I have not found a 60" Rake Grapple with the same build quality for 1/2 the price. There unit looks well built and of good quality. I like the fact that it has the middle hinge point as I have used other brands that didn't and caused the lid to flex. Plus they use 3/8" Hardox 450 plate and schedule 80 pipe, which would by why the price may be higher that some company's as they us A36 mild steel instead.
I can offer some clarification. We are using Hardox 450 which is an extremely strong material compared to regular structual steel and it allows us to be lighter than other grapples while being stronger. To be exact, it is 250% stronger than 50K steel. We also did opt to add in the center hinge point to avoid any posibility of the lid flexing, and with the design, we allow for backdragging loose material when most other companies do not support that. That price also includes free shipping within 1000 miles so that is something to keep in mind. At the end of the day, you can throw everything at the grapple and have no worries about breaking anything on it.
cattachments.com
According to google maps they are about 30 minutes apart. From all the research that I have been able to do, they are in no way affiliated with EA. It looks like they have been making farm implements for a while and just never pushed there name until what happened to EA.
We have been in business longer than EA and we have built the business from word of mouth since 1988. The fab side of the buisiness is EWI Fabrication & Manufacturing. www.ewifab.com
I have heard mixed emotions on Homestead customer service. But I also don't believe what is said on the internet as well. Catawba has them in stock ready to ship and homestead is 6-8 weeks out. The third hinge point isn't a specific thing I was looking for, but after watching and or using other grapples it seems to be the better option.
