Grappling fun - A Picture Thread....

[k0ua]

Hello Gentlemen, really enjoying the awesome pics!
Which has led to me feeling grapple envy ;-)
I am not looking for a competition, but would some of you care to share the strong points of the different styles of grapples? In a short amount of time I have come across a tremendous amount of information here on TBN. I know different grapples work better for different jobs, curious as to why you all have chosen the grapple style you did?
Thanks!

I chose the L style, because I wanted more depth to the grapple for picking up big rocks, and logs. I think the shorter depth grapples are perhaps better for grubbing out roots and applying more pressure because the teeth are closer to the pivot pins of the loader.

I chose the smaller lighter EA grapple because I was looking for a smaller width grapple, (mine is 50 inches) and light weight to maximize my lift capability yet built with 80,000 psi steel instead of the usual A36 mild steel. As far as I know any grapple is way better than no grapple, but like you said, some grapples are better suited for some jobs than others.

 

[IslandTractor]

I have an older pin-on bucket vs the newer easy-change bucket so switching between bucket and grapple would be a lot of work. So I got a bolt-on grapple. Even if I had a easy-change system I am not sure I would get a dedicated grapple because a lot of the work I do requires both bucket and grapple. One minute I am moving a rock or stump and the next minute I am moving dirt with the bucket to fill the hole where the rock or stump was. No matter where I am I have both available all the time and even though my grapple is less capable than a dedicated grapple I have always been able to get the job done and don't feel handicapped.

Bucket grapples are great. More folks should consider them if they are doing a variety of tasks. Dedicated grapples are more useful for serious land clearing but a bucket grapple can do just about everything a dedicated grapple can do and it is always mounted.

 

[JRL305]

I finally got mine all hooked up and running. I bought the WR Long OBG2-48 and the third function valve kit from EA. I already have a Kubota pin style QA for the FEL so they made the grapple to fit. Now I can switch out the bucket and grapple in a few minutes. I've been scraping up brush and plowing up dirt to move with the bucket. Today, I had a couple of long trees laying around and tried it out on them. I picked up a tree and cut it in thirds with the chainsaw and stacked the pieces together. Picked them all up and hauled them up the hill to the burn pile. I dumped them and picked up each piece and placed them on the burn pile. My old back feels much better now without having to wrestle those things with the bucket. That Grapple is a great toy, errr, tool.

John
KD4FTA

 

[kneedeep]

Don't take allot of photos, but here are some I got the other day moving some logs.

What kind is that, JordanFTW?

 

[Twotter]

Hello IslandTractor,

Seeing all these pics I absolutely agree with you, any grapple is better than no grapple! Thanks for the explanation, had not even realized there were clamshell grapples, only buckets. The wealth of knowledge on this site is staggering, and as a new tractor owner, it really makes the learning curve more manageable!

I have a LS XR4046 HST, the bucket lifts around 2,000# at the pins. I am reclaiming an old barn up in Maine to reuse the wood, and so far I have used my pallet forks the most for moving beams and stacks of siding, my lower back keeps thanking me ;-) I also bought the tractor because I do some tree work and as more than one person has mentioned, I am not getting any younger(just better looking, at least that is what I tell myself!). I am looking to start a sideline business with the tractor, doing some land clearing, landscaping work, etc. I am setting it up as a legitimate business, insurance, licenses(has any one from Mass taken the test for the 2A Hoist Operators license?), etc. And thus, I am on the look out for attachments that can make me more marketable and productive.

But as of now, I do not have a specific grapple in mind, and as Poopdeck Pappy proved, I do not even know all the options as of yet. That is the beauty of TBN, the exposure and knowledge you receive here beats what you can get, just by visiting dealers. I also see the advantages of a bolt-on grapple like Gordon's, you get to keep you bucket in action. I have to admit though, the long grapples like K0ua's, JRL305 and Piston's do seem to offer more carrying capacity.... I do have a quick attach on the loader, so switching up front takes less than a minute, even quicker when I have a helper

Pappy, have you been able to remove larger stumps with your stump grapple? You said you switched to a backhoe, just for the visibility reasons, or is it just that much better at removing the stumps? How does it work for boulders?

Thanks for all the feedback and keep the awesome pics coming!
Rob

 

[IslandTractor]

Hello IslandTractor,

Seeing all these pics I absolutely agree with you, any grapple is better than no grapple! Thanks for the explanation, had not even realized there were clamshell grapples, only buckets. The wealth of knowledge on this site is staggering, and as a new tractor owner, it really makes the learning curve more manageable!

I have a LS XR4046 HST, the bucket lifts around 2,000# at the pins. I am reclaiming an old barn up in Maine to reuse the wood, and so far I have used my pallet forks the most for moving beams and stacks of siding, my lower back keeps thanking me ;-) I also bought the tractor because I do some tree work and as more than one person has mentioned, I am not getting any younger(just better looking, at least that is what I tell myself!). I am looking to start a sideline business with the tractor, doing some land clearing, landscaping work, etc. I am setting it up as a legitimate business, insurance, licenses(has any one from Mass taken the test for the 2A Hoist Operators license?), etc. And thus, I am on the look out for attachments that can make me more marketable and productive.

But as of now, I do not have a specific grapple in mind, and as Poopdeck Pappy proved, I do not even know all the options as of yet. That is the beauty of TBN, the exposure and knowledge you receive here beats what you can get, just by visiting dealers. I also see the advantages of a bolt-on grapple like Gordon's, you get to keep you bucket in action. I have to admit though, the long grapples like K0ua's, JRL305 and Piston's do seem to offer more carrying capacity.... I do have a quick attach on the loader, so switching up front takes less than a minute, even quicker when I have a helper

Pappy, have you been able to remove larger stumps with your stump grapple? You said you switched to a backhoe, just for the visibility reasons, or is it just that much better at removing the stumps? How does it work for boulders?

Thanks for all the feedback and keep the awesome pics coming!
Rob

I don't know the LS XR4046 but it sounds about the same size as my Kioti DK40se which lifts 2700lbs at the pins. I have used that tractor with a light duty 48" open bottom (or L) style grapple with single upper jaw and have been very happy. I've used the combination for seven seasons now mostly doing land clearing that sometimes involves digging out brush and sometimes smaller stumps and carrying trees that I knocked over with a BH ripper. Zero complaints. It has done everything I tried to do. I do not baby it but use it properly. It has some battle scars but is fully functional.

My grapple is a Millonzi but they are no longer available. WRLong, Wildkat, Titan and a number of other manufacturers make a very similar style of 48" grapple. I would look for three things: All the square tubing used in the grapple "frame" needs to be 1/4" wall thickness....a few of the real cheapo grapples are made with 1/8" wall tubing and a few of those have failed at the upper jaw attachment point. I would also personally prefer the tines be 3/8" mild steel (A36). Easier to work on if you ever do need to weld or straighten with heat. Third, I prefer a slight curve in the bottom tines to scoop under roots. That said, one of the nicest new grapple designs is the Everything Attachments light duty ?50 inch grapple which is made with lighter weight high strength steel rather than A36. Most of the grapple is 5/16ths rather than 3/8". If I was buying for any tractor smaller than mine I would get that one but I'm not as comfortable with the 5/16ths. It is probably fine but even EA says it is for 35hp tractors and smaller. I think that is very conservative. I wish they made the exact same design (well maybe with a larger opening) but in 3/8 mild steel (or 3/8 high strength I suppose). If I were buying today I'd agonize over one of the traditional 3/8" open bottom grapples versus the EA 5/16th.

It is hard to break any grapple if you observe a few basic rules: 1) Always lift with the load centered. Reposition if you notice the load is off center as you start to lift. Twist is your enemy. 2) Don't bulldoze with the tines in the ground except a very low speed. You don't know when you will hit a big rock or stump off center, 3) Don't let the open upper jaw be the contact point when pushing, it isn't built for that. A tractor with a 2000lb loader cannot hurt a grapple if those simple rules are followed. You can lift anything the loader will lift without hurting the grapple.

 

[Poopdeck Pappy]

. . .

Pappy, have you been able to remove larger stumps with your stump grapple? You said you switched to a backhoe, just for the visibility reasons, or is it just that much better at removing the stumps? How does it work for boulders?

Rob, I have removed some larger cedar trees with it, but it's been done by digging up some of the lateral roots with the stump grapple and then pushing the tree over.

Since I got the little BX23 backhoe, my procedure on larger trees is to use the backhoe to dig up some of the lateral roots, and then I use the grapple on the bigger tractor to push the tree over and then grab the tree and haul it to the tree pile. I have a ripper tooth on the backhoe that rips through the roots without removing a lot of soil. It works great.

As I said earlier, the main issue with the stump grapple is that the solid backplate (where it mounts to the FEL SSQA mounting frame) keeps me from seeing what the front of the grapple is doing. So I have to operate by feel, which is not very efficient. These things were really made to mount to a skid steer where you are sitting MUCH closer to the bucket/grapple and can actually see what it's doing. I'm sure they would work MUCH better in that situation.

Keep in mind that I'm removing cedar trees, which are bulky but don't have a deep root system. They have lateral roots that can run outward from the tree several feet, but they don't go very deep. I sure wouldn't recommend a stump grapple for hardwoods or any kind of tree that had a deep root system that needed to be dug out.

After using my stump grapple and my BX23 backhoe, I think the most efficient tool for digging up trees would be a mid-size mini-excavator with a hydraulic thumb. The huge advantage of a mini-excavator over a backhoe is that it can dig and move, dig and move. A backhoe has to be moved, re-positioned with the outriggers down, flip the seat around, dig, raise the outriggers, flip the seat around, move, etc.

 

[Poopdeck Pappy]

. . . I wish they made the exact same design (well maybe with a larger opening) but in 3/8 mild steel (or 3/8 high strength I suppose). If I were buying today I'd agonize over one of the traditional 3/8" open bottom grapples versus the EA 5/16th.
. . . .

I couldn't agree more. That's exactly what I'd like to see also.

Oh and FYI, the XR4046 is pretty much the LS equivalent of the Kioti DK45SE or DK50SE. The XR4046 is a really nice tractor and was in my top two final choices when I finally decided on the DK50SE.

 

[milkman636]

I chose the L style, because I wanted more depth to the grapple for picking up big rocks, and logs. I think the shorter depth grapples are perhaps better for grubbing out roots and applying more pressure because the teeth are closer to the pivot pins of the loader.

I chose the smaller lighter EA grapple because I was looking for a smaller width grapple, (mine is 50 inches) and light weight to maximize my lift capability yet built with 80,000 psi steel instead of the usual A36 mild steel. As far as I know any grapple is way better than no grapple, but like you said, some grapples are better suited for some jobs than others.

Would you buy the same grapple again James? Or would you go with something different? The reason I ask is that I am considering the same grapple for my albino version of your tractor.

 

[k0ua]

Would you buy the same grapple again James? Or would you go with something different? The reason I ask is that I am considering the same grapple for my albino version of your tractor.

Unless something better comes along, I believe I would make the same choice. The only thing I can readily think of that could be better would be a "bigger bite". In other words a larger/taller opening. But I have only run into one rock I couldn't get my mouth around, and I probably could not have lifted it anyway. The 30 inch opening is a lot but 36 would have been better. Of course to make it taller, would have added many lbs of weight and cost.. so like everything in life it is a tradeoff. One very nice feature of this particular grapple is the fact the "teeth" come precisely together. This allows you to pickup very small rocks and roots without getting off of the tractor. Yes I know I am lazy, but I really like this feature. I once remarked to someone I believe I could pickup up a pencil from the ground and put it in a bucket, and while I have never actually done that, I think I could. In any case it is a very cool piece of equipment, and it was instrumental in holding some rather long cedar logs held up against a dirt bank while I got off of the tractor, drilled holes in them and staked them down with rebar. I just could not have done that job by my self without my grapple. The purpose of the logs was to hold mulch behind them to prevent erosion and to hold down the growth of grass.
It has been very usefull in setting rocks in building a rock wall, and I would not want one any wider.
Coupled with a hydrostatic transmission tractor, you can do some very precise movements with a grapple. That is once you get used to using it.