Not another grapple thread!?!?

[Jim Timber]

Don's grapple looks like the hot ticket for what I'm doing. Nice and beefy with some good capacity.

 

[oosik]

Holy smack0 there Xfaxman - that is a real pile of brush. You know its kind of strange - I know I don't have that much brush, in total, on my 80 acres. A lot of Ponderosa pine - big & small - and a lot of open grassland.

Anyhow - I like the grapple so much that I have left it on the tractor this winter instead of going back to the bucket. I use it to move chunks of large(up to 38" in dia) pine trees - gather and pile small pines from patches I've thinned, prior to chipping - it works great also to back-drag and smooth land I've disked and I use it to grab and move large rock. I'm working on clearing a 5 acre field and, at times, I think I'm loosing the battle with the rocks - they grow faster than I can pick them.

The only difficulty I've had with the grapple, and its not the grapples fault, there is no feed back from the grapple. I'm still learning how to grapple things gently and not crush everything. Its definitely not like squeezing your hand around something and getting that feedback that lets you know exactly how tight you are holding the object. Its more of a visual and audible feedback. So far, for me, audible feedback usually means I've squeezed the item pretty tightly. View attachment 407182 This is a pic off my front porch showing part of my little lake and one of the logs I've moved with the grapple. It was green when I moved it and its calculated weight was right around 2800 lbs. Its 38" dia by 9' long.

I'm fortunate - a major grapple company - ANBO - is only 75 miles north of me. So I asked them what type was the most popular. I went with the Land Pride because the Kubota dealer, in Spokane, had a good price and would transport my Kubota for free.

 

[Jim Timber]

The only difficulty I've had with the grapple, and its not the grapples fault, there is no feed back from the grapple. I'm still learning how to grapple things gently and not crush everything.

This is why I went with a manual valve for my loader 3rd function instead of a solenoid. Even if it means more plumbing and another lever to grab - I just didn't want the binary response of open/closed for that last little squeeze. Plus I've been thinking of doing a side shift for my pallet forks and that'd be miserable with on/off precision unless I really slowed things down with restrictors.

 

[Rocky Hoffler]

:cool2:Just ordered a wicked root rake grapple from EA 60 inch dual lid did a lot of research but still hope I made a good decision.

 

[Xfaxman]

Holy smack0 there Xfaxman - that is a real pile of brush. You know its kind of strange - I know I don't have that much brush, in total, on my 80 acres. A lot of Ponderosa pine - big & small - and a lot of open grassland.

Yep, and this is why I don't add slash to a burning pile.

Same pile, pictures from June 2006.

 

[TomSeller]

Yep, and this is why I don't add slash to a burning pile.
Same pile, pictures from June 2006.

Wow. That one has to be in the 2000 degF range.

As you said, I also would not drop wood onto it, if the tractor were to stall, Diesel spontaneously combusts at 410 degF, plastics melt way before that. Usually when my fire gets big is when I do clean up, sharpen the saw, whatever allows me to stay busy but keep an eye on the fire.

 

[txdon]

TXDon, I knew at one time but I've forgotten. What brand of grapple is yours? It looks extremely well built.

Yep, it is a "The Rake Shop grapple". From their standard grapple I added an extra tine to make the spaces in-between smaller and I had them build it narrow - just enough to fit comfortably on the quick attach. I also had them add a backing to the grapple to protect the tractor. The open tooth slightly curved tines are what I was looking for in my grapple. Kind of what your hand looks like when you pick up, scoop out, rake, or grab.

If there is a choice on lids - the dual lids keep big logs/limbs from moving when the brush pile is a long distance away in a bumpy field. I also can push trees over that fit between the lids.
www.TheRakeShop.com / Root Rakes Grapples Attachments & Skid Steers

I never get the tractor near the pile once I start the fire.

 

[woodchipper]

I use a Martach Root Grapple to clear land. It is excellent at uprooting trees and shrubs. Taking roots out of the ground, then skining the soil surface to remove even more debris. I also back drag with it to smooth out the land. It is a very solid unit. It also takes some boulders out quite well with good operators dexterity.
Martach is from Ontario, and has many Rakes and attachments to choose from for all your farming needs. Their equipment is heavy duty, and will certainly shine at the hard chores you will throw at it.
It is heavy. On the minus side, it is not as proficient at grasping huge debris piles. An L bottomed unit will fare better in this way.
If you will manoeuver it tight quarters, gauge with your bucket first. A beleive that for your tractor a 4' unit will work to notch for your application.
Greasing every ten hours is working well for me as well.

http://http://www.martatch.com/Photos/RRG1.jpg

MRRG

MDG 37"

 

[Raincoast]

Thanks Woodchipper... My Kioti Dealer has a MRRG in stock. I plan to take a look tomorrow. I am not sure it is the perfect unit for me, as I have lots of logs to move. The lid tines appear to be quite straight don't look designed for lifting mid sized logs. It sure looks good for ripping out blackberries, though.
Still working on making a decision...

 

[Xfaxman]

Did you look at this one? Everything Attachments Tractor Loader Root Rake Grapple

 

[Raincoast]

Thanks Xfaxman... I did take a look at that grapple. Its a bit heavier than I wanted & pretty pricey with all the shipping & customs charges included.
I was on Vancouver Island for other business yesterday & stopped in to see my Kioti dealer. Drove away with a 4' Martach in the back of the truck & a boxful of hydraulic components. It is a bit heavy too, but I got a decent price because it was mis ordered for another customer. The grapple on their website is WAY different than the one I bought. Much better design than the pictures . Decision made! Now I can stop obsessing about which grapple to buy & go have some fun.
Thanks to everyone for their input (And safety reminders)
Cheers. Dan

 

[txdon]

Pics?

 

[Raincoast]

Yeah... Pics will come when I figger out how to post 'em. Still have to get the new remote hooked up & get the necessary hoses & fittings. I popped off the bucket & attached the grapple this morning... Looks like it will do the job without breaking a sweat. Very sturdy piece of equipment! Nice tight fit on the SSQA.
Feel like crap right now after 1 1/2 hours in the dentists chair. It's gonna have to wait 'till tomorrow before I start on the hyd. installation.
Cheers y'all.
Dan

 

[woodchipper]

Congratulations Dan1 Your unit will give you hours of joy!! Well buit, and designed as well.
Be sure to bring out the action pics when you get the chance please!

 

[Xfaxman]

Yeah... Pics will come when I figger out how to post 'em. Still have to get the new remote hooked up & get the necessary hoses & fittings. I popped off the bucket & attached the grapple this morning... Looks like it will do the job without breaking a sweat. Very sturdy piece of equipment! Nice tight fit on the SSQA.
Feel like crap right now after 1 1/2 hours in the dentists chair. It's gonna have to wait 'till tomorrow before I start on the hyd. installation.
Cheers y'all.
Dan

Hope you are feeling better.

Posting pictures: http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/photos/107314-photo-posting-how-3.html#post3967120

 

[TomSeller]

Yeah... Pics will come when I figger out how to post 'em. Still have to get the new remote hooked up & get the necessary hoses & fittings. I popped off the bucket & attached the grapple this morning... Looks like it will do the job without breaking a sweat. Very sturdy piece of equipment! Nice tight fit on the SSQA.
Feel like crap right now after 1 1/2 hours in the dentists chair. It's gonna have to wait 'till tomorrow before I start on the hyd. installation.
Cheers y'all.
Dan

Heal up and get those pictures coming. Seriously, take care. Anxiously waiting. I used to take clients salmon fishing in your area. Beautiful. God's country.

 

[Raincoast]

I'm baaaack.
Finally got all the bits & pieces together today & gave the new grapple a trial run, just as it was getting too dark to see. I picked up a few small stumps & dropped 'em on the fire pile (not burning) & it worked great. With the fairly long bottom tines, I had no trouble hanging on to the stumps. I did seriously crush a couple of them... Not a tool for transporting eggs.
Tomorrow, I plan to pick up a couple of old buried cedars & split them into fence posts. The logs are deeply buried under dirt & salmonberry bushes. Should be fun, climbing a new learning curve.
I'll take some pics & post them.
I still have to clean up the routing & put some anti chafe tubing on the hoses, but everything went together very smoothly. One day, I may put in an electric valve, but for now I'm happy reaching down to push the second remote lever to open / close the grapple.
Thanks for posting the picture loading instructions, X-man. I'm not good at that stuff, but will give it a whirl.
Tom...yes, this area does feel like God's country. (Especially when it stops raining). We are thankful every day to have such a beautiful & peaceful place to live.
Cheers Y'all. Dan

 

[smitesmash]

Good luck with your new grapple.

I remember last summer when I was obsessively researching different grapple stles and manufacturers. Finally went with "the rake shop".
As I'm nearby, but a bit south of you id expect to have similar plants and soil types, although I'm on the edge of the terminal moraine, which means I have more silt, and less erratic stones.

Although I have not run into any too big (yet)

 

[k0ua]

Hi Raincoast, congratulations on getting your grapple up and going. You will really enjoy having it. Here is what I did to extend the rear remote level to make it easier to operate the grapple lid and keep your hand on the main joystick. It just makes the operation a bit smoother and faster.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...on-control-valve-lever.html?highlight=grapple

 

[woodchipper]

Congrats Dan on your new toy! Very usefull it will be. Procuring you with so many coming hours of play!
It takes a while to getting used to your new coordination. Your brain transmits new commands to your hand...feeling a little strange in the begining :confused2: :dance1: