"Repurposing" an old haymow hayfork .... Grapple

tmajor · Jul 31, 2016

I'm not sure which forum this belongs in .....

So, last week, I had 8 trees taken down in and around the yard. My guy, who cut them, uses a Bobcat, quite extensively for picking up brush and logs.

Today, I was cleaning up around my burn pile, as I had previously drug some fallen trees close to the pile, but they were kind of all scattered around. I was thinking, "it would be nice to have a grapple to help out".

As I was rolling this around in my head .... I don't have remote hydraulics on the NAA, but they did make a double acting valve, if i could find one and 3 point hitch grapples are pretty pricey, for as often as I would use it.

Then the light came on! I've had an old haymow fork/grapple in the barn for 32 years, since I bought the place. ... never had any intention of using it ... for anything. So, I drug that out, gave it a little WD-40, hooked it to my 3 PH boom and untangled all of the chains, etc.. Within 1/2 hour, I was testing it on a log. By design, it will lock in the "lift" position and with a tug on an O-ring chain, drop the load.

I think, maybe the 1st revision, might be to install spacers between the 2 complimentary tines, on each side, so they don't tend to squeeze together. ???

Luke'sScreenName · Jul 31, 2016

I guess that's not your skidsteer?

tmajor · Jul 31, 2016

Nope, my tree guy hasn't removed it, yet. He said, "I could use it", but, I believe it's better to leave it sit.

tmajor · Aug 1, 2016

I made and installed the spreaders.

I tried it on some brush, first. That didn't work too good .... they were all at random positions and the tines are so big, it really didn't grab and hold the brush. Now, a stump, is a different story. Hopefully, it will work OK on a log. It started to rain, so I quit, ... I was soaked from the humidity, anyhow.

tmajor · Aug 2, 2016

I think, I'll put this project aside, for now. The hay forks are too large and unwieldy and there are 4 tines to get in place. I think, the concept has merit, but for lifting logs, a set of logging tongs, would probably be preferred, and fairly inexpensive. For brush or stumps, a hydraulic grapple, seems to be the best choice, however the hay fork worked good on the stump, i played with. Maybe, I'll come back and re-evaluate.

Steave · Aug 2, 2016

I have some old logging tongs I used to use when I was a lot younger. Up and down, up and down off the tractor would wear me down now a days. When I get on I don't want to have to get off for anything but sleeping. Carry plenty of water and pee off the side. Back to what we're talking about. Here is a picture of pick up tongs you might could modify a regular set of tongs into working this way. Just a thought.

Small Wood Lot Tools - Timber Maintenance, Pre-commercial Thinning, Firewood, Fuel Reduction