Grappling up the awkard

[woodlandfarms]

Knocked down a few cedars this week for a proposed shop on the property. Thought it was an intersting pic, wife was moving the cedar logs around. Long, close to lift capacity of the PT. but awkard as all heck. 8 Wheels really helps with these types of loads.

 

[MossRoad]

Nice!

I could lift the small end! :laughing:

 

[coolconnection]

Nice grapple you got there. They do come in useful. I was cleaning up the brush piles from a dead maple tree. Neighbor had a cherry picker and took it down for me because he wanted the bigger wood from it. I just wanted it gone. Took a quick picture of one of the last piles to clean up, dragging it to the fire pit to burn. I made this grapple using the pallet forks and making a small riser for it out of half inch steel plate. Wish I would have gotten a picture moving the logs. It works great.
Work smarter, not harder as you get older.

 

[AVIVIII]

Impressive!

I just found out yesterday why I need a grapple. My tree guy showed up and trimmed the big Silver Maples in front of my house. Apparently they needed more trimming than I thought and I have a wicked mess to clean up. What makes it worse is sawing everything again to fit into the mini-bucket that I have!



Is that the PT grapple? So what do you think, should I get a grapple bucket from PT or the Wicked Grapple from Everything Attachments?

 

[MossRoad]

I'd say carefully look at the weight of the attachments before you order, as it can affect total lift weight.

 

[AVIVIII]

I'd say carefully look at the weight of the attachments before you order, as it can affect total lift weight.

The Wicked Grapple is 400lbs. Not sure what PT comes in at.
Best Rated 60 Inch Wicked Root Rake Grapple from Everything Attachments

 

[woodlandfarms]

So I made my grapple, and it is too heavy. 400Lbs is a lot of lift to loose. As PT lifts only 1200lbs I bet you can get away with a lighter duty grapple. One thing to tell EA if you call them is that while lift is anemic (only1200lbs) the engine is not, and 65HP will bend the heck out of tines when pulling and pushing. Tines should be reinforced.

This said, EA makes AMAZING gear and the price is very good. I would not buy a PT Grapple.

Someone else has an EA Grapple for a smaller machine here. The issue came up with getting a proper angle on the mounting plate. A simple conversation with EA will probably suffice.

And as for me the grapple is my second most used implement. Then again, I have 40 acres of trees I am thinning.

 

[MossRoad]

You going to poke a tiger with that stick?

 

[AVIVIII]

So I made my grapple, and it is too heavy. 400Lbs is a lot of lift to loose.

I thought about that, but I have very few trees left. 90% of its use would be brushy, thorny stuff that i just dont want to handle. I'd build a grapple for this bucket, but i don't really care for it. It's not wide enough and too deep. I feel like I'm using the old 8N with a cable-trip manure bucket...

 

[ponytug]

I am sure that you have great reason to grapple that stuff. But why grapple that stuff, when you can mow it?

That said a dedicated grapple can pick up an enormous amount of brush.

I just hate to do things in two steps, when I can get done in one.

YMMV...

All the best, Peter

I thought about that, but I have very few trees left. 90% of its use would be bqrushy, thorny stuff that i just dont want to handle. I'd build a grapple for this bucket, but i don't really care for it. It's not wide enough and too deep. I feel like I'm using the old 8N with a cable-trip manure bucket...

 

[AVIVIII]

I am sure that you have great reason to grapple that stuff. But why grapple that stuff, when you can mow it?

The multi-flora roses, for example, I can get right under them and cut them off, but I'm still left with a giant ball of thorny death. Seriously, some of these bushes are 8-10' tall and 25' around. Picking up all the slash from having my Silver Maples trimmed is what sent me down this road to replace the manure bucket. I know that mower is tough, but I don;t think she'll handle 3-4" tree limbs!

 

[MossRoad]

Here's how I deal with multiflora rose.... (pardon the old, grainy video).

 

[cqaigy2]

Yup, mow the multi-flora.

 

[ponytug]

Sounds about the size of my poison oak bushes! :thumbsup: Gnarly, but I would take multiflora over poison oak any day.
But, yes, I mow it with the brush cutter, which does take on 3-4" oak. (Not with anyone nearby, I might add.) From MossRoad and others, I have learned to just push the mower in and it all goes away.

All the best,

Peter

 

[SpringHollow]

I hate multiflora rose. In fields, it is not too bad because you can mow it. But in the woods, I often do not have that option unless I want to cut down lots of trees. Roundup stuff works ok after repeated sprayings but it is easy to kill a bunch of things. I will try a basal bark herbicide hopefully this winter. Where I can, I will use a pole saw to cut the bushes and reach in and paint the stumps. Where there is no clear entry point, i might have to just cut it back for a few years first.

Ken

 

[MossRoad]

I just mow all of it down every time I see it. And, no matter how many I mow down, I can always find more.

 

[RayfromTX]

Loving my grapple. Now I just dump the whole tree on the fire after ripping it out by the roots.

 

[AVIVIII]

My Roses must be mutants. I'll GoPro it next time I mow...

 

[MossRoad]

My Roses must be mutants. I'll GoPro it next time I mow...

Maybe you could weaponize the roses and get a government contract?

We all like videos

 

[Marks481]

should I get a grapple bucket from PT or the Wicked Grapple from Everything Attachments?

Get the Wicked Grapple. Looks like it does a much better job of hauling stuff. The PT grapple looks like a weak design.

Either the 48" Wicked Root Rake Grapple for Kubota (weighs 150#) or the 50" Wicked Root Grapple (300#) would do the ticket, and not kill your total lift capacity. If you ship them a QA plate, they will weld it on for you. A lighter weight alternative is the 33" is the mini skid steer version (250#).

The Root Rake has always looked to be the more useful design, especially if moving brush/ivy instead of large logs.

Maybe you could weaponize the roses and get a government contract?

Maybe his neighbor already has that contract, the roses are already weaponized, and he is the test specimen.