Brush Grapple Preferred Width?

[Snowback]

Well, I sure didn't intend to start a grapple war when I started this thread lol! Thank you all for every comment. Your individual perspectives are much appreciated as I move toward making a final decision.

Congrats on moving down the path. See - I told you it was a beehive. :laughing: The veteran grapple users here on TBN have tons of experience and knowledge, and some have a little passion too. They all helped me in my decision process and I am grateful for that. $20 bucks says you will be happy with your new grapple if you know, and have considered your needs while also weighing the great input in this thread. Checking out the other grapple discussions on TBN might help solidify your decision even further.

The people that own these two units below from either end of the spectrum are happy with their decisions, and I'm sure you'll be happy with yours as well!

 

[KenB2920]

FIRST time I read this, "I" read, "I was digging "potatoes" and you ....." Kinda funny, lol as I "push my forks together" and then use the pallet forks/grapple to dig my row of flower bulbs every fall. I sale the bulbs every year, and using the tractor to go down the row, lifting the root balls out of the soil, makes the job MUCH easier! SR

Lol, that's funny! Hey, some days I may be digging for potatoes and may have better luck. I can only imagine your thought. What the heck is this guy digging for potatoes when we're talking grapples lol.


As for grapples: when all you have is a hammer, everything becomes a nail.

Ya never here someone say they screwed up and wasted money on a grapple. It's as common as someone saying they built their barn to big.

 

[the old grind]

I'm with the 'narrower is better' view, and IMO SR is too with his forks & finger setup. (sweet, Rob) I also believe that tractor size and lift capacity should matter as much as maneuvering clearance.

Two years in with a MIE 48" single lid grapple (vs 60" bucket) on the very light & limited (lift) NH. (two yrs late to review same, but wanted to back up my points with pics, etc)

I never feel like the 'narrow' tool is lacking in any way, more often wishing I had more tractor to work it with. Sure was handy for adding ballast to the Deere for the o/sized FEL.

 

[aeblank]

someone saying they built their barn to big.

Oh man, don't even get me started.

 

[k0ua]

Oh man, don't even get me started.

Yeah, my Kioti den is too big... yeah right. I wish it was twice as wide.

 

[aeblank]

Yeah, my Kioti den is too big... yeah right. I wish it was twice as wide.

My garage is 32x60 with 5 doors and an auto lift. All doors have a vehicle in them (2 trucks, 2 cars, tractor) and the atvs, lawn mower, implements, etc. have to find somewhere that access isn't *impossible*. I also *always* have to move something OUT of the autolift bay to work on whatever is going in.

I know, I know, first world problems..............but I *thought* i had planned ahead and built it big enough.

 

[k0ua]

My garage is 32x60 with 5 doors and an auto lift. All doors have a vehicle in them (2 trucks, 2 cars, tractor) and the atvs, lawn mower, implements, etc. have to find somewhere that access isn't *impossible*. I also *always* have to move something OUT of the autolift bay to work on whatever is going in.

I know, I know, first world problems..............but I *thought* i had planned ahead and built it big enough.

I am not sure there is big enough.

 

[KenB2920]

Oh man, don't even get me started.

Oh dear...... Tell us!!

 

[94BULLITT]

Well, I sure didn't intend to start a grapple war when I started this thread lol! Thank you all for every comment. Your individual perspectives are much appreciated as I move toward making a final decision. In fact I think I may have already decided, well, maybe??? I'll just revive this thread in about 3-4 weeks with pictures of what I get.
Rick

I don't think a pallet fork grapple is a good option for you. I assume that your main use for the grapple is going to be moving brush since the title of the thread is "Brush grapple preferred width." The majority of brush is going to fall between the forks. There are also some other things you should thing about. Forks are rated for the load evenly distributed. So if you get a set of forks that rated at 3,000lbs capacity I think they would be easy to overload, and possibly bend or break. If you are trying to dig a big stump out and pull into it with the end of the forks and push on it with the tractor you will overload the forks, then if you try lifting and curling the loader while pushing you will really over load the forks. There may be times where load is on just one fork, and things could get real ugly then. A set of forks is probably going to be 42'' or 48'' long and a grapple is not nearly that long. The forks will have a lower break out force and you need all the break force you can get when using a grapple.

I rarely have luck with tools that are supposed to do multiple jobs. They never seem to do everything satisfactory or efficiently. I think you would be better suited to getting a set of pallet forks and a grapple. If you watch around you may find a set of used for and save some money.

Getting to your original question I would go with a 72'' grapple on your tractor. I have a 72'' grapple on my tractor and I love it.

 

[CurlyDave]

I have a 72" dual lid grapple and find it is just right for brush. Brush is very light for its volume, and the larger grapple is not going to limit the amount you can lift. Essentially a pile of brush too heavy to lift with the grapple is way to big to fit into the grapple to start with. Mine started life as a rock bucket and is built very heavy, but I have never run out of lift capacity, which I suspect is about the same in my machine as yours based on HP. Narrow tine spacing is a decided advantage in handling brush also, since smaller pieces don't fall through. Mine is 6" or 8" and I like that.

As far as logs go, the only log I could not lift was 20' long and about 20" in diameter. Everything smaller has worked out just fine. The wider grapple has the advantage that I do not have to be as careful to lift a long log exactly at its center of gravity. Yep, this torques the loader arms, but I have never bent them. And for firewood, I can lift a long log and have another guy cut 16" long pieces off one end while standing in a pickup bed or a trailer and they will fall into the truck. Saves a lot of loading. When the log gets too unbalanced, back up and hold the other end over the truck.

There is little advantage in being able to drive forks under a pile of brush. I lift the grapple open it fully and drop it onto the pile from above like a clamshell. When I close it, everything is picked up. This is also how I pick up most logs. If the log is not exactly perpendicular to the grapple I can roll it forward and close the grapple to get it perpendicular.

Depending on the day and the job, I use the bucket, the grapple and the forks about equally. Forks are cheap.