I was looking at 4 in 1 buckets and thought I really wanted one. Then I tried it out and was very disappointed with it. One was on a newer New Holland full sized backhoe, and the other was on a Case backhoe that was about five years old. Both functioned perfectly, but I found it very hard to judge how much the bucket was open and to know exactly where I was at when picking up branches and stumps.
Both guys told me that you get better at it with practice, and they both licked their 4 in 1 buckets, but the longer I was there, the more they admitted to things that they didn't care for. They have both bent their buckets while trying to carry trees. If you have a tree that's long and sticking out way past the sides of the bucket, you can very quickly bend the bucket. One guy did it twice, the other did it once.
The best part of it is the ability to move dirt and pick up something with out having to get off of the seat or change anything. But for moving allot of debris, it's not very good. It's hard to pick up odd shapes. Branches tend to only be held in place at one point and will twist around on you. It just doesn't get a good hold of what you are trying to carry and it's not uncommon to drop stuff.
After that, I went back to looking at root grapples. I changed everything over to a skid steer universal quick attach system, which I don't recommend for full sized loader/backhoes, but I learned that lesson the hard way. There are other systems that are better and stronger. I can switch from the
grapple to the bucket in just a few minutes. I haven't timed myself, but thing 15 minutes is about right. It really depends on how hard the hydraulic hoses are to get apart. They are my biggest challenge.
With my
grapple, I can pick up just about anything and carry it as far as I need. I have to grapples on it, so each one closes until it's solid. If I have a stump on one side and a thin tree on the other, it doesn't matter. That feature alone should be a must on any
grapple system. I've had brush piles that the
grapple on one side almost seems like it's still wide open, while the
grapple on the other side is half closed to get a tight hold on what I'm carrying.
The real test is that my 70 year old dad can use it and was able to figure it out almost instantly. He's a heck of a worker, but doesn't handle new things very well. With this, he can clear land all day long and not break anything. I had allot of fear with him and a 4 in 1 bucket. Especially when I learned of how easily they can be bent.
Good luck,
Eddie
that's not cheap.....looks like ~$500 yeouch! 
