Grapple vs forks

[Sawyer Rob]

Forks can't do this...

Sure they can, you slide them right under the stone and lift it! I've done hundreds of them with mine.

SR

 

[Fordman98]

I am half a step ahead of you. A have a small heavily wooded acreage and now have a used tractor with limited budget for attachments. I have been told that once I own a set of forks that everything will go on pallets -buckets of sand, firewood, other attachments and logs. I like the idea of easily moving stuff around.
Moving brush will only be occasional over the long run and can either load in my utility trailer or I might consider the grapple attachment for the forks.
HLA Attachments - Single Arm Log Grapple

I expect a grapple for see little use after the first major cleanup. That said there are some compelling arguements above. If only a neighbour had a set to borrow/rent.

Peter

This is kinda my thought process too. Once I get the initial clean up done there really shouldn't be a lot of brush moving. If I got a tooth bar for the bucket it would be enough to move the brush around. And i think the pallet forks would be ok to move any logs I need to.

 

[Fordman98]

I use the grapple far more than my forks for brush/tree clean up. Not sure on your tractor size your considering but I just have a 48" single cylinder grapple from carolina attachments. Cost was only $900 and it's built here in the USA and seems to be built pretty stout. I spent about $1700 total for grapple and 3rd function. Great for brush and logs. View attachment 585859View attachment 585860

That wouldn't be such a bad option. Alot better than some of the prices I've been seeing for 3rd function install and the cost of the grapple. Every dealer I've talked to charges right around $800-1000 for the install. Then I had only found grapples in the $2000-2500 range. But guess it really depends on the tractor I decide to go with.

 

[ericm979]

TIf I got a tooth bar for the bucket it would be enough to move the brush around.

I have a Pirhana tooth bar. It's no good for moving brush. Maybe it'd help a little if your brush is small and mostly fits in the bucket- the tooth bar sticks out another 3" and gives a slightly larger surface for things to sit on. But my brush is large and won't fit in the bucket. I've got 20 acres half in very thick brush and half in thick forest.

I also have a grapple and pallet forks. The grapple is the implement that stays on the tractor. I use it a lot for moving brush and logs. With the grapple I can grab the end of a log and drag it out to where I can get at it from the side. That's faster than chaining up the log and pulling it.

I use the pallet forks for pallets and IBC totes full of firewood.

 

[4570Man]

A tooth bar is useless for carrying brush but great for raking up small brush.

 

[Sysop]

Sure they can, you slide them right under the stone and lift it! I've done hundreds of them with mine.

SR

lol, there was no "sliding" except the tractor "sliding" backwards down the hill. That rock was plucked out of the ground.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

lol, there was no "sliding" except the tractor "sliding" backwards down the hill. That rock was plucked out of the ground.

You mean like this one?

OR something a little bigger like this one?

I've taken many loads of them out with pallet forks,

SR

 

[steviep]

I've removed plenty of rocks the same way with no thumb attachment. I would like to add one it would help out with the brush pile and log piles.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

What's really nice about pallet forks with log piles is, they are long and allow you to dig through the pile and pick logs out of the bottom or where ever, without having to move every log. I love the way I can select certain logs out of a pile for my BSM!

Another thing, they make a perfect table with a piece of wood across them! I use them for a big flat table all the time, that's adjustable for height!

SR

 

[Sysop]

Each have things they excel at. If you check back several messages in this thread, you'll see I was the one that recommended the thumb/grapple attachment for pallet forks as a makeshift grapple. It increases the utility of the forks. There are still things a grapple does do better.

Digging rocks up with forks is doable, but not ideal. Most manuals recommend against digging with forks due to the increased leverage on the loader. Digging small roots out is impossible. The distance from the loader pins on the clamping point of those forks reduces the overall lift capacity for moving real materials.

There is no silver bullet tool that is ideal for all uses. Most folks will make do with what they have available and do fine. If you have needs a grapple is ideal for, it is the fastest and safest solution there is.

 

[Geotech]

Google Westendorf Brush Crusher. It is a grapple that uses the curl function to close. So, no addition of third function valve required. Not as versatile as a full on grapple, but better than forks for handling brush. I have 24 acres with LOTS of oaks so I bit the bullet and got a grapple. The Brush Crusher should be adequate for your needs.

The smallest cheapest one works with Deere Quicktach (about $1300 I think) but they make a more expensive one with ssqa adapters (about $1800 I think). I almost went a Deere 3025e so I could ha e a grapple for $1300 and no 3rd function cost.

 

[jblac197]

Yeah. The 3rd function kit alone was around $800. It was easy to install and I don't consider myself a great mechanic by any means. It's definitely worth shopping around and pricing stuff out though.

That wouldn't be such a bad option. Alot better than some of the prices I've been seeing for 3rd function install and the cost of the grapple. Every dealer I've talked to charges right around $800-1000 for the install. Then I had only found grapples in the $2000-2500 range. But guess it really depends on the tractor I decide to go with.

 

[Turbys_1700]

I got along OK with forks until I could afford a grapple. They both have their uses. I use the forks more. The grapple is great for what it is designed for. I though about adding a grapple to the forks and may still yet. IMHO it is a great feature that offers the best of both worlds.

 

[Travismurphy8279]

Use my forks to move pallets grapple has been a back saver on all projects.

 

[mred2]

And I can use a root grapple to rake with. Hard to do that with forks. I have a grapple, my son has forks. They are both good for what they do. If I only had one, I would pick the forks. But I leave the grapple on my tractor 90% of the time.

 

[mic214]

I would love to have a grapple, but I think pallet forks will come first for my tractor…

 

[Overtaxed]

I use my forks 2 or 3 to 1 as much as my grapple. Wouldn't be without either, but, if I had to give one up, it would be the grapple simply because the forks pay for themselves by avoiding lift gate fees when you have large/heavy items delivered. Lift gates are typically 50-150 dollars per delivery, doesn't take too many implements to make that up! Also, I palletized my firewood (and am SO happy I did) using IBC totes, so I use my forks in the winter once every week or 2 when I need a new bin of firewood up at the house. The forks are, far and away, my most used SSQA implement. And it was the thing I almost left out of my first order for tractor stuff when we bought the farm. I knew I needed a bush hog, a box blade and a plow. I figured the forks would be a nice to have, but posters here said "get them, you'll use them all the time". I'm glad I listened. And they have the unique spot of being the only implement that actually "paid for itself" monetarily. All of them make life easier and that's worth a lot to me, but the forks actually have paid me to own them because of the savings I get by having them.

 

[PILOON]

Mostly it is about $$'s.
Both will do the job, grapple a bit faster but more costly.

As mentioned forks are versatile in that they can handle pallets as well.
If time (speed) is not the major concern then I'd go with forks.
You will rapidly develop tricks to make loading branches on forks an easy task.

I often even park and hand load huge piles of branches to haul away. Generally I lay down a binder strap B4 loading to stabilize the load so as not to leave a trail of fallen branches.
Also you would have those saved $$'s for other attachments.eg; back blade, tiller or whatever.

 

[Fordman98]

Thanks for all the replies guys! I definitely see the pros to both but I'm thinking for the small amount of land I have vs the cost, I'll probably get more for my money with the pallet forks.