Help me pick best grapple for my tractor!

[TractorNH]

Some but not all of the EA ones are AR400 but my comment was in reference to the many others out there that are just mild steel where they increase the thickness (and weight) to get enough strength.

 

[mykleh]

get a wagon/trailer with stake sides to pull your loaded logs, easy peasy to load them on the trailer and take off with the grapple.. was safer on the road as well.

 

[gladehound]

get a wagon/trailer with stake sides to pull your loaded logs, easy peasy to load them on the trailer and take off with the grapple.. was safer on the road as well.

Look at all the options a grapple opens up! I have a trailer and would just need to make some slight modifications to my ballast set up in order to do it this way. Makes sense. Didn't typically do it because it's a pain to unload the trailer without a grapple!

 

[gladehound]

Some but not all of the EA ones are AR400 but my comment was in reference to the many others out there that are just mild steel where they increase the thickness (and weight) to get enough strength.

Yes, agree that thick low grade steel is not the way to go. EA and Faver really go different directions in their design. EA uses lots of bracing for strength and thin material Faver uses minimal bracing and thick material for strength. Both are weight saving designs but will work differently due to independent tines vs connected tines. Is see advantages and disadvantages to each.

 

[Gordon Gould]

I kinda like this Frost Bite Grapple for handling logs and rooting stuff up. Will impale most anything.









gg

 

[Gordon Gould]

You need a flatbed with bunks. You can unload it with your forks or a grapple.



gg

 

[John_Mc]

I kinda like this Frost Bite Grapple for handling logs and rooting stuff up. Will impale most anything.

I agree. I have a Sundown GR40 forestry grapple, which is similar to the Frostbite (though I think the Frostbite is better constructed). There are some things that this style of grapple is not as good at, but you can't beat it for moving logs and maneuvering in tight quarters in the woods. It also helps that it weighs no more than the bucket I took off my FEL.

 

[gladehound]

I kinda like this Frost Bite Grapple for handling logs and rooting stuff up. Will impale most anything.

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gg

I’d love to know more about that frost bite grapple. Do you know the grade of steel? What size machine it’s rated for? Cylinder size? It looks well rinforced and I love the simplicity of the 3 point of contact design for logs and rocks. How is it for small stuff like piles of 2-3 inch branches?

 

[HCJtractor]

My main tines are 1/2”. The in between pieces are less. Don’t know what steel it is but probably nothing fancy. As far as impaling things, I can see that with hay bales but nothing else. I can scoop up anything. And my argument for a narrow one is it digs much better, when trying to uproot a 6” tree. Kinda like digging is easier with a spade than a snow shovel. But if you don’t dig and only scoop, a wide one is fine. But my 48” will scoop up a bigger pile than you can see around. The other problem I would have with the unconnected tines is that when I knock down a tree, the first thing I do is push it from high. Then back up, plunge under the root ball, and curl up while inching forward. Those widely spaced tines would not allow that. The tree would wedge between them and bend them. I don’t care what steel it is, for a big tractor will bend it.
As far as two thumbs, my narrower one doesn’t need it. Once I grasp it, it goes no where. Now of course a wide grapple needs two.

 

[HCJtractor]

The frost bite style would definitely be better for picking up a log. But mine picks up a log just fine, but it takes a little practice to scoop under it without rolling it. But once you get the hang of it, it’s easy. But the frost bite style would ( in my opinion) be bad for scooping up limbs, and chain saw debris, and also poor for digging root balls. Bottom line is any grapple is better than none, but the style depends on your use. I rarely handle big logs ( other than pushing a fallen tree out of the road) or firewood. But I can grab several if I need to. I use mine mostly for clearing land and cleaning up messes I make with my chainsaw.