I prefer a grapple over forks as well, though I do have a set. They have their place, like piling up tree length wood, but operating my grapple is much faster, keeps the log up out of the dirt, and can reach higher, swing wider, and overall has a lot more dexterity than I can with my forks.
I use my grapple for moving hay bales too, but in combination with my forks it makes for a formidable team. I can sweep a bale up with my forks, then drive by another bale and swing it onto my log trailer, go to the next one and with (1) on the front end loader, and (2) on my trailer, go to the house with 3 bales in short order.
Another method is to use my Grocery-Getter (Ford Explorer) and use my grapple to swing on (2) bales. It is only 2 bales granted, but the Explorer moves a lot faster then my tractor so it makes up for it.