wr long or ??? for brush & logs?

[lwm]

Some really good info in here this morning, thank you all, this is the discussion I was hoping to have.

The M59 is a home-owner tractor, I've got 15 acres and I help my neighbor with his 385 acres. The grapple is for moving brush to a chipper and moving logs to the woodpile. I don't do a lot of digging, we leave 6 feet of stump and push them over with his Case 580D (haven't tried it w/ the M59 yet, I suspect it will do it).

My neighbor is trying to push me towards a grapple arm on top of a bucket or towards a 4 in 1 bucket. His claim is it is nice to have a bucket to clean up messes (rather than having to go home to get one). I can see that but in ~5 years of running a B21 as my tractor I've never hit that situation; I have definitely wanted a better way to move brush & logs - right now I have clamp on forks and I or my helper load them by hand. Any grapple would be an improvement over that but only if it grabbed a pretty big pile - we have all sorts of tight spots where we have to move the brush a ways back to the chipper so a grapple that grabbed a much smaller amount of brush than we could load on forks - and we load them forks:

2008-03-01-14.59.00

I'm thinking that we got bigger loads with hand loading forks than any grapple would do, right?

If your primary need was moving the most brush in one trip, which grapple would be best? I'm starting to think the monster grapple.

 

[IslandTractor]

Some really good info in here this morning, thank you all, this is the discussion I was hoping to have.

The M59 is a home-owner tractor, I've got 15 acres and I help my neighbor with his 385 acres. The grapple is for moving brush to a chipper and moving logs to the woodpile. I don't do a lot of digging, we leave 6 feet of stump and push them over with his Case 580D (haven't tried it w/ the M59 yet, I suspect it will do it).

My neighbor is trying to push me towards a grapple arm on top of a bucket or towards a 4 in 1 bucket. His claim is it is nice to have a bucket to clean up messes (rather than having to go home to get one). I can see that but in ~5 years of running a B21 as my tractor I've never hit that situation; I have definitely wanted a better way to move brush & logs - right now I have clamp on forks and I or my helper load them by hand. Any grapple would be an improvement over that but only if it grabbed a pretty big pile - we have all sorts of tight spots where we have to move the brush a ways back to the chipper so a grapple that grabbed a much smaller amount of brush than we could load on forks - and we load them forks:

2008-03-01-14.59.00

I'm thinking that we got bigger loads with hand loading forks than any grapple would do, right?

If your primary need was moving the most brush in one trip, which grapple would be best? I'm starting to think the monster grapple.

I won't try to be balanced here as I already stated some of the pros and cons of different types. If I were moving brush and logs with an M59, I'd get exactly what I already have, a light duty 48" open bottom style grapple. It is the most versatile, least expensive and easiest to use IMO. There are a number of companies that make them (WR Long is probably the oldest, EA has a really nice selection and there are numerous other companies). Key reasons: you will be able to lift more than one log at a time with an M59 but you won't be able to clamp more than one at a time with a clamshell. You can load multiple logs into an OBG at once and securely clamp them for transport. Brush is sticky so you just put it in a pile (either by hand or via grapple) and then use the grapple wide open to come over the top of the pile, push down on the pile to compress it into the grapple and then simply close the grapple. I've posted a few photos below so you can get an idea of how much can be loaded. Forks are not a viable brush solution despite your photo. That brush will bounce off the forks if you travel any distance over terrain other than a parking lot. The load needs to be secured with an upper grapple arm.

I own a 4n1. I use it only when I have my backhoe mounted to clean up afterwards. It is a total PITA for carrying either brush or logs compared to a grapple. Nearly worthless because of the top hinge which means that anything smaller than the first item to jamb in in the pinch point will fall out when you lift the bucket. It can lift a single log just fine and it can pick up a little brush but it is really next to useless when compared to ANY type of grapple. If I were a contractor taking just one FEL implement with me to a job I might well select the 4n1 if there were digging, scraping, leveling etc as well as grappling to be done but if I were within a reasonable distance of my barn I would much prefer to use one real implement and then change it out for another rather than a Swiss Army knife 4n1 that does a lot of things but none well. Indeed, if working in the woods, I would consider mounting the grapple and then grappling the standard bucket to take it with me if I really needed a bucket rather than using the 4n1.

All these photos are either my DK40 or CK20 with the same grapple. DK40 has 2700lb+ lift capacity so not as much as an M59 but you will never likely have 4000lbs of brush or even logs in a grapple at one time so used properly you wouldn't damage the grapple. I beat the crap out of mine but always am careful to line up loads so I don't twist the grapple and I don't ram with it. Grapples need to be used properly regardless of what type or service duty they are.

 

[Deerherd]

Island tractors assessment is so full of misinformation it's laughable. Look at the leading edge of his grapple vs mine and you decide what would cut roots or dig better. If all you do is dig stumps buy a freakin' back hoe. And why you wouldn't want to cut/dig/push material as wide as your tractor is just ridiculous.

As far as he's concerned a 48" single top grapple is all everyone needs, you can read it in almost every thread he posts about grapples. He makes assumptions when clearly he has never owned any other style/size or a tractor large enough to handle one, but he can assure you the one HE bought will be the right choice for you. Unless you just want to pick up a little firewood, light cleanup at construction sites and push tumble weeds around any choice but what he made would be wrong.

Another grapple thread gone to chit......

 

[IslandTractor]

Island tractors assessment is so full of misinformation it's laughable. Look at the leading edge of his grapple vs mine and you decide what would cut roots or dig better. If all you do is dig stumps buy a freakin' back hoe. And why you wouldn't want to cut/dig/push material as wide as your tractor is just ridiculous.

As far as he's concerned a 48" single top grapple is all everyone needs, you can read it in almost every thread he posts about grapples. He makes assumptions when clearly he has never owned any other style/size or a tractor large enough to handle one, but he can assure you the one HE bought will be the right choice for you. Unless you just want to pick up a little firewood, light cleanup at construction sites and push tumble weeds around any choice but what he made would be wrong.

Another grapple thread gone to chit......

Well, you certainly are a blowhard whoever you are. What tasks have you done that cannot be done by my grapple? Show us the evidence. I showed quite a bit and can show more.

 

[lwm]

I'm sitting here w/ my tractor guy watching videos and this turned both of us off from the RGB

RBG.avi - YouTube

We're leaning towards the OBG 1 in the smallest size - 64"

 

[lwm]

Easy guys, I'm find all perspectives useful.

Dave just got his grapple, pretty normal for him to defend it.

Island tractor does make a good case that a small light grapple is prolly all a home owner needs.

Dave, take a look at the video I just linked to, it looks like pulling apart brush piles is not so much. And I do that a lot.

 

[IslandTractor]

I'm sitting here w/ my tractor guy watching videos and this turned both of us off from the RGB

RBG.avi - YouTube

We're leaning towards the OBG 1 in the smallest size - 64"

Exactly the problem. Notice how much of that pile just fell out of the bottom of his grapple. I could have gotten at least twice as much in any bite as the depth of the grapple allows you to stuff material in and then you just clamp down to hold it in place.

The OBG1 from WRLong is a fine grapple. A five footer would be a good match for your M59 too. It is bit more expensive than some others but very well made. I would double check an equivalent size grapple from EA just to be sure as they also make good stuff.

 

[lwm]

Yeah, the down side of the OBG1 is that it's a littler harder to grab a log smaller than the interior, the RGB will just close on it, the OBG will either just let it rattle around or you have to close the ends of the tines on it.

I think _either_ of them would be better than clamp on forks which is what I have right now so maybe I should stop jerking off on internet forums and go buy one?

Just kidding, I really appreciate the help guys.

 

[IslandTractor]

Yeah, the down side of the OBG1 is that it's a littler harder to grab a log smaller than the interior, the RGB will just close on it, the OBG will either just let it rattle around or you have to close the ends of the tines on it.

I think _either_ of them would be better than clamp on forks which is what I have right now so maybe I should stop jerking off on internet forums and go buy one?

Just kidding, I really appreciate the help guys.

Yes, to pick up a single small tree or log the RBG is better (as is the 4n1). However, even though a single small log is not securely held down, it is trapped in the OBG. You just need to pick it up somewhere close to the middle (which you should anyway to prevent twisting the FEL) and it will stay there. I do it all the time. The only things that are really much better done by the RBG are things like small pieces of firewood or construction debris etc which are both too small to be compressed by the upper grapple arm on an OBG and are also short enough that they will bounce around. When I do need to take material like that I just get a bunch of it together so it is compressed or I through some brush on top of it so the brush gets compressed.

Notice also that with a small tree, the branches stick out and are compressed by the upper arm which holds the whole tree in place even if the trunk is not in contact with the upper arm.

Note the trade off: the RBG could never pick up a whole tree by the rootball as my photo shows because the clamping direction would push the trunk into the ground while with the OBG the clamp allows the whole tree to be upright. Pop it out with the grapple and carry it away.

 

[94BULLITT]

Easy guys, I'm find all perspectives useful.

Dave just got his grapple, pretty normal for him to defend it.

Island tractor does make a good case that a small light grapple is prolly all a home owner needs.

Dave, take a look at the video I just linked to, it looks like pulling apart brush piles is not so much. And I do that a lot.

I think what Dave was saying is Island Tractor had the 48" grapple on a CK20, a 2000lb, 20hp tractor with a lift capacity of 700lbs and the grapple was perfect for that machine. Now he has a DK40, a 4000lb, 40hp tractor with a lift capacity of 2700lbs and the same grapple works perfect on it too. It looks like to me with the large difference in size between the two tractors it would be too big or too small for one. The M59 is a heck of a machine. It needs a nice grapple on the front of it. I'm like Dave, I like my implements to cut my tire tracke.

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