Grapple Brush Grapple for Kubota L3240

[SteveCornell]

I'm looking at the Steel Tec 60" HD Rock and Root Grapple for My Kubota L3240 with LA724 QA Loader, here's the link to the grapple Blank I can pick this up near Pittsburgh (about 2 hours away) for $1250, anyone have any experience with this grapple?
I'm also looking at their QA Pallet Forks for $550

Thanks,
Steve

 

[IslandTractor]

Nice looking grapple and the price is good but I have a couple of questions. Do you really need dual grapple arms. I am a fan of a single grapple arm as nobody has shown me yet what you can do with two arms that cannot be done just as well with one. Having one cuts weight and means you have fewer hydraulic lines to worry about snagging or pinching. Also, the photo shows 11 lower tines. Mine has about six and that is fine for me. 11 means extra weight assuming the tines are 3/8 inch mild steel. If they are less than 3/8ths I'd be concerned (the price you are quoting rules out T1 steel).

What does the grapple weigh? My 48" Millonzi weighs 285lbs with QA mount and that means that I have plenty of lift capacity to carry brush and logs. A much heavier grapple (I'd guess 500-600lbs for the one in the photo) will cut your lift capacity significantly so you need to ask "for what gain?". A 48" grapple is capable of holding just about exactly as much as a 60-72" grapple as logs stick out on all of them and brush sticks together so you don't really need a wide grapple to carry a huge load of brush.

 

[Kubotasrking]

I'm looking at the Steel Tec 60" HD Rock and Root Grapple for My Kubota L3240 with LA724 QA Loader, here's the link to the grapple Blank I can pick this up near Pittsburgh (about 2 hours away) for $1250, anyone have any experience with this grapple?
I'm also looking at their QA Pallet Forks for $550

Thanks,
Steve

Some good advice from IslandTractor. I had a strange opportunity to "test-drive" a double arm model that was 72" wide and about 700 lbs. My tractor can lift around 1800# (at the pins), and while the bucket was effective, it was heavy. I ordered the 48" model w/ one arm and have been much happier w/ what I am able to accomplish. Mine happens to be a Bradco, but many people think the millonzi is the way to go, and I believe them. The good news is that whichever you buy, you will enjoy how much you can get done w/ them.

Best of luck!!

 

[SteveCornell]

I'm sure this grapple will be heavy, I've looked at the Millonzi and the only thing that concernes be is the "light duty" rating my loader is rated for 1800 lb lift (at the pins) and 3270 lbs of breakout force, my current 72" HD bucket weighs 360 lbs, maybe the "skid steer" attachments like the steeltec are way to heavy for a medium size tractor and the LD grapples are what I should be looking at ??

 

[SteveCornell]

I'm sure this grapple will be heavy, I've looked at the Millonzi and the only thing that concernes be is the "light duty" rating my loader is rated for 1800 lb lift (at the pins) and 3270 lbs of breakout force, my current 72" HD bucket weighs 360 lbs, maybe the "skid steer" attachments like the steeltec are way to heavy for a medium size tractor and the LD grapples are what I should be looking at ??

 

[RedRocker]

I don't think you'll bend a Millonzi.

 

[BamaRob]

I don't know what kind of forces the Millonzi is rated for, but from experience I can tell you that it "feels" solid. In the little time that I've had my grapple, when I snag something immovable (large root, rock, etc.) with a grapple tine, I haven't seen ANY flex in the grapple whatsoever. It "feels" more likely that the loader arms would "give" before the grapple did. Of course, this is all just speculation on my part based on how it "feels."

BR

 

[PaPaGus]

Still waiting for mine.... God Two weeks is a long time.

 

[IslandTractor]

I agree with RedRocker and BamaBob. Ain't no way your whimpy tractor loader is going to destroy the "light duty" grapple . No disrespect for your loader but these grapples are made to survive skid steer use which is generally more severe than what tractors do with grapples. Brush clearing and moving rocks or uprooting small trees is easy work for a grapple so long as you use it in the way it was intended. Demolision and construction work is much harder and is more typical of what skid steers use grapples for. Millonzi uses the "light duty" mostly to distinguish them from some very heavy duty skid steer grapples they make. I cannot imagine anyone doing damage to one of these "light duty" grapples with a tractor of less than 45-50hp.