Grapple Heavy Grapple on Kubota L47?

   / Heavy Grapple on Kubota L47? #1  

Leozepolusa

Member
Joined
Dec 9, 2009
Messages
38
Location
Austin, TX
Tractor
Kubota B21 & L47 TLB
I am looking at buying a double claw grapple for my L47. I have my eye on two grapples weighing in the neighborhood of 1,000 lbs. The L47's lift at pins to full height is 2,800 lbs. Does anyone have experience with a heavy grapple on an L47 or similar spec tractor they can share? Just don't want to regret the grapple weight later, although I don't expect to lift more than 1,000 lbs with it. The L47's backhoe will serve as my ballast. I do want the construction features of a heavier grapple. Thanks
 
   / Heavy Grapple on Kubota L47? #2  
A grapple is an easy thing to abuse. I don't have experience with your machine but understand it's very "robust" and I'd possibly sacrifice some grapple WIDTH before strength in its overall construction.
Put a ton in your bucket or pallet forks and put the tractor through some maneuvers that might either test the stability and spare capacity.
Short of an actual loaner/demo or finding someone with the same combination, I'd think that's about as good of a guess as you can expect.
Good luck. 👍
 
   / Heavy Grapple on Kubota L47? #3  
That's a heavy grapple I would not put that on my tractor.. You can find one half that weight that will work and last...
 
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   / Heavy Grapple on Kubota L47? #4  
A 1000 pound grapple is a lot for that size machine. I’d look for something lighter.
 
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Reactions: jmc
   / Heavy Grapple on Kubota L47? #5  
I run a 6ft cid grapple on my MX, yeah it's a little heavy at #950 but it handles it fine. I use a backhoe or rhino blade as ballast.
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   / Heavy Grapple on Kubota L47? #7  
Yes I do, it's super heavy duty
 
   / Heavy Grapple on Kubota L47? #8  
I have a six foot - 800 pound - Land Pride grapple on my Kubota M6040. I've had it nine years and love what it can do. I have a 1000 pound Rhino blade on the 3-point and 1550 pounds of RimGuard in the rear tires. I can safely lift 3000 pounds. At this lift weight - I move in a "form" that I call - knuckle dragging. Just high enough to get the load off the ground. Check the weight lift charts in your FEL manual. You will find this - the lower the load, the more you can lift. The closer the load is to the lift pins - the more you can lift.

The ONLY thing I EVER lift to full height - an empty grapple. I simply have no job/or reason to lift any size load to full height.

The heavy loads I lift - chunks of pine tree trunk - LARGE rocks. On the internet I have found weight lift charts for logs( most all species ) and rocks( most all types). I use both of these charts extensively.
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   / Heavy Grapple on Kubota L47? #9  
I have a tc40 with 2,000lb lift capacity and a tomahawlk single lid grapple. I got the setup used and commercially used. Theres no bent tines or anything else bent. I have ripped 4in trees out by useing the grapple to dig the roots and scooped rocks to big to lift. I have the single lid brush grapple and it weights 415lbs.

Tomahawlk is made in the US and has a wide variety of grapples. A twin lid brush grapple they sell at 72in wide is well under 1,000lbs.

You have to remember that lift capacity is at the pin and things like a grapple put even that empty weight further away from the pin so a 1,000lb grapple may feel more like 1200-1300lbs to the tractor.
 
   / Heavy Grapple on Kubota L47? #10  
My 66 inch root rake/grapple runs around 800lbs. I no longer have the spec sheet, so that is a SWAG.
I originally bought it for a tractor I had that was larger than my L47. Sold the tractor, kept the grapple.
I have had no issues with the combination, but if I was buying a grapple with the L47 in mind I would look for something lighter/smaller, maybe a 60 inch.
I've picked up some good sized logs and rocks and really have no complaints. Those L47s are powerful machines for their size.
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