Botazilla is Born!!

[Glowplug]

Kubzilla-
Yeah, come to think of it that may be the best way to go. And it would be a lot cheaper than buying a stand-alone grapple. Even Frits (a.k.a. m7040) put a grapple arm on his M7040 bucket. I know 3RRL put two on his bucket but if I were you I'd just put one. (3RRL has a great setup with a bucket and toothbar with two grapple arms; he also has a top 'n' tilt on the rear.) It probably wouldn't add that much weight and would make the bucket infinitely more versatile and useful. Check out "The Thumb". They also sell quite a bit on ebay. You WOULD have to measure and see what size you would need and would probably need to weld a piece of steel on the upper lip of the bucket for reinforcement. But, all-in-all, it would probably be well under $700 total for everything including hydraulic hoses and connectors. If you don't already have a toothbar on your bucket you may need to look into that as well. A bucket alone is good. A bucket with a toothbar is better. A bucket with a grapple is great. A bucket with a toothbar AND grapple is AWESOME!!

 

[IslandTractor]

There was at least one company that was offering a kit for adding a grapple arm to the BX

Check out this thread: http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/84966-my-new-grapple.html?highlight=grapple+bx23

 

[Podunkadunk]

Sweet Pics Glowplug. That's one tough looking tractor you have there! I have tractor envy!
Podunk

 

[SkyPup]

Yikes, I may have to sic our L-39 TLB Space Alien on Botazilla!!!

 

[Glowplug]

Yikes, I may have to sic our L-39 TLB Space Alien on Botazilla!!!

Whoa. That's intense. Looks like it's straight out of a sci-fi movie. Your space alien looks intimidating; could probably take Botazilla on the intimidation factor alone!

 

[KubZilla]

Kubzilla-
Yeah, come to think of it that may be the best way to go. And it would be a lot cheaper than buying a stand-alone grapple. Even Frits (a.k.a. m7040) put a grapple arm on his M7040 bucket. I know 3RRL put two on his bucket but if I were you I'd just put one. (3RRL has a great setup with a bucket and toothbar with two grapple arms; he also has a top 'n' tilt on the rear.) It probably wouldn't add that much weight and would make the bucket infinitely more versatile and useful. Check out "The Thumb". A bucket with a toothbar AND grapple is AWESOME!!

I think that the Thumb would work perfectly for my setup! I appreciate all the responses...Mike

 

[Glowplug]

I think that the Thumb would work perfectly for my setup! I appreciate all the responses...Mike

Don't forget to consider how you will control the grapple. The only downside to using a grapple arm like 'The Thumb' is that in theory the bucket sides could potentially limit grabbing a large amount of wide brush. But you should be able to "crush" it down into the bucket. One advantage is that you could carry individual items easier such as small tree trunks using the sides of the bucket for support. Good luck!!

 

[pegleg]

Man, there has been many times I wish I had one of those. This past fall being one of them as I cleared 7 acers of stone walls of trees and brush and had many great fires. That would save a lot on my back hauling it to the fire. The big problem is justification as I wouldn't use it enough to get any kind of pay back.

 

[tlbuser]

Man, there has been many times I wish I had one of those. This past fall being one of them as I cleared 7 acers of stone walls of trees and brush and had many great fires. That would save a lot on my back hauling it to the fire. The big problem is justification as I wouldn't use it enough to get any kind of pay back.

Pay back? You could write it off against the entertainment fund! How about adding a 4n1 bucket to the the new B26 that you ordered ? Grapple, doze, dig, dump, etc....Still pricey, but may be easier to sneak in the door

 

[Glowplug]

Pay back? You could write it off against the entertainment fund!

You know it!! I'm not in it to make money or even SAVE money for that matter. Some people buy fancy sports cars; some go on fancy vacation cruises; some eat out at 5-star restaurants. Me? I play with my tractor and move big things with my grapple!!

Here's a couple of pics of Botazilla moving some logs.
May be a little dark. The sun was getting ready to set.
The second picture is actually the better of the two.