WR LONG 4 IN 1 PICTURES

[o2batsea]

I have a regular duty 60" WRLong 4n1. Nice piece of equipment but I would personally advise that people think carefully before investing in something like this. I got mine for $500 barely used via ebay and at that it is obviously a bargain but at full price the bang for the buck needs to be carefully calculated. If you are in construction then it probably makes sense as an all purpose single attachment when on site. For just about everyone else though the combination of a standard bucket and grapple is both cheaper and much more effective.

As a bucket the 4n1 works fine but is heavier and much more expensive than the standard bucket you already own (or could own for much less money). It is also more vulnerable to damage than a standard bucket and requires maintenance the standard bucket never needs.

The 4n1 is a lousy grapple. It can pick up only one or at most two branches or logs at a time because it "grapples" from top to bottom so gravity works against you. A true grapple allows you to cram a huge amount into the device and then use the upper grapple to just stabilize the load that sits on the bottom tines. How many fireplace logs can you pick up with your fingers compared to stacking in the crook of your arm while using the other hand to stabilize the load? Same principle. The 4n1 is also more vulnerable to damage than a true grapple or grapple bucket and is easily damaged by clamping down on a rock as that can bend the relatively unsupported middle of both the blade and the bucket bottom.

4n1 bulldozer feature is cute and truly is useful at times but it is not a real bulldozer by any means and needs to be used carefully so as not to risk damage to the long FEL arms. It does work nicely to push loose dirt around and I like using mine while cleaning up after digging out stumps etc with a BH.

Backdragging with the open clamshell is theoretically the 4th function but has very very limited use so for practical purposes these things are 3n1.

I like my 4n1 but it is like having a Swiss Army knife. Useful more many tasks but master of none.

Thanks, I was reading this thread and wondering what good one of those things are.

 

[DeNiro]

I have a 60" Long 4n1 on my LK3054 and find it very useful. One of the things not mentioned was the smaller bucket size on most all 4n1 buckets. I asked Mr. Long about that and he said it was because of the extra weigh of the 4n1.
I do find the back dragging with the clam open to be one of the more useful features of the bucket. In the hard clay soils that I have it is the best way to remove a layer of soil. With some practice you can slice about 4"-6" in one pass and then on the return forward trip scoop it and place it.
I would love to have a grapple and I have been planning to built one, but the 4n1 funtions somewhat to that end as long as you are not working with large amouts of brush. It is good for only a log or two.

 

[dfkrug]

I would love to have a grapple and I have been planning to built one, but the 4n1 funtions somewhat to that end as long as you are not working with large amouts of brush. It is good for only a log or two.

Sometimes, just one log at a time is quite useful (photo). I cut them just
shorter than the bkt is wide, so I can grab them and place them on my piles.
One 500# rock at a time has been quite useful, too.

My favorite use is the back-dragging function, in combo with grabbing the
resulting piles of material. With practice, I now leave nothing behind.

 

[DanD78]

Matt, I have the 60" Frontier 4in1 on my 3320. I have not noticed a loss of lift capacity. I have never used a grapple but this bucket is great for brush and logs. I could not find a Long dealer in my area to even look at one of thiers. I really like the Frontier for what I do.

Dan

 

[GreatWhitehunter]

My dealer did quote me the frontier 60" unit but it was almost 3k. He told me doesn't get good pricing since he sells more woods items. But that just seemed really high too me. I hope Wallace's quote is a bit more reasonable. The frontier unit doesn't look any better made than the long unit.

Matt