root grapple question

[HCJtractor]

Uprooting trees is what I do most with my grapple. I was also confused with the tree size, and am glad they are not 10" in diameter! THe trees you describe are ideal for a root grapple. I recommend a 48" as (in my opinion) they dig better than a wide one. You can really focus the pressure with this narrower size, and it absolutely has no disadvantages as far as carrying capacity vs. a wider one. THe tecqnique is to hit the tree high with the grapple at 6 to 8' above ground in a low gear and simply push. Most trees will simply tilt over breaking free the root ball. Then back up, tilt the grapple ar about a 45 degree angle and sink the teeth just at the edge of the rootball. Push forward, sometimes increasing the angle slowly, and then as you go under the trunk, start curling the FEl and the ball will pluck from the ground (usually) Then pick it up and carry it away. With smaller bushes or scrub trees, you can even keep driving forward ripping mutiple ones up until you have a "mouthful". Some trees are stubborn and require pushing from several different directions to loosen them up. Others may require digging a little all the way around to break up the roots. You can almost tell at first push what trees will be too big to uproot. I sometimes find pines are hard to dig out because they have a long tap root, and they are too flexible to get leverage on. They will bend but not break free. Those are the ones I cut, as the stump quickly rots.

What is the weight and h.p. of your tractor? What is the lift capacity of the FEL? Obviously, weight and horsepower helps.

 

[RJJR]

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"What is the weight and h.p. of your tractor? What is the lift capacity of the FEL? Obviously, weight and horsepower helps.[/QUOTE]

It's a new Kioti DK45SE that weighs a tad over 3900 lbs. Loader is a KL401
Lift Capacity to Full Height at Pivot Pins 2,761 lbs
Breakout Force at Pivot Pin 3,727 lbs

Thanks for the ideas. I'm leaning toward the Gator 48" light duty grapple. Can't tell looking at them what makes the root grapple different than a standard grapple.

 

[IslandTractor]

I do it the same way as HCJTractor. Works great so long as you can push the tree over at least 25 degrees or so to uncover the roots. Sometimes with bigger trees you need to push again at a 90 degree angle rather than trying to muscle the root ball out if it doesn't pop out fairly easily. I use the same size tractor loader that you have so I can assure you that a 48 inch light duty grapple is the tool of choice. I do use a BH with ripper on bigger trees but that doesn't seem to be an issue for your tasks.