I would stay away from the Kena unit, based solely on the fact that it is not a true bypass grapple, and you will most certainly find times where you wished it closed tighter than 12"!
Regarding the winch, it sounds like you can get access to most logs you will skid. I say forget the winch and stick with your thoughts on the grapple. I have wished many many times that I didn't have to get off my tractor to hook something up. I don't have a winch, but I imagine the convenience of the log grapple is well worth it.
My problem is very similar to yours (seems like we do a lot of similar work, you just have much nicer stuff
) I have issues with using my FEL grapple for getting logs out of the woods, because my woods are too tight to carry an entire log out in my grapple. I need something like the 3pt grapple to fit between trees. I've thought a lot about a winch, but ultimately for me, I'm not skidding crazy long distances, I'm not in production so it's okay if I only skid one tree at a time, and I don't want to get off the tractor, call me lazy???
Imagine how much fun you'll be having when your logging on a cool misty day, you back up to the log, clamp down on it, and go. None of this getting out of your nice warm cab, grabbing chokers with wet gloves, hooking up, winching in, back in the cab, get your greasy wet gloved hands all over your nice clean interior of your beautiful tractor, and do it again all day.
One thought would be to get something like the Addington, take good care of it (all my implements are in a machine shed and well maintained), and then sell it once I'm done. I would imagine a good quality one would hold its value well if taken care off. I'm sure I would come out well ahead of hiring someone to all this tree clearing. Besides I love working in the woods.
The issue with a grapple of this cost, is not that it wouldn't hold it's resale value, it's finding someone who is willing to pay a high price for a skidding grapple. Even a good discount off new for the addington would be 4 grand or so, most people won't spend that. If you could buy the Addington for 6500, use it, and sell it for 5k or so, great, but I don't think you would find a buyer very easily.
I recommend the Iron and Oak not from my own experience, but from another's experience who I have talked a very lot with regarding his grapple. He logs for a living, day in and day out. Granted, he doesn't have as big of a tractor as you, but he has used it for years and years without any problems. He welded a hydraulic winch to the main portion of the grapple frame and uses it when he needs winching. He also has a metavic forwarding trailer he uses almost all the time now, but still has use for the grapple. He is a true logger, not like you and I who do it more for the fun of it.
(Bill, are you a member on here???)
I may be borrowing his grapple next month to work on my land some more, if so, and if you haven't bought one by then, I will let you know how I like it from personal experience.
Although the Iron and Oak, as well as smaller Ryan's, aren't rated for your 85hp tractor, I do think that if you took it easy and didn't skid Redwoods out of the woods, you'd have a hard time breaking one of these. One issue with your impressive rear lift capacity, is that you do have the ability to tear up anything that is not super heavy duty, however, although you have over 5k lb lift capacity, I doubt you'll find a tree that weighs nearly that much on your land. (really, it would have to weigh double that since your only lifting half.)
Sorry for the long winded and rambling reply, I just get excited about these types of things. :laughing:
