vote is grappel on FEL as well.
you can half way get by, with some stuff, just curling the bucket on backhoe all the way. and kinda trapping it between bucket and frame of backhoe. it is by no means the best way to do things and some times down right pain. but it works for odd rare jobs.
a thumb for me, would be awesome. due to i will need to clean up a ditch area. were bunch of wood items and metal stuff been tossed. years ago. and being able to reach the backhoe down into this area and grab a hold of stuff then set it quickly down into a trailer to be hauled off will be A PLUS!
on other hand. if i had a wood burner or like for heating house. a grapple would make more sense. due to all the limbs and pieces of brush that come off of a tree. can be rather large pile. and being able take a much wider bite into the pile. lift it up and haul it were ever. would be much more quicker.
ya sure, i can push stuff around with the FEL general duty bucket. but i can not really put stuff in it, like limbs and small bushes. without physically getting out of tractor and loading stuff up so it will stay in the FEL. now if i had a grapple that would pinch / grasp everything and hold it in the FEL generally duty bucket, it would be a completely seat time doing.
backhoe bucket = wheel barrow
a bucket on front end of tractor = large size truck bed. ((which one will hold more?))
backhoe bucket with thumb. would be more of a single item picking up and placing exactly were wanted with fair amount of ease
bucket on front end of tractor. = picking a big pile and dumping it.
