Grapple Claw Grapple vs "L" Shape OBG

[HCJtractor]

Here's my pic for your tractor and price range. The design like our Wicked Grapple, but it is built heavier for large tractors(like yours) and skid steers. The best size is debatable, but I like the 66" on a tractor. Travis

That EA grapple looks wicked. Perhaps overkill for most mid sized tractors, but for a big 90 horse, it is perfect. If that's within your budget, you couldn't go wrong with that. I would love to have that!!!!
My buddy drives my tractor a lot. He just loves knocking things down. If he had that grapple on your tractor, there wouldn't be a tree left standing on our property.

 

[Deerherd]

I have a larger tractor such as the OP and have a different experience than what the general consensus is on here.

The EA grapple recommended on here has too small of a jaw opening IMHO. (42") This is one of the shortfalls of many flat bottomed grapples. Additionally it is harder to grab a log with that style and due to the way the jaw closes, you are more likely to grab the log near the front of the grapple, which moves the weight that much further ahead, limiting your lift.

Picking up logs with a clam style is much easier and faster plus the log is pulled close to to face of the grapple maximizing your lifting ability.

Any grapple can pick up a lot of brush, but a larger jaw spread lets you better handle larger brush piles. I can handle 5-6 feet tall stacked brush with no problem with the 70" opening on my grapple. Smaller grapples have to pick the top off and risk running over debris and possibly running something through a vital part of the tractor or work with piles less than their jaw opening. You have a bigger tractor, why not move more material?

How much digging do you want to do? My grapple is 84" wide and weighs 825 lbs and I can easily bury it to the first crossbar without even trying anywhere on my property except maybe the last two weeks of August. Ripping out brush, brambles and small trees for its full width is no problem. If I want to dig out a real stump I put on a stump bucket.

Having the ability to clear close to the width of my tractor is more important than a perceived better digging ability IMHO. Additionally the greater width compacts and holds a greater amount of brush away from the tractor. Less brush falls out and it lessens the chance of driving over something that you are dragging that is caught in your grapple poorly.

I had a Michigan Iron and Equipment grapple on my DK Kioti and it was nice. But the difference is night and day with my current WRLong grapple on my LS. I much prefer the clam style.

Good luck in your search!

 

[EverythingAttachments]

I have a larger tractor such as the OP and have a different experience than what the general consensus is on here.

The EA grapple recommended on here has too small of a jaw opening IMHO. (42") This is one of the shortfalls of many flat bottomed grapples. Additionally it is harder to grab a log with that style and due to the way the jaw closes, you are more likely to grab the log near the front of the grapple, which moves the weight that much further ahead, limiting your lift.

Picking up logs with a clam style is much easier and faster plus the log is pulled close to to face of the grapple maximizing your lifting ability.

Any grapple can pick up a lot of brush, but a larger jaw spread lets you better handle larger brush piles. I can handle 5-6 feet tall stacked brush with no problem with the 70" opening on my grapple. Smaller grapples have to pick the top off and risk running over debris and possibly running something through a vital part of the tractor or work with piles less than their jaw opening. You have a bigger tractor, why not move more material?

How much digging do you want to do? My grapple is 84" wide and weighs 825 lbs and I can easily bury it to the first crossbar without even trying anywhere on my property except maybe the last two weeks of August. Ripping out brush, brambles and small trees for its full width is no problem. If I want to dig out a real stump I put on a stump bucket.

Having the ability to clear close to the width of my tractor is more important than a perceived better digging ability IMHO. Additionally the greater width compacts and holds a greater amount of brush away from the tractor. Less brush falls out and it lessens the chance of driving over something that you are dragging that is caught in your grapple poorly.

I had a Michigan Iron and Equipment grapple on my DK Kioti and it was nice. But the difference is night and day with my current WRLong grapple on my LS. I much prefer the clam style.

Good luck in your search!

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We offer that brush grapple as well, but sell WAY more of the Root Grapples.

Do you have any issues with the top clamps pushing piles of brush away, rather than grabbing when you're closing because of the extreme vertical angle of the brush grapple?
Travis

 

[coolnature]

I have a larger tractor such as the OP and have a different experience than what the general consensus is on here.

The EA grapple recommended on here has too small of a jaw opening IMHO. (42") This is one of the shortfalls of many flat bottomed grapples. Additionally it is harder to grab a log with that style and due to the way the jaw closes, you are more likely to grab the log near the front of the grapple, which moves the weight that much further ahead, limiting your lift.

Picking up logs with a clam style is much easier and faster plus the log is pulled close to to face of the grapple maximizing your lifting ability.

Any grapple can pick up a lot of brush, but a larger jaw spread lets you better handle larger brush piles. I can handle 5-6 feet tall stacked brush with no problem with the 70" opening on my grapple. Smaller grapples have to pick the top off and risk running over debris and possibly running something through a vital part of the tractor or work with piles less than their jaw opening. You have a bigger tractor, why not move more material?

How much digging do you want to do? My grapple is 84" wide and weighs 825 lbs and I can easily bury it to the first crossbar without even trying anywhere on my property except maybe the last two weeks of August. Ripping out brush, brambles and small trees for its full width is no problem. If I want to dig out a real stump I put on a stump bucket.

Having the ability to clear close to the width of my tractor is more important than a perceived better digging ability IMHO. Additionally the greater width compacts and holds a greater amount of brush away from the tractor. Less brush falls out and it lessens the chance of driving over something that you are dragging that is caught in your grapple poorly.

I had a Michigan Iron and Equipment grapple on my DK Kioti and it was nice. But the difference is night and day with my current WRLong grapple on my LS. I much prefer the clam style.

Good luck in your search!

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Thanks Deerherd. I am leaning toward the claw style for its larger front opening and thus greater brush capacity. I also agree with you that the claw is better for picking up and moving logs. For larger stump removal, I agree that a stump bucket is best since it will concentrate all the force of the tractor to the stump.
I have talked to Nelson at WR Long and he stated that I could move more brush faster with the claw instead of the flat bottom and WR Long makes both styles.
Looking at the attached pic, it appears your WR Long grapple has replaceable tips on the bottom tines. Is this correct?
BTW, your LS is very similar to my NH in terms of power, size and color. It gives me a good idea what the RBGD would look like on my machine.

 

[Deerherd]

We offer that brush grapple as well, but sell WAY more of the Root Grapples.

Do you have any issues with the top clamps pushing piles of brush away, rather than grabbing when you're closing because of the extreme vertical angle of the brush grapple?
Travis

Exactly the opposite, it pulls the brush towards the face of the grapple and creates a much better compacting action as opposed to the right angled top jaw of the flat-bottom grapple.

You just need to use a different technique. With the much longer upper jaws you need to learn to roll the grapple just slightly past verticle before closing. With the lower jaw on the ground you can compact almost 6' of brush in a tight package.

I also move a lot of logs with a similar technique. It's very easy to roll up on a log and pick it on the first attempt and hold the weight close to the loader. The jaws are pulling the log to the face. More than half the time with the right angled top grapple you catch the log at the point of the top grapple, which on the larger grapples can be more than two feet forward reducing your lifting capacity. You can tilt the grapple , release your grip and let the log "roll" back to the face but that can get squirrelly. For my size tractor and ground conditions the rake style wins hands down, and grabbing a log at the optimum point the first time saves lots of time.

I'm sure you sell more of the flat bottomed grapples, especially since most on here advocate a narrower lighter grapple for their cuts and scuts. I'm guessing, but the majority of members here have never run a heavier, wider grapple on a utility tractor. The digging and raking abilities are not even close when you have a grapple that weighs 800+ lbs on a 10,000 lb tractor.

(I do enjoy my severe extreme box blade from you guys and use it all winter to pull snow way from my garage doors!)

 

[Deerherd]

Thanks Deerherd. I am leaning toward the claw style for its larger front opening and thus greater brush capacity. I also agree with you that the claw is better for picking up and moving logs. For larger stump removal, I agree that a stump bucket is best since it will concentrate all the force of the tractor to the stump.
I have talked to Nelson at WR Long and he stated that I could move more brush faster with the claw instead of the flat bottom and WR Long makes both styles.
Looking at the attached pic, it appears your WR Long grapple has replaceable tips on the bottom tines. Is this correct?
BTW, your LS is very similar to my NH in terms of power, size and color. It gives me a good idea what the RBGD would look like on my machine.

Yes the teeth are replaceable but I haven't had to replace any, yet!