On root rake grapples where you are clearing brush my opinion is that you need the grapple at least as wide as the tractor tires. My 72" root rake grapple is mainly on a 72" wide machine and I could do at times with a 84". Again, this is for brush. If you are using a grapple with the large lower teeth, I would guess much more narrow.
HCJtractor said:I disagree. I have a 48" Markham on a 70 horse Kubota and it is a beast. Wider may be ok for simply scooping up loose debris, but for uprooting/digging and collecting debris, the narrower ones shine. I use mine a tremendous amount, and a wider one would not allow the focused pressure needed for uprooting, and it's plenty wide for collecting debris. And two "claws" is overkill. One is plenty. I never have a problem holding what I grab. One thumb works just fine. It's my most used implement.
I disagree. I have a 48" Markham on a 70 horse Kubota and it is a beast. Wider may be ok for simply scooping up loose debris, but for uprooting/digging and collecting debris, the narrower ones shine. I use mine a tremendous amount, and a wider one would not allow the focused pressure needed for uprooting, and it's plenty wide for collecting debris. And two "claws" is overkill. One is plenty. I never have a problem holding what I grab. One thumb works just fine. It's my most used implement.
Like anything else I guess, it depends what you use it for. The brush I have has soft small roots, but 10' of top growth.