Purchasing a Grapple...Which one??

[Eagleview]

It does look a little light on the front axle as the towbar was to far back and had to much purchase on the truck and that trailer had too much deck in front of the bogie , fixed that know . In OZ we are allowed 6(ton) on the steer , 9ton on a single drive axle (if the truck has a 15ton gvm) , 16.5ton on the trailer bogie = 6+9+16.5=31.5ton . The rear tractor in the photo weighs around 4.5ton and the other two around 3.25ton each=11ton . The truck weighs 6ton and the trailer weighs 3.5ton=20.5ton all up . Take 20.5ton from my allowed 31.5ton GCM and that leaves 11ton to spare . GVM=Gross vehicle mass and GCM=Gross combined mass . Perish the thought i would ever run heavy....not like when i used to pull two trailers full of wheat with my old White 4000 with a combined weight of 100ton sshhhhh.

 

[Redbug]

I am very impressed and satisified with the WR Long grapple. I used the root rake more than I expected. Very good design!

 

[Redbug]

Just wondering...Claykin and Justcountry...did you get your grapples, yet? Enquiring minds need to know...And you better post a pic or three!

 

[claykin22]

Just picked up my grapple on Sat. It came into the dealer about 10 days after ordering it!! The only problem was my 300CX loader hadn't arrived from Deere. I took some pics yesterday, and will post them this week.

I have to confess that I have been too busy playing in the snow with my nieces and nephews on sleds behind my XUV to actually do any "work" with the grapple yet!

 

[justcountry]

well here are some pics of the Grapple the day I picked it up in my truck, I'll keep the pics and info coming. I'm waiting on a few final fittings to clean up my hydraulic lines and to make a custom bulkhead.

 

[Take-er-EZ]

I think I've narrowed it down to the Millonzi LD 48", I noticed the FD sticker in the Ranger, are you a firefighter? I heard Millonzi beefed up the outer arms to 1/2" instead of 3/8" Is that correct? Also it looks like some added protection for the cylinder on the grapple arm! If you don't mind me asking, how much did it set you back? I am ordering a Kubota L3540 with 724 loader (third function factory set up to the front bucket).

 

[Take-er-EZ]

I am ordering a Kubota 3540, 724 loader with factory 3rd function valve added. I heard Millonzi beefed up their outer arms to 1/2" instead of 3/8". Looks like some added protection for the cylinder with the angle welded in the grapple arm too!

 

[bigballer]

I routinely pop out roots or just whole small trees (why take the extra step of making a mess with a bush hog?). Pop'em out and put them in a burn or compost pile.

Island - Do you have more pictures you can share showing the progress of removing a rootball/tree? Also wondered what the grapple looks like in the "dump" position and how easy it is to pluck up a log laying horizontal on the ground. iow, can you get to it by tilting the bottom of the grapple in a full dump position and then drop it over the top of the log clamping down or do you have to "scoop" it?

 

[justcountry]

Hey guys, yes I am a Firefighter. Millonzi did beef up the outside tines to 1/2" and they made a plate to cover up the end of the cylinder and welded some flat bar louvers to protect the cylinder. It is really a nice unit. As far as full tilt pickup, yes thats what I love about it, you can come down right over top of anything you want such as a log or a tall pile of brush and crush it strait down and clamp on it. you dont have to scoop or try to roll something into. it's just like an extra little hand out in front!
As far as cost, its the most economical grapple out there. 845$ plus shipping was about 1070$ to me total. Make sure to mention this website for the 25% discount! If I had it to do over, I would buy the same one.

 

[IslandTractor]

Island - Do you have more pictures you can share showing the progress of removing a rootball/tree? Also wondered what the grapple looks like in the "dump" position and how easy it is to pluck up a log laying horizontal on the ground. iow, can you get to it by tilting the bottom of the grapple in a full dump position and then drop it over the top of the log clamping down or do you have to "scoop" it?

I'll try to find some photos of a grapple/tree battle but it is actually easier to describe. For starters there is a lot of variation and unless you are taking out pretty much identially sized trees from the same area you will need to experiment a bit to find the most efficient method. It also depends a lot on what your loader capacity is. I have removed trees with my smaller Kioti CK20 very successfully but it often required different technique and more time than when I use the larger DK40se.

I almost always try to give the tree a little shove to begin with. That helps expose where the roots are and sometimes just knocks the tree over. If the roots are clear then I proceed to stick a tine or two of the grapple underneath and drive forward while lifting/curling the grapple. For softwood trees up to about 5 inches or so that is usually sufficient to rip them out of the ground. Sometimes it takes doing the same thing from a couple of angles and sometimes I'll push on the tree trunk while repositioning to see which way the tree wants to fall and to expose more roots. Same basic procedure with stumps.

It is very easy to pick up a log. Both ways work: either scoop and close the grapple or come down from the top with the grapple open then close and lift. Scooping is easy especially if you can push against a pile or other obstacle that keeps the log from moving. If you don't want the log to move then just come over the top. I've posted a couple photos of coming over the top to pick up a pile of debris.

The last two photos are just digging the grapple under a small tree and lifting it out. I don't recall but I probably used both the motion of the tractor and the lift of the loader to pop it out. Don't underestimate the "wedge" force generated by moving the tractor forward with the grapple under the tree.