Grapple decision help

[Stomper]

By now some of you are probably thinking "not this guy again with another grapple thread". I wouldn't blame you if you did, I've put a few of them on here. I will explain my situation in hopes that you will have some advice for me. Let me start off by saying that I have not used a grapple before so I have no practical experience with one, so I'm hoping with the many users on here you can give me some advise that will help me make the right decision. The tractor that it will be going on is a Kubota L2501
I am looking for advice on which style of grapple would suit my needs based on the information provided below. I have been wanting a grapple since I got my tractor back in June of last year and have been beating around which type would best suit my needs. I live in the remote Canadian north country in a small town on a couple acres of land. The back edge of my property is the north boundary of the town, so the Canadian wilderness is literally my back yard. I don't have any land to clear so a brush type grapple or a root rake type doesn't seem much use because of their intended purposes. I do however heat my home with wood, and this is the main reason I am wanting a grapple. Presently I have been heating my home with a wood stove, but this summer I will be installing an outdoor wood boiler. The boiler takes up to 44" log lengths and will be heating my home, shop, another small building and my domestic hot water. I am told by other wood boiler users in my area that I will be burning at least 8+ cords of wood a year. I am hoping with my new tractor and a proper grapple that this chore will be much easier. I have already checked with the Department of Natural Resources to see if I can use my tractor for gathering my fire wood on crown land in this area. As long as I am not building trails or roads it is allowed. There is an abundance of old logging and exploration trails around here and with the large forest fire that went through this area last year, there is plenty of wood to get. The DNR want it cleaned up and with a large portion of the burn along the highway, roads and trails, it should be easy pickings. Most of the wood I will be getting will range around the 6"-12" diameter. I plan on building wooden frames onto pallets and storing the boiler length pieces on the pallets so I can move them from the storage area to the boiler with my forks.
Almost all the work that will be done with the grapple will be the gathering of fire wood. I am wanting one that will clamp down on the logs tightly so they can be cut into 44" length while in the grapple and they can fall right into the haul trailer, saving time and work. I know some like the bucket style because they can scoop up large amounts of firewood and clamp down and transport it. This would be good for boiler length pieces but wouldn't hold the logs tight for cutting to length. I have scoured the internet searching every type of grapple I can find to see which would best suit my needs. Several comments on some on the forestry forums, swear by pallet forks with grapples that clamp the logs tight against the back of the forks. This sounds appealing to me as I have a good set of pallet forks already. It would just be to purchase or build one similar to this. Grapple attachment for pallet fork with low frame.. This would be easily removed when not needed but adding this weight to the already heavy pallet forks gives me some issues of loosing lift capacity needed for the logs. Others like the clam style grapples that are similar to the EA wicked root grapple, this also appeal to me. Although this style of grapple might limit the amount of logs that can be clamped into it, but it might be just right for my size of tractor.
I receintly posted a thread here on a dedicated log grapple style which might suit my needs because it will be used mainly for logging type work. I also like the fact that it is slightly narrower than the others which would enable me to cut the clamped section of the log to the desired 44" length. This is the thread.
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/build-yourself/390749-anyone-build-grapple-like.html

I realize that the narrower width of a grapple might put added stress on the loader arms for unbalanced loads but the longest length logs I would haul around would be in the 8-12 foot range and smaller if needed.

As far a purchasing or building a grapple goes, it really doesn't matter. I have all the tools and skills to build one. Building one would most likely be best for me because I can build it how it best suits my needs. I just need some advice from those who have had experience with different types of grapples of what might work and might not work for my intended use. Any help will we greatly appreciated.

Thanks

 

[Xfaxman]

What I recommend is a small L bottom and make a removable bracket that would slip up onto the lid to pickup and clamp a single log for cutting.

 

[kenmac]

Only experience I have with a grapple is the Thumb bucket grapple on my yanmar.
I have had it on my tractor for about 5 yrs.

Don't know if a Thumb for your bucket would work for you or not. But, It has worked great for me.

You can buy a thumb for your bucket cheaper than most other types of grapples

I'm now trying to decide which grapple I want for my kubota

 

[Stomper]

What I recommend is a small L bottom and make a removable bracket that would slip up onto the lid to pickup and clamp a single log for cutting.

View attachment 537484

Thats actually a good idea. Never thought of that adding a bracket to clamp a single log. The L bottom would be super easy to build. It would kind of give me the best of both worlds. Large enough to haul several logs at a time yet versatile enough to just clamp one log.

 

[Stomper]

Only experience I have with a grapple is the Thumb bucket grapple on my yanmar.
I have had it on my tractor for about 5 yrs.

Don't know if a Thumb for your bucket would work for you or not. But, It has worked great for me.

You can buy a thumb for your bucket cheaper than most other types of grapples

I'm now trying to decide which grapple I want for my kubota

I've thought about the bucket grapple/thumb thing but don't think that would work as well as I would want it to.

 

[John_Mc]

If your primary need is lifting logs you simply can't beat a dedicated forestry grapple. I strongly suggest you look at something like the Igland GR20, the Hakmet Frostbite, or the Sundowner GR40. Yes, other grapples will work, but there is a reason that a forestry grapple is designed the way it is. It works very well for the purpose for which it is designed: moving logs. The narrower width makes it easier to maneuver in tight quarters in the woods. Contrary to what you and many others seem to think, the narrow width does not "put more stress on the loader arms". The stress on the arms is determined by how far off center the load is that you are lifting: it doesn't matter whether you are lifting it with a wide or a narrow grapple. (There may be more stress on the grapple itself, but the grapple is designed to take it.) THe lighter weight of this style of grapple means that you lose less of your lifting capacity lifting the grapple.

I own a Sundowner GR40 grapple. It's on a NH TC33D with a Woods 1012 loader, a tractor & loader fairly similar to your L2501. The grapple weighs about as much as the 66" bucket it replaces. Since it's designed to be able to be used with larger tractors, it's plenty tough for what you can move with the L2501. I've also found that it works just fine for picking up brush. I'm not sure what kinds of things others are talking about when they say it's not good for brush, but I pick up large piles of saplings and small limbs I've trimmed off trees without any problems.

I'm happy with the Sundowner, and I'm sure it will last a long time. Having said that, I think the Frostbite is better constructed: bronze bushings at all pivot points, powder coated, rather than painted, 5 year warranty. I paid about $1500 for the Sundowner GR40, including the quick attach plate. I believe the Frostbite sells for about $2200. I don't think I'll ever wear out the Sundowner with my tractor, but if those differences mean something to you, and you don't mind spending about 50% more, the Frostbite is a top-end piece of equipment. (I'm not as familiar with the Igland GR20)

 

[John_Mc]

If your primary need is lifting logs you simply can't beat a dedicated forestry grapple. I strongly suggest you look at something like the Igland GR20, the Hakmet Frostbite, or the Sundowner GR40. Yes, other grapples will work, but there is a reason that a forestry grapple is designed the way it is. It works very well for the purpose for which it is designed: moving logs. The narrower width makes it easier to maneuver in tight quarters in the woods. The fact that it is a bypass grapple means that it will securely hold a wide range of log sizes.

Contrary to what many seem to think, the narrow width does not "put more stress on the loader arms". The stress on the loader arms is determined by how far off center the load is that you are lifting: it doesn't matter whether you are lifting it with a wide or a narrow grapple. (There may be more stress on the grapple itself, but the grapple is designed to take it.) The lighter weight of this style of grapple means that you lose less of your lifting capacity lifting the grapple.

I own a Sundowner GR40 grapple. It's on a NH TC33D with a Woods 1012 loader, a tractor & loader fairly similar to your L2501. The grapple weighs about as much as the 66" bucket it replaces. Since it's designed to be able to be used with larger tractors, it's plenty tough for what you can move with the L2501. I've also found that it works just fine for picking up brush. I'm not sure what kinds of things others are talking about when they say it's not good for brush, but I pick up large piles of saplings and small limbs I've trimmed off trees without any problems.

I'm happy with the Sundowner, and I'm sure it will last a long time. Having said that, I think the Frostbite is better constructed: bronze bushings at all pivot points, powder coated, rather than painted, 5 year warranty. I paid about $1500 for the Sundowner GR40, including the quick attach plate. I believe the Frostbite sells for about $2200. I don't think I'll ever wear out the Sundowner with my tractor, but if those differences mean something to you, and you don't mind spending about 50% more, the Frostbite is a top-end piece of equipment. (I'm not as familiar with the Igland GR20)

 

[Stomper]

If your primary need is lifting logs you simply can't beat a dedicated forestry grapple. I strongly suggest you look at something like the Igland GR20, the Hakmet Frostbite, or the Sundowner GR40. Yes, other grapples will work, but there is a reason that a forestry grapple is designed the way it is. It works very well for the purpose for which it is designed: moving logs. The narrower width makes it easier to maneuver in tight quarters in the woods. The fact that it is a bypass grapple means that it will securely hold a wide range of log sizes.

Contrary to what many seem to think, the narrow width does not "put more stress on the loader arms". The stress on the loader arms is determined by how far off center the load is that you are lifting: it doesn't matter whether you are lifting it with a wide or a narrow grapple. (There may be more stress on the grapple itself, but the grapple is designed to take it.) The lighter weight of this style of grapple means that you lose less of your lifting capacity lifting the grapple.

I own a Sundowner GR40 grapple. It's on a NH TC33D with a Woods 1012 loader, a tractor & loader fairly similar to your L2501. The grapple weighs about as much as the 66" bucket it replaces. Since it's designed to be able to be used with larger tractors, it's plenty tough for what you can move with the L2501. I've also found that it works just fine for picking up brush. I'm not sure what kinds of things others are talking about when they say it's not good for brush, but I pick up large piles of saplings and small limbs I've trimmed off trees without any problems.

I'm happy with the Sundowner, and I'm sure it will last a long time. Having said that, I think the Frostbite is better constructed: bronze bushings at all pivot points, powder coated, rather than painted, 5 year warranty. I paid about $1500 for the Sundowner GR40, including the quick attach plate. I believe the Frostbite sells for about $2200. I don't think I'll ever wear out the Sundowner with my tractor, but if those differences mean something to you, and you don't mind spending about 50% more, the Frostbite is a top-end piece of equipment. (I'm not as familiar with the Igland GR20)

Lots of guys on here with root grapples and the L or bucket style which seem to good for all round use. I'm glad you posted because I want to hear some input on this style of grapple. This style really appeals to me, probably because it is designed for the exact use I need it for. Like I mentioned in the original post, my main use for a grapple will be basicaly small scale logging for personal fire wood. What thickness of material is the sundowner made of. Do you have any pictures of how the pivot points and hydraulic cylinder is mounted to the pivot arm and base.

 

[John_Mc]

Stomper: no pics right at hand. I'll try to get some when I get a chance. Nothing on their website that shows what you want to see?

 

[oosik]

IMHO - the grapple Xfaxman showed or something similar is the type I would recommend. I WOULD NOT recommend the Sundowner or Igland type for one basic reason. Once you have used a grapple and have a chance to see how many different tasks it can perform - a special task oriented grapple will become a looser.

However - its your money and your decision..............