Grappling fun - A Picture Thread....

[terryknight]

Do all the bucket grapples pictured use/require another hydraulic circuit, or 3rd function?

Has anyone bought and used these: BC-3: Westendorf Attachments for Tractor & Skid Steer. ??

They don't require any hydraulic modifications for use, and are made for pin-on buckets, but I wonder how well they would work.

Thomas

greg aka dieselcrawler has experience with that grapple. i think it was on a tractor where he worked for handling logs on and off the sawmill.

 

[lostcreekranch]

Do all the bucket grapples pictured use/require another hydraulic circuit, or 3rd function?

Has anyone bought and used these: BC-3: Westendorf Attachments for Tractor & Skid Steer. ??

They don't require any hydraulic modifications for use, and are made for pin-on buckets, but I wonder how well they would work.

Thomas

IMHO I think it would have high chance to torque the loader frame without the support between the loader arms, normally provided by the SSQA frame.

 

[Tomtint]

Spent the whole day yesterday burning. Today is the last day we are allowed to burn in our town. The grapple was a huge ..huge help.

 

[Snowback]

Spent the whole day yesterday burning. Today is the last day we are allowed to burn in our town. The grapple was a huge ..huge help.

Someday, many years from now, our place will look great like that... Nice job!

 

[PhysAssist]

Spent the whole day yesterday burning. Today is the last day we are allowed to burn in our town. The grapple was a huge ..huge help.

I was going to mention this before- in NYS we have a ban on open burning from March to May, but I never really understood why, given that they are months when there is more than likely to be a significant amount of rain, vs July through September for example.

Added to that, we have rarely or never heard of or seen evidence of any wildfires or out of control bonfires having occurred here, (although maybe that is because of the burn ban, rather than in spite of it-but I doubt it.)

 

[Tomtint]

Someday, many years from now, our place will look great like that... Nice job!

Thanks, its a lot of work.. And a work in progress. Our driveway is about 1000 feet long, so we started cleaning the side of it that over looks our pond. I think it will take a couple more seasons to get ot to a point that I can just mow it with a brush hog.

 

[shogan]

So I was off the tractor and took a pic no grappling going on at this second just taking a break.

 

[bullockcm]

I was going to mention this before- in NYS we have a ban on open burning from March to May, but I never really understood why, given that they are months when there is more than likely to be a significant amount of rain, vs July through September for example.

Added to that, we have rarely or never heard of or seen evidence of any wildfires or out of control bonfires having occurred here, (although maybe that is because of the burn ban, rather than in spite of it-but I doubt it.)

My understanding for the ban timeframe here is because despite it being wet everything here is still dead/dormant at that time which makes it much more susceptible to ignition/fire spread compared to when things "green" up. Does seem counter intuitive since most of the time at least on my property there is standing water everywhere during the ban period!

 

[sea2summit]

I was going to mention this before- in NYS we have a ban on open burning from March to May, but I never really understood why, given that they are months when there is more than likely to be a significant amount of rain, vs July through September for example.

Added to that, we have rarely or never heard of or seen evidence of any wildfires or out of control bonfires having occurred here, (although maybe that is because of the burn ban, rather than in spite of it-but I doubt it.)

In a lot of places this has to do with air quality. If there's no wind woodsmoke has quite the "hang time" in cold months.

 

[Xfaxman]

----------------------------------

Has anyone bought and used these: BC-3: Westendorf Attachments for Tractor & Skid Steer. ??

They don't require any hydraulic modifications for use, and are made for pin-on buckets, but I wonder how well they would work.

Thomas

IMHO I think it would have high chance to torque the loader frame without the support between the loader arms, normally provided by the SSQA frame.

I think the only way the Brush Crusher would torque the loader frame, would pick up something very heavy only on one side.

There have been many threads asking about it and several owners answered that they like theirs.

If they caused problems, there would be threads about twisted frames, like the ones for fork frames popping off one side and twisting the cross tube. :2cents:

From the Google Custom Search box at the top of the page: Search Results | Compact tractor forums, news, reviews, information.

 

[IslandTractor]

I think the only way the Brush Crusher would torque the loader frame, would pick up something very heavy only on one side.

There have been many threads asking about it and several owners answered that they like theirs.

If they caused problems, there would be threads about twisted frames, like the ones for fork frames popping off one side and twisting the cross tube. :2cents:

From the Google Custom Search box at the top of the page: Search Results | Compact tractor forums, news, reviews, information.

that Westendorf ?grapple? is really just a lifting device. I don't doubt it does fine lifting logs or piles of brush. It ain't a grapple. You cannot dig with it. You cannot curl the device (curling is what is used to close the jaws). It isn't nearly as strong as a grapple for digging out roots etc. It is essentially a cheap way to lift logs but it simply does not come close to replacing a grapple. Even a 4n1 would be more useful (unless your only task was moving logs).

 

[Xfaxman]

The reason people buy the Westendorf Brush Crusher is it does not require extra hydraulics to be able to pick up brush and logs.

 

[IslandTractor]

The reason people buy the Westendorf Brush Crusher is it does not require extra hydraulics to be able to pick up brush and logs.

Absolutely and it is about the only option available for doing that very specific job. However it should be clear to anyone thinking of it as a grapple replacement that it isn't a replacement any more than a York rake is a replacement for a boxblade. It can do a small part of what a grapple does. If that is the only function needed then it is a good purchase but it cannot be converted to a grapple and is really a one trick pony.

 

[shogan]

Ok I got down off the tractor but it still defeats the purpose you just can't get the whole load in the pic while sitting on tractor.

 

[PhysAssist]

Absolutely and it is about the only option available for doing that very specific job. However it should be clear to anyone thinking of it as a grapple replacement that it isn't a replacement any more than a York rake is a replacement for a boxblade. It can do a small part of what a grapple does. If that is the only function needed then it is a good purchase but it cannot be converted to a grapple and is really a one trick pony.

I was just curious if anyone had heard any feedback on them, I don't have any designs on one, because at $1200+, I doubt that they have utility to be worth the price.

If I had that kind of money to play with, I think I'd be considering a bucket grapple instead.

 

[IslandTractor]

I was just curious if anyone had heard any feedback on them, I don't have any designs on one, because at $1200+, I doubt that they have utility to be worth the price. If I had that kind of money to play with, I think I'd be considering a bucket grapple instead.

Exactly. For $1200 you can put a thumb on your standard bucket and install a set of rear remotes to run it.

 

[IvanS]

Exactly. For $1200 you can put a thumb on your standard bucket and install a set of rear remotes to run it.

I agree, for less than $700 you could buy a set of pallet forks that would do what that crazy Westendorf arrangement does and a lot more. IMO, there is no substitute for a true grapple.

 

[houser52]

Since getting my Wicked 50" a couple weeks ago, I've put it to work almost everyday moving and piling up brush that I've cut down from the perimeter of some planted pine trees. Using it along with a landscape rake sure makes pushing all those limbs and saplings into a pile so I can grab them easy with the grapple.

Today I cleared out a tangled mess of briars, vines and bushes. I had a gulley that wasn't being used so all that stuff went into it. It'll give rabbits a good place to hide from winged and four legged predators.

 

[lostcreekranch]

Since getting my Wicked 50" a couple weeks ago, I've put it to work almost everyday moving and piling up brush that I've cut down from the perimeter of some planted pine trees. Using it along with a landscape rake sure makes pushing all those limbs and saplings into a pile so I can grab them easy with the grapple.

Today I cleared out a tangled mess of briars, vines and bushes. I had a gulley that wasn't being used so all that stuff went into it. It'll give rabbits a good place to hide from winged and four legged predators.

QUOTE]

We had some deep gullies that we filled with brush then started covering brush with dirt. Eventually grass started growing as we continued to add layers of dirt on top. Took a year but, eliminated some really big holes.

 

[WoodChuckDad]

Put in some hours this weekend, skidding and stacking trees.