Grapple faver root grapple

[THE GROUCH]

I am looking for a strong well designed grapple rake that isnt going to break the bank. Anybody own or have used a FAVER?

 

[kennyd]

Welcome to TBN

What machine are you going to use it on?

 

[THE GROUCH]

I will be using it on my grand L 3240 that I will be getting this coming spring. Primarily for logs and some brush.

 

[kennyd]

I will be using it on my grand L 3240 that I will be getting this coming spring. Primarily for logs and some brush.

I, and many others have one from Markham Welding, particularly the LD-48 model. Cost is about $1000 or so...

Do a search for these terms for HOURS of reading:

Markham
WR Long
Millonzi (No longer made, but lots of good reading)

 

[THE GROUCH]

Kennyd, thanks for the links. much more affordable than what I have been looking at!

 

[kennyd]

Kennyd, thanks for the links. much more affordable than what I have been looking at!

The main thing you have to watch is the weight. Most out there on the market are built for SSL (skid-steer) use and WAY to heavy to use on the CUT like we have.

Do you have a SSQA (skid steer quick attach) on your loader or is your bucket pinned on? Do you have extra hydraulics?

 

[THE GROUCH]

the loader will come with ss style quick tach and my intentions were to have the dealer install a front hydraulic loop with control although I havent looked intp price for the extra loop or what is involved.

 

[GeneD14]

The main thing you have to watch is the weight. Most out there on the market are built for SSL (skid-steer) use and WAY to heavy to use on the CUT like we have.

Do you have a SSQA (skid steer quick attach) on your loader or is your bucket pinned on? Do you have extra hydraulics?

Amen. The heavy duty grapple from Markham was way to heavy for the Kubota L4330 that I had. I would also recommend the light duty version.

 

[IslandTractor]

At the risk of being overly prescriptive, after four years of grapple use on two CUTs, I'd suggest:

No CUT under 50hp or 3000lbs lift capacity in private use needs more than a 48 inch light duty grapple weighing at most 400lbs and ideally less.

Grapples were originally developed for skidsteer and front loader type applications which are very different than CUTs. Most grapples on the market are also more for commercial applications which as usual is a more intense environment than private use which explains why some grapples on the market weigh well over 1000lbs. Such grapples are a waste of money and actually perform less well on CUTs due to their weight. Would you mount a heavy duty Bush Hog on your 30-40hp CUT that is used only to mow your own pasture? Heavy duty or commercial duty is generally thought of as a good thing in marketing terms and we all are attracted to it but there are significant downsides to consider. Who has destroyed a light duty Bush Hog mowing their own pasture? Commercial duty is for commercial use. Don't be fooled into paying double or triple what you need to for a decent grapple.

There is also an easily understood misconception that grapples should be the same size as the standard bucket on a CUT. Wrong. There is almost nothing you cannot do with a simple 48 inch grapple that could be done with a larger heavier and more expensive grapple. The larger grapples actually can do less work in many circumstances as the net lift capacity of the loader is decreased. Wider grapples actually are more vulnerable to torquing forces and putting assymmetric (bad) loads on the FEL. Wider grapples distribute the digging force over a wider area and prevent you from digging as effectively at stumps for example.

Consider that big excavators which have ten or twenty times the lift capacity of our CUTs do not use large wide grapples but use heavy duty grapples that are only 36-48 inches wide when they are dealing with brush and stumps etc.

Wider grapples do make sense on a construction site where a skidsteer is using it to collect debris but that is typically not the use of grapples on CUTs.

So, I'll stop my rant but repeat that for 90+% of CUT users a light duty 48 inch grapple is a wonderful tool that is more than adequate for the jobs a CUT should be doing.

 

[davey4000]

I'll add my 2 cents. I ordered a 66 inch grapple from Millonzi when they were still in business. When it showed up it was a 60 inch instead, a mistake on their part and good fortune on my part. If I had it to do over I would have gone with the 48 inch. Even with a 48 hp tractor the 60 inch is heavy. Go with the 48 inch. You'll be glad you did.

 

[THE GROUCH]

It makes a lot of sense that a narrower grapple would dig better when needed and would tend to twist the FEL less. Now for the next debate, would a single or double top clamp work better on a grapple? It was my understanding that a double clamp would work better when clamping uneven loads such as a log with a root flare on one side and also inflict less twisting force on the clamp.

 

[wedge40]

It makes a lot of sense that a narrower grapple would dig better when needed and would tend to twist the FEL less. Now for the next debate, would a single or double top clamp work better on a grapple? It was my understanding that a double clamp would work better when clamping uneven loads such as a log with a root flare on one side and also inflict less twisting force on the clamp.

I've got a single clamp from Markham, and if the load is twisting too bad I set the load down and adjust so it is balanced.
I would call around and see what people have to offer. But I'll say this. Markham was one of the better companies I've delt with in a long time.

Wedge

 

[IslandTractor]

Now for the next debate, would a single or double top clamp work better on a grapple? .

In four years of grapple use I have NEVER had an object that I could not clamp with a single upper jaw in my 48" grapple. Sometimes you need to have the object sticking out the front (eg a stump with big root ball and small trunk) but you can virtually always clamp stuff.

 

[Cord]

I have a Faver and it's a kick *** grapple. Love the thing.