstructs your
vision. A person or animal could be nearby in a blind spot.
•
Make sure the machine is stopped on solid, level ground
before raising load to dump. To maintain stability, raise
load only to the height necessary to complete the dump.
•
Never dump a load around gas lines, overhead power lines,
utilities, or other hazards that can cause serious injury or
death from electrocution, explosion, or fire.
•
Never come in contact with power lines, utilities, gas lines,
or other hazards, above or below ground. They can cause
serious injury or death from electrocution, explosion, or
fire. Before digging, call dig safe 811 (USA only) so utility
companies can mark the location of underground services in
•
Keep attachment, loader arms, and/or load away from
overhead electrical power lines. Place an orange warning
sign under overhead lines indicating type of danger above.
•
Always secure equipment with solid, non-concrete supports
before working under it. Never go under equipment
supported by concrete blocks or hydraulics. Concrete can
break, hydraulic lines can burst, and/or hydraulic controls
can be actuated even when power to hydraulics is off.
WARNING
!
To avoid serious injury or death:
•
Do not abuse equipment. Incorrect use of the attachment
can damage equipment structurally and cause serious
Section 2: Operating Procedures
Operating Checklist
Hazard control and accident prevention are dependent
upon the awareness, concern, prudence and proper
training involved in the operation, transport, storage, and
maintenance of the Claw Grapple. Therefore, it is
absolutely essential that no one operates the unit unless
they are age 16 or older and have read, fully understood,
and are totally familiar with the Operator’s Manual. Make
sure the operator has paid particular attention to:
Perform the following inspections before using your
Grapples
General Inspection
Make the following inspections with grapple attached to a
tractor that is parked on a level surface.
1.
Complete Operating Checklist provided above.
2. Inspect tractor safety equipment to make sure it is in
good working condition and that all safety alert
decals are visible and legible. Replace all missing
and/or illegible safety alert decals.
3. Inspect hitch hook-up to grapple. Make sure upper
j-hook is secured under the grapple’s upper hitch pin,
lower hitch pins are properly installed, and linchpins
are properly secured.
4. Consult your tractor Operator’s Manual to determine
if ballast is required. Add ballast if needed.
5. Inspect condition of hydraulic hoses, fittings, and
valves before starting the machine. Make sure hoses
are not pinched, kinked, twisted, or frayed; and that
they will not contact moving parts.
6. Operate hydraulic controls to verify control
movements function properly and equipment
movements are correct. Make any necessary
changes to controls and hydraulic hook-ups before
putting equipment into service.
7.
Operate grapple through its full range of movements
to check for clearances. Refer to
on page 11 for detailed instructions.
Operating Checklist
Check
Page
Read and follow all safety rules carefully.
Refer to “Important Safety Information” and
Safety Alert Symbols throughout this manual.
All
Read and follow hook-up & preparation
instructions. Refer to“Section 1: Assembly &
Set-Up”.
Read and follow all operating procedures.
Refer to“Section 2: Operating Procedures”.
Read and follow all maintenance instructions.
Refer to “Section 3: Maintenance &
Lubrication”.
Make sure there are no hydraulic leaks.
Refer to “Avoid High Pressure Fluids Hazard”.
3
Check grapple initially and periodically for
loose bolts and pins. Refer to “Torque Values
Chart for Common Bolt Sizes”.
