wr long or ??? for brush & logs?

[IslandTractor]

true sounds advice, haven't had that happen yet as i've been on the edge of the woods. that doesn't works so well for me with the size tractor/grapple i have it will drive the pile into the ground. maybe i need more practie

The trick is to get a feel for what height to start simultaneously closing the upper grapple arm and curling the bottom. Ideally you have the upper arm and lower tine tips just barely scraping the soil. I suppose one might actually measure and mark that loader height reference point with an empty grapple. I just live with a ball park seat of the pants estimate so do scrape up the turf or leave a bit of the load behind frequently. Not a problem for me as I generally make a number of transport runs during any given grappling session so if I leave some with one load I will get it next time. Also as I work in rough areas I really don't care if I scrape up the ground.

 

[oosik]

Locally the Anbo grapple in Colville, WA is the way to go. Depending upon the model, you can get a real rock cruncher, if that's your need. I'm saving up for one of their mid-sized units.

 

[IslandTractor]

Locally the Anbo grapple in Colville, WA is the way to go. Depending upon the model, you can get a real rock cruncher, if that's your need. I'm saving up for one of their mid-sized units.

Why not save half as long and get a more reasonably priced grapple? Anbo makes great grapples but they have always been the most expensive. You can get two or even three regular grapples for the same price. Maybe the shipping differences make it a better deal for local pickup vs shipping from out of state.

It would be worth spending more if they lasted longer but nobody seems to be able to seriously damage much cheaper grapples. I have never been able to figure out why Anbo uses such expensive high strength steel (which can be harder to repair too) rather than just standard mild steel for CUT grapples.

 

[terryknight]

The trick is to get a feel for what height to start simultaneously closing the upper grapple arm and curling the bottom. Ideally you have the upper arm and lower tine tips just barely scraping the soil. I suppose one might actually measure and mark that loader height reference point with an empty grapple. I just live with a ball park seat of the pants estimate so do scrape up the turf or leave a bit of the load behind frequently. Not a problem for me as I generally make a number of transport runs during any given grappling session so if I leave some with one load I will get it next time. Also as I work in rough areas I really don't care if I scrape up the ground.

i think i just need more seat time. i use to use a similar grapple to yours on a smaller tractor and did it your way. i could never compress the pile into the ground though

 

[oosik]

I think you will find that Anbo grapples are not generally(except Rancher series) designed for CUTs and jobs that they will be doing. Around here I see a lot of them being used in the logging industry, landscaping field & related commercial fields. Cheaper units probably would not stand up under these conditions. Shipping would not be one of my concerns - I live only 70 miles south. The other advantage is you can get a grapple made in just about any configuration necessary. I've seen some pretty wild custom grapples come out of the Anbo factory.

 

[Xfaxman]

I've created a temptest in a teapot

So I don't know what I need, my main goal was to be able to move brush around and I think it will work just fine for that.

I started wondering about pinching/clamping because my neighbor, who is much more experienced, uses a different kind of grapple on a tracked skid steer and he took one look and said "I don't think you'll like that grapple, you can't pinch things with it".

Personally, I think it is fine. I've been using it to move some decent sized logs around, works great. We'll see after I do some tree work.

How about an update? Get to use it over the weekend?

 

[TomSeller]

I think you will find that Anbo grapples are not generally(except Rancher series) designed for CUTs and jobs that they will be doing. Around here I see a lot of them being used in the logging industry, landscaping field & related commercial fields. Cheaper units probably would not stand up under these conditions. Shipping would not be one of my concerns - I live only 70 miles south. The other advantage is you can get a grapple made in just about any configuration necessary. I've seen some pretty wild custom grapples come out of the Anbo factory.

Professional logging is another story compared to moving brush piles on weekends. I use the pedestrian priced versions but It I were a pro, I would get an Anbo or Bodozer quality grapple.

 

[lwm]

How about an update? Get to use it over the weekend?

Yes, I've been using it. For moving big (where big is as big as the tractor can lift) chunks of wood around it's great.

I've worked on some brush piles with it and it's less great but I think that is because I'm moving brush quite a way to a burn pile. Things that would make it better (I think):

- load forks by hand. When I did this I would build a load with brush on the bottom and a log or two on the top and the load was substantially larger than what I can get in a grapple.
- get better at "balling up" the brush. My neighbor says what he does w/ the skid steer and a rake style grapple is push it forward, compact and roll it into a ball, then grab the ball.
- a wider grapple so it has more grab

So loading the forks, for me, right now, with my limited experience w/ the grapple, moves easily 2x (or more) in one load. But I have to get off the tractor to do that and I've developed feet probs so screw the forks, I need to get better at the grapple. I need to see if I can learn to compress the brush pile and get a bigger bite. I would like wider I think, because I'm going over rough pasture and unless you move very slowly the tractor bounces and it shakes stuff off. I think a wider one, while not solving that problem, would help.

All that said, I agree with the sentiment that any grapple is better than no grapple. I'll play with this one for a while and if I find myself loading the pallet forks instead I'll revisit and maybe get a rake style. That wildkat one looks nice (though the specs are 40" wide open but Terry says his is 48"?

 

[terryknight]

i'll get a pic and a measurement today. i could also not be measuring it the way they are. dunno

 

[IslandTractor]

i'll get a pic and a measurement today. i could also not be measuring it the way they are. dunno

Lower tine tip to upper tine tip wide open is the way I measured mine (Millonzi LD48 = 46" opening).