Piranha Root Grapple

[Dougster]

Originally Posted by firewoodman

flint, My Piranha is used 99% as a forestry tool. I have loaded thousands of logs one at a time on the trailers and firewood processor. Absolutely simple to tilt it down to vertical position and pinch a log in the end of the tines to pick it up and place it anywhere you want with total control. The top and bottom tines bypass each other so nothing is slipping past unless it is very short. We have used it to hold up entire trees and cut them off the ground, just gotta cut on both ends to keep some balance. I have used it for rocks from small to very large, and even to load junk iron and cars. A very versatile attachment, don't really matter what brand you get. It just seems this style is more usefull every day than other designs. Good luck, Keith

I agree that the Piranha is a very nice, heavy-duty, well-made and versatile grapple. Here is my new 66 incher:



Only thing to warn you about is that it is shipped freight on a pallet with its hydraulic hoses & couplings attached and exposed to damage. Both of my hoses arrived deeply cut, possibly by metal strapping used at some point, and they would not replace them or even acknowledge my email. I would special request that they take off the hoses and couplings and ship them in a separate sealed box. Not a lot of money to replace the hoses... just a disappointment and an unnecessary pain in the behind for an otherwise nicely made piece of equipment.

Dougster

[IslandTractor]

That looks quite different from the 48" Piranha I saw on the net. It looks almost exactly like the larger Millonzi grapples and does not have the closely spaced and straight lower tines that Flintlock was talking about needing for his rock picking.

How much does it weigh and what did it cost? Is it a QA mount or tractor pin specific?

[Kendall69]

Thanks to Dougster advice I also picked up theaters6” Pariah , and I’ve done more work in an hour with that thing that 8 hours with a bucket and things falling out.
I ordered some extra tines for mine to place between the existing tines, so I can grab finer material.

[Dougster]

Originally Posted by IslandTractor

That looks quite different from the 48" Piranha I saw on the net. It looks almost exactly like the larger Millonzi grapples and does not have the closely spaced and straight lower tines that Flintlock was talking about needing for his rock picking. How much does it weigh and what did it cost? Is it a QA mount or tractor pin specific?

I should remember exactly after all my silly calculations, but I can't find the shipping docs right now. I believe it shipped at 635 lbs. It has quick attach mounts and flat-face, skid-loader type hydraulic couplings. I think current list is around $1,400.00. Your mileage may vary.

Dougster

[flINTLOCK]

My problem is that for surface rocks, I may have to dug too deep to get the tines under them, compared to shallower bottom of rock bucket. May try to add grapple to rock bucket as a solution, since rocks are my main concern.

[IslandTractor]

Originally Posted by Dougster

I believe it shipped at 635 lbs.

That's about a third or more of your FEL capacity measured at pivot pins. As the grapple carries the load further out than a bucket, your residual lift capacity might be about half of your non grapple lift or about 1000lbs. I guess for brush and the like that still leaves you with adequate lift as you'd almost never have more than 1000lbs of load. The downside compared to a lighter grapple will be reduced ability to directly pull out bushes/small trees. You don't lose any curl capacity however so you'll still be able to get those out by digging underneath the roots can popping them out that way.

It is a nice looking grapple.

[Dougster]

Originally Posted by IslandTractor

That's about a third or more of your FEL capacity measured at pivot pins. As the grapple carries the load further out than a bucket, your residual lift capacity might be about half of your non grapple lift or about 1000lbs. I guess for brush and the like that still leaves you with adequate lift as you'd almost never have more than 1000lbs of load. The downside compared to a lighter grapple will be reduced ability to directly pull out bushes/small trees. You don't lose any curl capacity however so you'll still be able to get those out by digging underneath the roots can popping them out that way. It is a nice looking grapple.

Well, as you may recall, my rated lift capacity to full height at pivot pins is 1,972 lbs. This is a net lift capacity based on a ~300 lb. stock 72" bucket and has been confirmed by dealer tests. Adding the ~300 lbs to the 1972 lbs and subtracting 635 pounds (less pallet weight?) would leave me with at least 1,637 lbs of remaining lifting capacity at pivot pins and probably more like 1,650 lbs or a tiny bit more. My goal was a minimum remaining lift capacity at pivot pins of 1,600 lbs to give me plenty of margin, so I am happy. As stated elsewhere, I'd still love to have a lightweight, everyday grapple... but if I can only afford to have one, this is it!

So far so good with this nasty beast. My testing has been limited by weather and logistics, but other than the damaged hoses I had to replace, I am quite pleased with my purchase. I especially like the little Piranha logo:



It scares the neighbor kids good!

Dougster

[IslandTractor]

You're right about deducting the bucket weight from the calculations. One thing that may not be an issue in your set up but is in mine and many other CUTs is the need to add the weight of a QA adapter (100-125lbs) and to consider the impact of how that QA adapter pushes the load out a few inches. These load calculations can be tricky so the best approach is to make sure you have "excess" capacity for whatever job you are planning.

Tractor weight is another issue to consider when sizing a grapple. In my case I can lift just about as much as I can safely carry with loaded tires and a 500+ lb bush hog for counter weight. A full heavy load and a bumpy ride can be real exciting. Weight is also an issue when using the curl function to pop roots out. If I try to curl a tree out of the ground, I have enough FEL capacity to lift my rear tires off the ground so more would not be useful.

[BTDT]

Weight is also an issue when using the curl function to pop roots out. If I try to curl a tree out of the ground, I have enough FEL capacity to lift my rear tires off the ground so more would not be useful.

That's a lot of pressure on the front end. Hope it continues to hold up for you. I know it may be an isolated incedent, and just happen every once in a while, but a failure is going to do a lot of damage in my opinion. Be careful.

[IslandTractor]

Originally Posted by BTDT

That's a lot of pressure on the front end.

Yep, I agree. I don't do it on purpose but occasionally I'll think I can pop out a root by getting the grapple underneath and find myself, rather than the tree, rising up off the ground when I curl. I imagine that the FELs are matched with front axle capacity so that this doesn't hurt so long as it is not an every day event.

My usual strategy with small/medium size trees (up to 4-5 inches) is to try to push it over enough to expose the roots then push the grapple underneath and either curl or drive forward to pop it out. Works pretty well so long as I don't get greedy with the size of the tree but occasionally I misjudge or the tree just has a strong root system. That is when the rear lifts occur.