Ok, all you guys with grapples can just kiss my...

[Piston]

The cheapest way to go for the grapple, I believe, would be the Everything Attachments Wicked grapple. The light duty grapple is more than strong enough for your loader.

Everything Attachments | Skid Steer Attachments, Tractor Attachments, 3 Point Hitch Attachments, and Farm Tractor Implements.

Actually, I just checked the prices, and I would recommend shopping around a bit and certainly call WR Long to get a price on their OBG2 grapple.

It's hard to "justify" the cost when your not using it commercially or really don't have much use for it. I'm sure there are some people who really don't have a need/use for one, but I haven't come across that situation yet? Once you realize how much time you'll save doing projects, and how much more convenient, and not to mention fun they are, you'll find it's money well spent. I have spent way too many hours on this forum over the last few years, and I've never read one single post from anyone who has regretted the decision to purchase a grapple.

I recently had a conversation with another member on here over PM, and I told him the same as I'll say here. I have a fairly lot of implements and use most all of them a fair amount, but I would trade every single implement I have (including the power rake and rear blade not listed in my sig) as well as my full sized JD 410 backhoe, JUST to keep my grapple. Of course, your needs are probably a LOT different than mine, but that's my take on it :thumbsup:

 

[lostcreekranch]

We bought our 84" Blue Diamond grapple specifically to clean up dead trees resulting from 2 droughts in 3 years. When we only had 7' bucket this was labor intensive work. Either had to try to get bucket under tree trunk and use chains and bucket curl to get tree balanced on top of bucket or cut tree up to lengths that fit in bucket. Ever try to wrestle a 7' x 24" log into a bucket? Joined TBN and after a lot of research decided that a grapple would male life much, much easier. Bought the BD grapple, installed WR Long 3rd function kit. Had kit installed by the day the grapple arrived. Grapple was shipped from Tennessee on Old Dominion. Got a call that OD would arrive at the ranch by mid morning back in early January of this year. Driver called me as he was coming down our road. Drove the Polaris Ranger out to meet him to guide him into ranch. I got to front gate as a tractor pulling tandem trailers is coming over the hill. Visited with driver and he said the grapple was on a large pallet at the back end of the "front" trailer. He agreed that this was poor planning but we came up with a easy solution. We had just had a lot of rain and no way he could come into ranch and turn his "train" around. He stayed on road and unhooked rear trailer while I went and got the tractor. By the time he unhooked and pulled forward about 50' I was back with tractor. I don't have a set of pallet forks "yet" (soon) so wondered which way pallet was loaded on front trailer. He opened the back door and VIOLA the rear of the grapple was facing back of trailer. EZ-PZ, drove tractor up behind trailer, raised FEL, minus bucket! and made hooked up to the SS QD on the grapple. Lifted grapple and pallet, backed up, and pulled into ranch driveway. Driver backed up, reconnected rear trailer, down to end of our dead end road where we luckily ( for driver) have a very large turn around. Whole deal took less than 20 minutes. Had the grapple and pallet been loaded in any of the other three choices it would have been a much longer job including lifting out of the trailer with bucket and chains. Lucky always beats smart. Due to rain, pasture were way too soft to work grapple that weekend but got busy with it following weekend. Learning curve was pretty short and have pushed over and taken probably over 100 dead trees this year. It's really nice to push over trees roots and all so no stumps to dig out. Had to move a dead tree that fell across driveway just yesterday. Luck it fell across driveway and not towards workshop. It had been dead for a while but was in a place that I couldn't get between shop and tree to push it over. Like said earlier luck always beats smart. Always good to have more than one tractor. Like it never happened. Rick

 

[Industrial Toys]

One thing I detest is double handling most anything! That goes for brush. Placing it on a trailer, only to have to pull off the tangled mess and throw it on a fire pile was a huge pain and waste of time. Not to mention, gathering up all the stuf you lost!

Now, a lot of brush, you simply can't collect without getting off the tractor. So what I did was start with a pallet fork and then mounted a large bale grapple which had been meant for a bucket.

As you load it, by hand, you occassionaly squish the load to give you more capacity. When all is said and done, you can move a HUGE rather impressive , mess of branches in one trip and drop then smack dab in the middle of your brush pile without loosing a single one en route!

Although that grapple comes off fairly easily, it is often a pain to have on the fork carrier when you don't need it. Helps to have another loader with forks as well.

 

[lostcreekranch]

We pick up main part of dead tree first and take to burn pile. Then we use grapple to pick up the, to large to manhandle, branches that break off when tree falls or get pushed over. Last we use the Kubota bucket and load up the small bits by hand than take to burn pile or fire pit.

Rick

 

[Xfaxman]

We pick up main part of dead tree first and take to burn pile. Then we use grapple to pick up the, to large to manhandle, branches that break off when tree falls or get pushed over. Last we use the Kubota bucket and load up the small bits by hand than take to burn pile or fire pit.

Rick

You need to get a manual grapple.


From seven years ago, same grapple! :thumbsup:

 

[lostcreekranch]

You need to get a manual grapple. <img src="http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=341900"/> <img src="http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=341901"/><img src="http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=341902"/> From seven years ago, same grapple! :thumbsup: <img src="http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=341904"/> <img src="http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=341905"/> <img src="http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=341906"/>

Xfaxman;

Ha! Have a manual grapple. I call it "Rick".

Rick

 

[Xfaxman]

Xfaxman;

Ha! Have a manual grapple. I call it "Rick".

Rick

Your son?

 

[lostcreekranch]

Your son?

No, his father.

 

[Piston]

No, his father.

:laughing: