Brush Grapple vs Root Rake Grapple

[LouNY]

I have a grapple with the so called rock bucket and I'm not pleased with it, I am contemplating getting the root rake style.
On my grapple with the bucket portion on the ground even at a steep angle it is difficult to get under a log and if you can't get under it and have it several inches into the bucket the grapple does not catch and hold it. To pick up a single log I have to curl the bucket portion clear down and back towards the tractor roll up to the log then try and get the squeeze part of the grapple to close around the log, very inconvenient and time consuming.

 

[nyone]

On my grapple with the bucket portion on the ground even at a steep angle it is difficult to get under a log and if you can't get under it and have it several inches into the bucket the grapple does not catch and hold it. To pick up a single log I have to curl the bucket portion clear down and back towards the tractor roll up to the log then try and get the squeeze part of the grapple to close around the log, very inconvenient and time consuming

How else would you expect to get a round object into the grapple? The angle of the teeth is needed for strength. I typicaly use my grapple with the bottom close to a 45* angle. Once the object is in and the lid closed theres few objects that need the bucket curled back to travel with.

 

[LouNY]

Mine has to be past 90* about 100* curled way under and back.
I'm actually going to be using it today, I'll have to try and get a few pictures.

 

[Vigo327]

I cant comment on grapple styles other than single vs dual lid. Ive used a dual lid flat bottom grapple on a skid steer and the benefit of the dual lid that i noticed was that it does a better job clamping over things that hang beyond the sides of the bucket. I guess you could think of it like this.. if you grab something that is much thicker on one side of the bucket than the other, with a single lid it will hit it in one place and grab, whereas with the dual lid it will grab it in two places. Makes for a better grip on oddly shaped large objects. I cant say for certain but i also have a strong suspicion that the way dual lids are built makes it extremely unlikely you ever bend a lid, whereas with single lid theres a.. decent chance of tweaking the lid at some point.

 

[JohnnyMX]

Dual lid long bottom tines here and it works great. Moves brush piles, rocks, pulling out overgrowth is easy and with two clamping down it will help clamp both sides if they are odd shapped. You can also get some of them with narrower spacing on the tines if you wish to use it to sort/sift smaller size rocks/material. I made an insert in my WR Long grapple so I can put it on or off when doing brushwork vs. a poor-mans rock bucket.

 

[LouNY]

Here are a few pictures of my grapple;

You can see in these pics how far ahead of the grapple clamps the teeth are;

To grasp a log or pile of brush the grapple has to be rotated all the way down and back towards the tractor for the grapple clamps to be able to grasp any item. If you are pushing up against something trees or what ever to push material back into the bucket you can get a decent load otherwise it is a pain.

 

[machinery-man]

You've got a rock grapple, if you want to pickup limb you need a root grapple or debrie grapple. Rock grapples are much heavier due to more support for heavy rocks and debrie. If you're digging these are heavier but beware you need to watch your cylinders. That first picture you have you cylinder fully extended and it you hit something you'll break or bust the stops. It take some experience to properly use each type grapple. A clam grapple with easily grab but it takes more hydraulic pressure for the lid to hold. A debrie grapple you slide the bottom of the unit on a flat plane into the debrie and most of the work is in the lift. The claws keep the material from pulling back out of the bucket. Personally I don't like your unit unless you are clearing a field of stones and such and it would be great.

 

[LouNY]

You've got a rock grapple, if you want to pickup limb you need a root grapple or debrie grapple. Rock grapples are much heavier due to more support for heavy rocks and debrie. If you're digging these are heavier but beware you need to watch your cylinders. That first picture you have you cylinder fully extended and it you hit something you'll break or bust the stops. It take some experience to properly use each type grapple. A clam grapple with easily grab but it takes more hydraulic pressure for the lid to hold. A debrie grapple you slide the bottom of the unit on a flat plane into the debrie and most of the work is in the lift. The claws keep the material from pulling back out of the bucket. Personally I don't like your unit unless you are clearing a field of stones and such and it would be great.

Yes, it is a rock grapple. In the third picture it is not quite fully extended.
We have not had much luck with it picking stone either our ground is heavy with lots of rocks and unless it's too dry and over worked you pick up as much dirt as rocks. It's good on the larger rocks 20-30 pounders and larger. I've had over a 1000#s in it before I've got decent hydraulics.

 

[nyone]

That design looks more like a skeleton bucket with a lid to me.

This is how mine is shaped. It's got big holes so not great for rocks at all. The sides are open though so it dosnt squeeze logs out.

 

[oosik]

I went with a Land Pride rock and root grapple. I bought it nine years ago and had the dealer install it and a WR Long 3rd function valve kit. I move large chunks of pine tree trunk & large rocks. I also use it to gather and move brush and pine tree trimmings. It's a Land Pride - SGC1560. It's a very HD grapple - 820# of AR400 steel.

In my operations, I have no need for long bottom tines and I wanted a single top lid. It has become one of my most used implements and has never failed to work.