In General Attachments - What to rent vs. buy and New vs Used?

[Don87]

When I picked up my tractor (used - long story) the dealer I was working with told me the same thing - forks work great for hauling brush and logs. So I bought forks when I got the tractor. I have the QA on the loader, so that worked well. He was smart enough to make sure I didn't get forks that were too heavy for a CUT.

However, the reality is much different. You cannot scoop up brush with forks. Everything ends up falling off one side or the other. What I ended up having to do was to attempt to scoop, get almost nothing, then drop the forks down and get off and load them up by hand. It worked, but is painfully slow. This was last spring (2010). By last fall I had got a grapple and added a diverter to run it myself. NIGHT AND DAY. There is NOTHING better than a grapple for dealing with brush, logs, firewood, etc - basically anything in the woods. All summer I was swapping between bucket and forks all the time - forks for brush or some logs (they tend to fall off real easy too), bucket for hauling blocks of wood (I was clearing land). When I got the grapple, I almost never took it off unless I needed the bucket for scooping dirt or something.

I am also fortunate enough to have an old skidding winch that a friend has loaned to me. The combination of grapple and winch is a land clearin' firewoodin' monster. The only negative is that the winch really isn't heavy enough to provide enough counterweight for the grapple, and it is easy to lift too much log with the grapple and get unbalanced up front.

I don't regret the forks as I would have gotten them someday in any case, but I sure wish I had got a grapple up front.

For what it sounds like you will be doing, I think the same combo would help you a ton. Grapple and skidding winch. I would get the grapple first, if you can't swing both.

I was going to suggest the same thing. For the OP's needs, I would get the grapple first.............or at the very least, install a grapple on the bucket for moving the brush(I don't have either one, but I would get a grapple before I bought forks).

 

[MossflowerWoods]

I was going to suggest the same thing. For the OP's needs, I would get the grapple first.............or at the very least, install a grapple on the bucket for moving the brush(I don't have either one, but I would get a grapple before I bought forks).

Don,

Are the bucket attached grapples good enough?

The BC dealer told me a grapple weighs 1,000, and there is only 2,600 lift, so you lose too much of your lift capability, plus they are expensive.

I imagine you don't find many used ones...

David

 

[MossflowerWoods]

However, the reality is much different. You cannot scoop up brush with forks. Everything ends up falling off one side or the other. What I ended up having to do was to attempt to scoop, get almost nothing, then drop the forks down and get off and load them up by hand. It worked, but is painfully slow.

I don't regret the forks as I would have gotten them someday in any case, but I sure wish I had got a grapple up front.

dstig1,

I suspect I will really want the grapple at some point myself. and a wood splitter, a trailer & a 4x4 F-250 (I have a 2wd F-150), a stump grinder, etc...

But I gotta eat this elephant one bite at a time.

I also have to finish the attic and fix all the broken stuff in this old modular farmhouse...

 

[MossflowerWoods]

UPDATE!!!

I've been quoted the following my one of the 2 dealers I am considering...

Canopy $400
2nd remote $349
2 welded hooks $ 14
Labor $ 95

Woods PF4048s $695
W.R. Long Valve $800 (I think this is a new knob w/control button and 3rd hyd to front)

Is this about right?
Just curious...

 

[Rod in Forfar]

Talk about not seeing the forest for the trees.

The most useful and versatile attachment for a tractor in your situation is a front end loader. It works 12 months of the year. A snowblower is an effective but persnickety implement requiring hours of slow reverse operation. A good loader with leveler operates in high range and doesn't require contortions from the operator. It carries firewood and unloads itself. It moves fill. It lifts panels and trusses, elevates shingles to roofs, picks stones. It even works as a sun visor and overhanging limb deflector when bush hogging.

So a good loader with down pressure is essential. A bush hog will likely get the most hours.

A timber winch isn't all that great for skidding firewood unless you have a tractor that can operate in a heavy snowpack. The grit on the bark makes it very hard to saw. On the other hand a heavy winch with a gentle uptake comes in very handy around the farm for tree-felling in tight areas and general cleanup. The winch is also pretty amazing for pushing around piles of brush, used as a blade.

 

[MossflowerWoods]

Talk about not seeing the forest for the trees.

The most useful and versatile attachment for a tractor in your situation is a front end loader. It works 12 months of the year. A snowblower is an effective but persnickety implement requiring hours of slow reverse operation. A good loader with leveler operates in high range and doesn't require contortions from the operator. It carries firewood and unloads itself. It moves fill. It lifts panels and trusses, elevates shingles to roofs, picks stones. It even works as a sun visor and overhanging limb deflector when bush hogging.

So a good loader with down pressure is essential. A bush hog will likely get the most hours.

A timber winch isn't all that great for skidding firewood unless you have a tractor that can operate in a heavy snowpack. The grit on the bark makes it very hard to saw. On the other hand a heavy winch with a gentle uptake comes in very handy around the farm for tree-felling in tight areas and general cleanup. The winch is also pretty amazing for pushing around piles of brush, used as a blade.

Candidly, I agree. The FEL is the primary reason for getting the tractor IMHO, and the bush-hog #2.

I'd like to understand the using a winch to push around piles (I have many piles of logging debris way out in the woods...).

Thanks,
David

 

[IslandTractor]

If a major task is to move logs, then I would advise against both a set of forks and bucket grapple and in favor of a standard root grapple.

Forks can surely lift logs but to transport them you need to secure them. A grapple jaw clamps them in place so even if they are not perfectly balanced they can be safely moved. Even if you take the extra time to perfectly balance a load of logs on a set of forks, the load will shift with bumps in terrain. Forks are really intended for lifting compact loads and moving only on flat prepared surfaces. Grapple forks are more versatile but have few advantages over a standard grapple for log moving.

A bucket grapple is generally a very useful implement but has a major weakness if moving logs is the task at hand: the bucket sides markedly limit the number of logs you can grapple.

A standard 48 inch root grapple is ideally suited to lift, secure and transport logs safely and efficiently. They can be purchased for $1000-1500 and have many additional uses.

Regarding hydraulic control of a grapple, there are many threads on TBN describing the options. Essentially there are three. Using existing rear remotes is by far the least expensive and is very effective. Adding a diverter valve is a middle moderate cost alternative if you don't have existing rear remotes and have no use for remotes otherwise. Electric over hydraulic valves are the most flexible but also most expensive solution. I've used both rear remotes and diverter valve and if I had a tractor with existing rear remotes I'd just use those and save the $800+ for a new grapple.

 

[Don87]

If a major task is to move logs, then I would advise against both a set of forks and bucket grapple and in favor of a standard root grapple.

Forks can surely lift logs but to transport them you need to secure them. A grapple jaw clamps them in place so even if they are not perfectly balanced they can be safely moved. Even if you take the extra time to perfectly balance a load of logs on a set of forks, the load will shift with bumps in terrain. Forks are really intended for lifting compact loads and moving only on flat prepared surfaces. Grapple forks are more versatile but have few advantages over a standard grapple for log moving.

A bucket grapple is generally a very useful implement but has a major weakness if moving logs is the task at hand: the bucket sides markedly limit the number of logs you can grapple.

A standard 48 inch root grapple is ideally suited to lift, secure and transport logs safely and efficiently. They can be purchased for $1000-1500 and have many additional uses.

Regarding hydraulic control of a grapple, there are many threads on TBN describing the options. Essentially there are three. Using existing rear remotes is by far the least expensive and is very effective. Adding a diverter valve is a middle moderate cost alternative if you don't have existing rear remotes and have no use for remotes otherwise. Electric over hydraulic valves are the most flexible but also most expensive solution. I've used both rear remotes and diverter valve and if I had a tractor with existing rear remotes I'd just use those and save the $800+ for a new grapple.

He said it better than I did, but this would work best.
Putting a grapple on a bucket along with a toothbar would be my second choice. Yes it adds weight to the bucket, but would still be better than forks IMHO

 

[Don87]

Don,

Are the bucket attached grapples good enough?

The BC dealer told me a grapple weighs 1,000, and there is only 2,600 lift, so you lose too much of your lift capability, plus they are expensive.

I imagine you don't find many used ones...

David

Yes, IMHO.
You'll still have 1600lbs lift capacity, and if you add a toothbar also.....that reduces you to 1300lb lift. I don't think you will pick up enough brush to equal 1300lbs and move it comfortably in the woods.

Logs are a different story altogether.


Do a search here on TBN for grapples. Ton's of reading. Watch the videos and look at the pics, you'll come to the same conclusion I did.

 

[Rod in Forfar]

I'd like to understand the using a winch to push around piles (I have many piles of logging debris way out in the woods...).

David:

It's bone simple. Put your brain in neutral. Back up to the pile. Lower the blade a bit. Back up until you spin. Lift. Back up some more. Count on the screen to protect you. Repeat.

It's much less complex than a similar operation with a loader.

Rod