The WICKED Root & Debris GRAPPLE!!!!!!!

[EverythingAttachments]

Here is another 66" Wicked Grapple review that came in over the weekend from Rick in MI.

"I have owned my Wicked Root Grapple since spring. I also purchased the 3rd function remote. I have 10 acre woods with tornado damage and logged recently. I found this tool to be indispensable. If it weren't so fun and efficient I am sure my father would own one. I enjoy mine so much I drop by and do his work whenever he needs help. I also own a 6' Box Blade from EA and have nothing but praise for their tools! If your looking for a quality tool don't hesitate."

 

[curly]

Ted. I just bought a 50inch single lid and used it today. My problem is that it doesn't open very far. I had a large wr long grapple on the larger tractor I owned and it would open 180 degrees or so. You could grab a ton of brush and do what you want with it. Is mine defective or is this how they work. I can post a pic of it wide open if you like.

 

[IslandTractor]

Ted. I just bought a 50inch single lid and used it today. My problem is that it doesn't open very far. I had a large wr long grapple on the larger tractor I owned and it would open 180 degrees or so. You could grab a ton of brush and do what you want with it. Is mine defective or is this how they work. I can post a pic of it wide open if you like.

That is the major (?only) real knock on the EA50 inch model. They designed it so it only opens ?36 inches or less. Not sure why but I agree that opening 42+" is much more useful. The grapple can certainly use a bigger opening to collect brush which is light weight even if you would not be able to lift say a 42" stump etc.

Ideally they would redesign the position of the hinge point to raise it up a bit which would increase the jaw opening.

 

[94BULLITT]

That is the major (?only) real knock on the EA50 inch model. They designed it so it only opens ?36 inches or less. Not sure why but I agree that opening 42+" is much more useful. The grapple can certainly use a bigger opening to collect brush which is light weight even if you would not be able to lift say a 42" stump etc.

Ideally they would redesign the position of the hinge point to raise it up a bit which would increase the jaw opening.

The lids already open to 90* or close to it. For it to have a larger opening the back of the grapple(upright portion that QA mounts to) would have to be taller or the tines would have to be longer. If the tines were made longer it would reduce break out force and lift capacity when trying to use them.

 

[MinnesotaEric]

The lids already open to 90* or close to it. For it to have a larger opening the back of the grapple(upright portion that QA mounts to) would have to be taller or the tines would have to be longer. If the tines were made longer it would reduce break out force and lift capacity when trying to use them.

I agree with Island: on my 72" the root grapple is not good at grabbing brush because it doesn't open far enough. For grabbing logs, culverts and what not, it is great! I suggested to Travis that EA should offer a scaled up version of the same thing for larger tractors.

 

[EverythingAttachments]

Ted. I just bought a 50inch single lid and used it today. My problem is that it doesn't open very far. I had a large wr long grapple on the larger tractor I owned and it would open 180 degrees or so. You could grab a ton of brush and do what you want with it. Is mine defective or is this how they work. I can post a pic of it wide open if you like.

When fully open, it should look like this. If yours doesn't look like that, send me some pics to travis@everythingattachments.com and we'll figure out what's going on with it.

 

[EverythingAttachments]

The lids already open to 90* or close to it. For it to have a larger opening the back of the grapple(upright portion that QA mounts to) would have to be taller or the tines would have to be longer. If the tines were made longer it would reduce break out force and lift capacity when trying to use them.

That is how I look at it as well. The WR Long OBG2 is a perfect example of a wide opening grapple.

Here it is on a B Series Kubota



Sure it opens wide and tall, but I don't think it would be ideal on a compact tractor if you wanted to grab/pinch something really heavy at the very end.

Travis

 

[EverythingAttachments]

When operating properly, the Wicked Grapples should be able to move brush/logs/debris very efficiently.



Big Nasty Stump



No Problem



Brush Pile

 

[curly]

When fully open, it should look like this. If yours doesn't look like that, send me some pics to travis@everythingattachments.com and we'll figure out what's going on with it.

View attachment 407369 View attachment 407370 View attachment 407372 View attachment 407382

View attachment 407383 View attachment 407385

Travis, I measured it and it was 30 inches. Then I went back to your site and found that was what it was supposed to do, right? As I said I had the clamshell (I guess) type that opened close to 180 degrees. You could grab a ton of brush with that thing. Oh well, it is what it is. I guess the good thing is that I've got most of my brush cleared I moves logs and other things quite well.

 

[EverythingAttachments]

Our Compact Root Rake Grapple would allow for a larger bite and not hurt lift capacity because the different design keeps the weight close to the tractor, but they're not nearly as versatile.

We probably sell 25+ of the L shaped wicked grapples to 1 of the clamshell grapple rakes.
Travis

 

[IslandTractor]

The bottom tines don't necessarily need to be much longer to increase the jaw opening. The upper jaw would need to be a bit longer in the tooth (the portion that comes down to contact the lower tines). If EA just mounted the upper jaw on some ears that stood up from the back of the grapple instead of mounting the hinges directly to the frame, the geometry would allow for a bigger opening. As there is relatively little stress on that mount as all it does is support closing of the grapple. My Millonzi grapple has, as I recall measuring, a 46" opening and it is also a simple 48" wide light duty grapple. The design is not exactly the same as the EA52 because the bottom tines on mine are in fact a bit longer but the elevated mounting of the upper jaw would still make a difference.

 

[MinnesotaEric]

Our Compact Root Rake Grapple would allow for a larger bite and not hurt lift capacity because the different design keeps the weight close to the tractor, but they're not nearly as versatile.

We probably sell 25+ of the L shaped wicked grapples to 1 of the clamshell grapple rakes.
Travis

For the most part, my tractor's lifting limit is not an issue. With longer tines and a larger clam, the attachment would be able to grab more twiggy brush (because nobody bucks brush) as well as being able to carry more logs in one go which would make for fewer trips to my brush pile or to my trailers, increasing my productivity.

That said, my wicked root grapple is a great tool, I just wish it had longer tines as well as a larger opening.

 

[Xfaxman]

The bottom tines don't necessarily need to be much longer to increase the jaw opening. The upper jaw would need to be a bit longer in the tooth (the portion that comes down to contact the lower tines). If EA just mounted the upper jaw on some ears that stood up from the back of the grapple instead of mounting the hinges directly to the frame, the geometry would allow for a bigger opening. As there is relatively little stress on that mount as all it does is support closing of the grapple. My Millonzi grapple has, as I recall measuring, a 46" opening and it is also a simple 48" wide light duty grapple. The design is not exactly the same as the EA52 because the bottom tines on mine are in fact a bit longer but the elevated mounting of the upper jaw would still make a difference.

Right, the tines could left the same length, just raise the pivot point..

Notice how far above the top of the attachment plate the upper jaw hinges are.

 

[Xfaxman]

For the most part, my tractor's lifting limit is not an issue. With longer tines and a larger clam, the attachment would be able to grab more twiggy brush (because nobody bucks brush) as well as being able to carry more logs in one go which would make for fewer trips to my brush pile or to my trailers, increasing my productivity.

That said, my wicked root grapple is a great tool, I just wish it had longer tines as well as a larger opening.

I piled some brush on a dead tree. Notice the size of the brush pile compared to the 51" opening of the grapple.

Looking back toward the grapple

Clamped down.

Picked up.

I could use a wider opening grapple ! :laughing:

 

[jmc]

I piled some brush on a dead tree. Notice the size of the brush pile compared to the 51" opening of the grapple.
View attachment 407511

The brushpile pictured here is a perfect example of "It's not the size of your equipment- It's how you use it."

When confronted with a seemingly oversized pile like this, the first thought is to flatten it with the grapple, get a good bite on the partially compacted pile, pick it up and see how much is securely captured and how much is going to fall out as you move it. Then try it again.

Usually, it's better to work the pile a bit before grabbing it. Push the pile forward with a little down pressure but no tines under the pile. The idea is to roll the pile up so the side branches break and all the brush becomes intertwined. Then back drag pile the same way. You get a much more compacted load that way, which also pays off if you are loading it in a vehicle.

Sorry if this technique was common knowledge.

 

[k0ua]

One thing I do after rolling the pile a bit is to come down more from the top of the pile so it compacts even more and then grab and then curl up to haul it away.

 

[IslandTractor]

I think most grapple users figure out the "roll up and smooch" brush before clamping technique within a few hours of grapple use. The point remains that a larger opening allows more efficient grappling especially for brush but also for stumps and other bulky objects. It allows you to carry the load closer to pivot point in some circumstances too (I'm thinking of a stump that might not fit inside the grapple if the jaws aren't big enough. I've never really needed more than the 46" or so that my grapple opens but I know I would find 36" (or anything under about 42") very limiting, especially for brush. Zero advantage to smaller opening as best I can figure too.

 

[MinnesotaEric]

I piled some brush on a dead tree. Notice the size of the brush pile compared to the 51" opening of the grapple.
View attachment 407511

Looking back toward the grapple
View attachment 407512


Clamped down.
View attachment 407513

Picked up.
View attachment 407514

I could use a wider opening grapple ! :laughing:

See the pile of brush clamped down in the grapple of my tractor? That's how much I could get from the pile of brush in the foreground. Pretty disappointing. It was easier to open the jaws and manually load the grapple with material--which is how I've learned is the best way to get a decent load.

 

[k0ua]

I have carried loads much larger than that with my little one. You need more practice of "rolling and smooshing"

 

[MinnesotaEric]

I have carried loads much larger than that with my little one. You need more practice of "rolling and smooshing"

I'm familiar with the technique. It doesn't help on this twenty foot tall twiggy stuff that grows along my swap's waters edge on my road.