Best Grapple for Grabbing Split Firewood? Show us your pics!

[My Hoe]

Hi all,

I'm seriously considering adding a grapple, mainly for firewood processing. (Have a B3000 with the LA403/BH77, that I want to convert to an SSQA on the FEL). I will have to add front remotes and (I believe) have the loader valve changed/upgraded).

Meaning, the first thing the grapple's gotta do is hold up the (downed, delivered) tree to be cut. Or, possibly, slab-wood from a sawmill. (And I do have a mechanical thumb on the backhoe, but I'm not too keen on leaving the backhoe on all the time, for stability reasons, weight, etc...).

The second thing the grapple needs to do is PICK UP SPLIT WOOD, to be dumped into a one-half of an Intermediate Bulk Container (a 4' x 4' x 2'H steel-caged, nylon "box," that is built to be picked up with pallet forks. (Basically, 1/2 of a 300 gallon water tank typically used on construction sites).

Any pics of grapples full of wood-stove-length "splits" in its maw would be greatly appreciated, along with opinions, preferences, suggestions, etc....

I will probably use the ATI SSQA and, given that that the LA403 cannot lift as much as some of it's larger "cousins," grapple weight + SSQA weight is a concern, so any info on how much wood can be lifted, at one "bite," (with the LA403 + ATI SSQA) would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks much,

My Hoe

 

[ovrszd]

I bought a used Bobcat bucket and built a Grapple for it.

I prefer a double claw Grapple so it better grabs odd shaped loads. Loose cut firewood would definitely fit that description. Also rocks, odd shaped logs, stumps, loose brush, etc.

Before you even bother to convert to SSQA, build a good brush guard for the front of your tractor. And don't even begin to entertain the thought that you don't need one. With a Grapple you DEFINITELY need one. Trust me on that one.

 

[4570Man]

I process most of my fire wood on the concrete slab from a burned out building. On smooth concrete I can move split fire wood pretty good. On dirt it is way less effective. A grapple is extremely useful for firewood, but moving split fire wood isn't its strong point. I don't think I have any pictures moving split fire wood. I like the thumb on my backhoe too. My grapple is 72" wide and the backhoe thump with my narrow bucket is only 12". I like to pickup the 72" pieces you can't cut in the grapple with the backhoe. I would buy the narrowest grapple you can fit on your tractor.

 

[ovrszd]

I on the other hand would want the widest you can handle
Works better for light bulky material.

 

[aeblank]

When I get mine going, I'll try it and take some pics. I'm *hoping* it'll work well. It's a 66" Tomahawk, single lid.
Waiting on back-ordered hydraulic parts at the moment. Though, it's not like I have time to install said components anyway.

 

[My Hoe]

D***!

I just wrote a huge post, thanking all of you, individually, for sharing your experiences and pics, and explaining more about my anticipated applications--and *poof!* I lost it.

I'll tell you how I lost my post:

I was in "Preview" mode, of my post, and I clicked on the link to show you that I plan to use the grapple to dump the splits into a cut-down Intermediate Bulk Container (IBC), like this one (https://www.google.com/search?q=Intermediate+Bulk+Container&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAmoVChMIlMCp1-u4xwIViKw-Ch1nhQEY&biw=1366&bih=634#imgrc=1kAmuzWFgLZEyM%3A) and when I went to click on the link, in "Preview" mode, I lost EVERYTHING I had written.

And I can't bear to write it all again.

So, a word to the wise: do NOT click on a hyperlink, while in "Preview Mode," or you may lose your entire post.:banghead:

Suffice to say that I appreciate all the pics, shared experience and advice, and encourage those that have responded, to continue, and those that haven't, to feel free to.

A cut-down IBC is still 4'L x 4'W x 2'H. Meaning, I don't need a grapple more than 48" wide.

But my concern is the WEIGHT of the grapple.

My LA403's lifting capacity is already limited. And I plan on getting an SSQA (but I would dearly like to build a grill guard like yours, as you suggest, ovrszd!)

Can anyone recommend the lightest grapple I can find, no wider than 48", that will allow me to make use of the remaining lift capacity of the LA403 FEL, after I've subracted the weight of the SSQA, plus the weight of the grapple itself, and the (small, by comparison) weight of 1/2 of an IBC?

Thanks again, to all!

My Hoe

 

[Industrial Toys]

I thnk picking up split firewood is a tall order. It's like trying to pick up two rocks with a grapple. It rarely works in my experience. Firewood is just so irregular.

 

[4570Man]

I have been pretty successful picking up two rocks with a grapple. You have to pick up one rock first, and lay it about 18" from the second rock. Reposition the tractor, and grab both rocks. If I want to be really lazy I grab a third rock in the backhoe thumb. I try to avoid having to transport firewood after it is split. If I have to do so I usually park the tractor beside the splitter and throw the pieces in the grapple. Firewood splitting works best with a helper to move the split pieces, and roll up logs to be split.

 

[sd455dan]

I process most of my fire wood on the concrete slab from a burned out building. On smooth concrete I can move split fire wood pretty good. On dirt it is way less effective. A grapple is extremely useful for firewood, but moving split fire wood isn't its strong point. I don't think I have any pictures moving split fire wood.

That's about my experience to.
Just can't seem to get a good grapple full of split wood out of a pile -especially if it is on the ground.

There are lots of uses my grapple has worked for, but picking up piles of split wood- it finished in last place:laughing:

 

[handymantim]

Can you move the 4'x4'x2' bin next to the splitter and still be able to move it after it's full of split wood? The loader on my B26 is also very weak so I feel your pain.