Broke my grapple ( Am I the only one?)

[IslandTractor]

Thank you Foggy - after further research allow me to restate my last post:
I do NOT recommend anyone use a grapple or a tractor to push over trees! This is dangerous and can lead to serious injury!
BigGuy
(who will keep his mouth shut from now on)

Let's not be too schoolmarmish here. Many trees can be very safely pushed over with a tractor. Figure anything under 4-5" diameter trunk can be uprooted with a grapple and pushed over with not much question at all about safety. 6"-10" diameter trees are also possible to do safely so long as you observe reasonable precautions (eg not an old rotten tree with widowmakers dangling over your head, not a tree already leaning against or tangled with another tree etc). I've used a backhoe mounted ripper to cut roots on four sides and then either pushed with the ripper/bh or with larger trees used the grapple up at about 8-9 feet level to push on the tree. Again, this is with healthy trees and pushing into a clearing. Contrary to what any reasonable person would fear, the trees do not come crashing down suddenly. It takes a while to get them to tilt and until they reach about a 60 degree angle from vertical they do not gain speed or independence in their fall. Indeed I sometimes need to reposition to push further to get them to actually fall. That also means it will not go over without added pushing until you know very well where the tree is going within about a 45 degree arc. It is a slower fall than with chainsawing by far and you will see well ahead of time if the direction of fall is not going the way you intended. Another safety advantage compared to a chainsaw is that there is no risk of the fallen tree jumping back at you once the upper limbs hit the ground. The root ball basically is the pivot point of the fall and is in constant contact with the earth so that dangerous cut trunk is not bouncing around.

One other non safety related advantage is that you don't need to deal with the stump. It takes me four times as long to dig out a stump as it does to fell the tree whole and cart it away. Less damage to the surrounding soil too.

 

[k0ua]

Let's not be too schoolmarmish here. Many trees can be very safely pushed over with a tractor. Figure anything under 4-5" diameter trunk can be uprooted with a grapple and pushed over with not much question at all about safety. 6"-10" diameter trees are also possible to do safely so long as you observe reasonable precautions (eg not an old rotten tree with widowmakers dangling over your head, not a tree already leaning against or tangled with another tree etc). I've used a backhoe mounted ripper to cut roots on four sides and then either pushed with the ripper/bh or with larger trees used the grapple up at about 8-9 feet level to push on the tree. Again, this is with healthy trees and pushing into a clearing. Contrary to what any reasonable person would fear, the trees do not come crashing down suddenly. It takes a while to get them to tilt and until they reach about a 60 degree angle from vertical they do not gain speed or independence in their fall. Indeed I sometimes need to reposition to push further to get them to actually fall. That also means it will not go over without added pushing until you know very well where the tree is going within about a 45 degree arc. It is a slower fall than with chainsawing by far and you will see well ahead of time if the direction of fall is not going the way you intended. Another safety advantage compared to a chainsaw is that there is no risk of the fallen tree jumping back at you once the upper limbs hit the ground. The root ball basically is the pivot point of the fall and is in constant contact with the earth so that dangerous cut trunk is not bouncing around.

One other non safety related advantage is that you don't need to deal with the stump. It takes me four times as long to dig out a stump as it does to fell the tree whole and cart it away. Less damage to the surrounding soil too.

I would have to agree with Island.. I too have pushed over many trees. Yes it is dangerous. Never push over a dead tree, or a living tree with a lot of dead branches. They always land on your head. I have pushed over trees as large as 10 inches in diameter and 40 foot tall.. probably not the best idea. Smaller trees in the 20 to 25 foot height and less than 6 inches in diameter are far safer. There is SOME risk even with good trees. It is best to examine the tree closely before attacking. Some trees will break off and not push over the rootball. It is best to push a couple of days after a rain, so the top of the soil has good traction for your tires, but it is still wet down below for the roots. Be careful of large rootballs coming up under your tractor and possibly damaging the underside of your tractor. Look at the tree, if it leans push over in the direction it is leaning if at all posible.. DO NOT hit the tree with any velocity at all. Ease into the tree, and apply slow steady pressure. A hydro transmission is best for this. If the tree will not move and the tires are starting to slowy rotate, back off and try a slightly different angle. But when backing off, do not just back off. back off with slowy decreasing pressure. Again a hydro is best for this. In no way do you want to rock this tree in the slightest. Rocking makes the tree come back over your hood and your head, and can make limbs (that you did not see in your inspection) come down. They will fall on your hood or your head. So yes you can push over trees, and fairly safely if you pay strict attention. But it is safer to pull them over with 3 log chains put together end to end on the swinging drawbar. It does not matter if limbs fall out, there is no rootball to come up under your tractor, It does not matter which way it leans, or if it breaks off. Your technique does not matter. As long as you are far enough away so the tree cannot fall on you, all is well.


James K0UA

 

[caver]

dredging up an old thread

I was just on the phone with Wildcat (didn't get her name). She assured me they addressed the weakness and was aware of problems a couple years ago on this forum. She said the Dingo unit is just like the 48" with QA but they don't have a picture online of the 48" QA non dingo unit. Did that make sense?
She said I could have one for $800 plus shipping and minus the skid steer hose couplings.

 

[Herkypilot]

dredging up an old thread

I was just on the phone with Wildcat (didn't get her name). She assured me they addressed the weakness and was aware of problems a couple years ago on this forum. She said the Dingo unit is just like the 48" with QA but they don't have a picture online of the 48" QA non dingo unit. Did that make sense?
She said I could have one for $800 plus shipping and minus the skid steer hose couplings.

Well, not that old of a thread. Yes, as far as I can tell, they addressed the problem. I went to their shop to purchase my 66" grapple and brought pictures from the OP with me to show them. There was a mistake with the size of square tubing they used. Mine has been solid since I bought it about a year ago. I was just using it last week with good results. The only issue I had with Wildkat attachments is their SS quick attach contact points on the bottom pins fits too loose. I fixed it by welding 1/4" tabs on the bottom shelf brackets of the attachments to take up the slack. It fits tight now without issue.
Of note - the price keeps going up - but that's true for just about everything now isn't it?

 

[7879fordman]

Well, not that old of a thread. Yes, as far as I can tell, they addressed the problem. I went to their shop to purchase my 66" grapple and brought pictures from the OP with me to show them. There was a mistake with the size of square tubing they used. Mine has been solid since I bought it about a year ago. I was just using it last week with good results. The only issue I had with Wildkat attachments is their SS quick attach contact points on the bottom pins fits too loose. I fixed it by welding 1/4" tabs on the bottom shelf brackets of the attachments to take up the slack. It fits tight now without issue.
Of note - the price keeps going up - but that's true for just about everything now isn't it?

Ya my wildkat a bought needs shimmed also its a bit loose also . .

Got a good pic of what ya done to shim it .

Sent from my iPhone 5 using TractorByNet

 

[Herkypilot]

Ya my wildkat a bought needs shimmed also its a bit loose also . .

Got a good pic of what ya done to shim it .

Sent from my iPhone 5 using TractorByNet

This pic is about as close as I can find of what I did (obviously before welding). I just laid the piece of steel on the bracket, it's not even straight. I don't know why I didn't take more pictures that day... It shows the general idea I suppose.

 

[caver]

Well, not that old of a thread.

Pet peeve of mine when people dredge up an old thread and then others start responding likes it's a new thread. The comedy ensues.
And yes those prices have gone up.

 

[Herkypilot]

Pet peeve of mine when people dredge up an old thread and then others start responding likes it's a new thread. The comedy ensues.
And yes those prices have gone up.

I've witnessed a lot older threads (>10 years) revived from the dead - it's all relative...

 

[TomSeller]

Pet peeve of mine when people dredge up an old thread and then others start responding likes it's a new thread. The comedy ensues.
And yes those prices have gone up.

Then why did you dredge up this old thread? I does not bother me when someone does as long as it is the exact same subject.

 

[caver]

Should have said >dredge up without warning.