you asked about grapple weight. I should have bought the lighter duty 66 instead of the HD 72. Big difference in weight all the way out front.
GP
Width in Inches Weight in pounds
GPL 60 490
GPL 66 520
GPL 72 550
GP 60 760
GP 66 810
GP 72 850
GP 78 900
GP 84 960
The grapple bucket really is a compromise either way. As a bucket, it isn't as useful as the standard bucket since it is much heavier duty than required. I can't tell for sure, but it seems like the bottom lip of the bucket is also much longer than a standard bucket, which of course reduces the breakout force by a large amount.
As a grapple, it isn't as useful as an open bottom grapple. Unfortunately someone talked you into buying this without realizing the compromises that you would be making.
As you've seen already, a better match would be a lighter duty dedicated open bottom grapple, and a standard bucket. However, maybe your specific situation calls for using a bucket and grapple at the same time very often. I can see in this specific situation the 'all in one' would be a good idea, so you wouldn't have to constantly switch back and forth. For my specific situation, I almost never use my bucket, so for me it's a no brainer, but each situation can be different.
If you don't need to use your bucket and grapple often together, you may want to consider selling that to someone with a heavier duty skid steer and buying a cheaper, dedicated grapple like the OBG-2.
As you've seen, weight is really important. I went with filled rear tires (rimguard) and a heavy duty box blade for
ballast. As I mentioned for my situation this works out well (I know realistically I would never remove wheel weights if I had them). However, I do feel like I'm almost "overloading" my tractor with the HST transmission.
So many decisions to make, and there are compromises everywhere, unfortunately there is no one "correct" way to do things. But then again, that's what makes these discussions interesting. :thumbsup:
