First attachment advice

[dirtymartini]

I just upgraded to an LS R4047 and need some advice on a first attachment. We just bought 20 acres of mostly wooded acreage and I will be clearing some trees, skidding logs, clearing brush and maybe roughing in a driveway. I was thinking about pallet forks, landscape rake, rear grader/scraper blade and ratchet rake... I'm trying to figure out which one I would get the most use out of right away. The tractor purchase wiped out most of my reserve so I want to get the most out of the first attachment.

 

[KiotiKowboy]

G R A P P L E

 

[dirtymartini]

G R A P P L E

I would really like a grapple but I think it's out of my price range right now. Plus I would need to add a front remote.

 

[4570Man]

It depends on what you plan on doing. I have a finish mower, a grapple, box blade, pallet forks, and a backhoe. The grapple and backhoe are my favorite and most used. The pallet forks would be my first choice if I was on a tight budget. Obviously not as good as a grapple, but pallet forks are pretty good at moving things. I actually prefer the pallet forks over the grapple for moving large rocks and stumps.

 

[newbury]

I would really like a grapple but I think it's out of my price range right now. Plus I would need to add a front remote.

Well give us some idea of your price range for "the package". Do you have QA on the loader?
If not an inexpensive set of clamp on pallet forks can really help. Next inexpensive thing would be either a tooth bar (stony soil) or Piranha. Slightly more expensive would be a good box blade.

 

[dirtymartini]

Well give us some idea of your price range for "the package". Do you have QA on the loader?
If not an inexpensive set of clamp on pallet forks can really help. Next inexpensive thing would be either a tooth bar (stony soil) or Piranha. Slightly more expensive would be a good box blade.

Sorry, I meant to include that in my first post...yes the front loader is QA. As far as price range I was hoping to stay under $700-$800

 

[brown40]

Box blade will get you adaptability, a counterweight for the life of the machine, and a good frame to put chain hooks, a receiver hitch, etc. Hard to beat the compactness and utility. Can rough in trails with it, slip chokers into hooks to pull brush out and skid logs. When planning hooks, put them in line/between the lower arms to avoid a lot of torque.

 

[Poopdeck Pappy]

You're gonna need some ballast on the rear of your tractor anyway, so I'd go with a good box blade. It's an implement that will always be handy around the place. A good quality medium duty one will run you $1,000+/- new or somewhat less used. A heavy duty one with hydraulic scarifiers will set you back about $1,000 - $1,500 used (and you don't even want to know what they cost new). A box blade is one of the safest implements to buy used because there's not much to go wrong on them and anything that is wrong will be clearly visible.

Then I'd probably add the RatchetRake AND the Piranha Tooth Bar, which will make your FEL bucket capable of doing more than just moving loose dirt.

With just those items, along with some heavy chains for yanking out small trees, you can get a lot of work done.

As soon as possible, buy a grapple. It's the single most useful tool I have.

 

[dirtymartini]

Sorry, I meant to include that in my first post...yes the front loader is QA. As far as price range I was hoping to stay under $700-$800

Also should have mentioned I have a backhoe attachment

 

[RDrancher]

I'll also suggest a box blade as your first purchase. Before I bought a Gannon, I had a medium duty Bush Hog model that I tried (and failed ) to ruin. Any decent brand will work just fine. The heavier the better.