I've moved a lot of trees, stumps, limbs, etc that were wider than the bucket without a grapple, tooth bar, forks, hooks, etc. It takes a lot of finesse and a lot of back and forth (when you drop them). But, it can be done, believe me. And if you do it enough, you get good at it.
But don't get me wrong. Its kind of like driving a nail with a screwdriver. The right tool for the right job is best and there are many times I wish I could afford a grapple. But when all you have is the screwdriver............