EA Attachments vs Homestead Implements

[bazman82]

If time is the most important criteria, then paying someone to get the job done might not be a bad idea. Then more research can be done to find the exact implement you want and if there is a wait time, it won't be so bad cause the job you "need" done now, will be taken care of. You need to value your time as well with the work you "want" to do vs the work that "needs" to be done. My list of needs when summer hits are:

1. Make Hay
2. Equipment repairs if needed
3. Clean the manure piles
4. Cut fire wood
5. Make more Hay

In that exact order. It may not sound like a lot but when your doing it all by yourself and only have a few hours a week, time flies. As long as nothing breaks, most anything else on my list is a want as those are the only major things that need to be done every year. As my kids are getting to the age (5 and 8) that going camping and doing activities becomes more fun, we as a family want to spend more time doing this together. Having the right tool for the job helps get these tasks done quicker freeing up more time to take the kayaks out or go for hikes etc etc. I can get into more details but there is probably no need.

 

[Torvy]

If time is the most important criteria, then paying someone to get the job done might not be a bad idea. Then more research can be done to find the exact implement you want and if there is a wait time, it won't be so bad cause the job you "need" done now, will be taken care of. You need to value your time as well with the work you "want" to do vs the work that "needs" to be done. My list of needs when summer hits are:

1. Make Hay
2. Equipment repairs if needed
3. Clean the manure piles
4. Cut fire wood
5. Make more Hay

In that exact order. It may not sound like a lot but when your doing it all by yourself and only have a few hours a week, time flies. As long as nothing breaks, most anything else on my list is a want as those are the only major things that need to be done every year. As my kids are getting to the age (5 and 8) that going camping and doing activities becomes more fun, we as a family want to spend more time doing this together. Having the right tool for the job helps get these tasks done quicker freeing up more time to take the kayaks out or go for hikes etc etc. I can get into more details but there is probably no need.

Enjoy those years. Pretty soon they can help with those chores. A few days later they are off to college or making another life for themselves. It goes by fast.

 

[bazman82]

Enjoy those years. Pretty soon they can help with those chores. A few days later they are off to college or making another life for themselves. It goes by fast.

We're trying too. Part of the reason were spending a little more to accomplish the goals for the summer so we can do things with them. I really can't wait until they are old enough to help with chores. They help now but the moment they can safely use a chainsaw, life will be a bit easier.

 

[ScottHam]

My kids are almost grown.....my ranch property is a future grandkid magnet.....starting pond construction next week....stocking this winter....hopefully years and years of projects for my kids and their families to enjoy with my wife and me.

 

[shooterdon]

My kids are almost grown.....my ranch property is a future grandkid magnet.....starting pond construction next week....stocking this winter....hopefully years and years of projects for my kids and their families to enjoy with my wife and me.

I sincerely wish you the best of luck.

My place is a little slice if heaven for me but just something to be sold for my sons.

 

[North to Alaska]

I will break my front end loader before I will break my MTL grapple. My FEL will lift my back up if I’m not careful. My 4520r Branson weighs about 7k lbs with FEL, grapple, skidding winch, and filled tires. It rips out tree stumps and hauls around multiple logs that extend out a ways on either side (great for bucking). I worry more about the FEL then the grapple.
Yep, EA grapples are built much stronger. So what? Your tractor isn’t even close to having the capacity to break those grapples.
Sorry, but EA grapples are just expensive overkill.

 

[Vigo327]

I don't know if i can agree with that, as far as tractors having the capacity to break grapples. It depends what you mean. I think almost any tractor could damage the lid of a grapple by misusing it. I also think most tractors could bend a lower tine if you tried.

I guess if you mean 'damage it to the point it can't be used' then i might be closer to agreeing. I think the main thing about not messing up a grapple is not using the lid wrong, and bending bottom tines should just be considered par for the course and you either bend it back and drive differently, or leave it bent and ignore it!

I do not own a grapple yet, but with my mechanical background im an expert at finding bending and breaking points and that's what i've observed from the tractor forums and youtube.

 

[bazman82]

I don't know if i can agree with that, as far as tractors having the capacity to break grapples. It depends what you mean. I think almost any tractor could damage the lid of a grapple by misusing it. I also think most tractors could bend a lower tine if you tried.

I guess if you mean 'damage it to the point it can't be used' then i might be closer to agreeing. I think the main thing about not messing up a grapple is not using the lid wrong, and bending bottom tines should just be considered par for the course and you either bend it back and drive differently, or leave it bent and ignore it!

I do not own a grapple yet, but with my mechanical background im an expert at finding bending and breaking points and that's what i've observed from the tractor forums and youtube.

The tines on my grapple are 2 and a half inchs in diameter....my loader will bend or break before the tines will

 

[Torvy]

The tines on my grapple are 2 and a half inchs in diameter....my loader will bend or break before the tines will

Sounds like you need a new tractor with a stronger loader.

 

[EverythingAttachments]

Meanwhile, at EA..

IF someone bends an EA lid, we'd never offer to sell them one for $900, no matter what they were doing.
Travis

Oh, and Material matters. No "pipe" in a WICKED. Period.

 

[future_vision]

We talk a lot about grapples here. Thoughts on other attachments? Specifically box blades and landscape rakes?

 

[bazman82]

My EA box blade. They were the cheapest, heaviest blade (96") I could find. I'm new to using a box blade so I am learning but it has held up to an old stone area I was loosening up with the teeth. I have also ripped out some decent roots clearing a path through the woods. Gannon had a similar heavy blade but with hydraulic controlled scarifiers and a significant price increase.

 

[deezler]

I love my 55" wicked grapple, done everything I ever asked it to in my brief use of it. But if anyone needs one asap anywhere near lower Michigan, it's for sale if you need one, for a reduced price. I'll probably regret selling it but I already have another one and my wife keeps draining my checking account so I could use the cash LOL.

FOR SALE: EA (Everything Attachments) Wicked 55" Grapple, lightly used, like new. $2200

Hey everyone, I don't need to own two grapples. This one came with my tractor in a package. It works great! No damage or issues. Just a little surface rust on the normal wear areas - I will touch up with rust converter and make it look new for ya. I'm not sure how much the previous owner...

www.tractorbynet.com

 

[mowniacal]

Just tossing it out there, have you looked at Jenkins Iron and Steel?

https://jenkinsironandsteel.com/products/Brush-Grapple/3/

I have a pretty heavy duty grapple from there and is well made. Might be a bit heavier than the other options but might be worth looking at too. Website says 3 week lead time.

I looked at (on paper) the Jenkins. The Grade 50 steel is nowhere near as durable as the AR450 while weighing tremendously more.

 

[mowniacal]

I'm going to throw this out there because I am really curious. What is the differences that would make one better than the other? For example how does the the EA Wicked 60 measure up against the HI Root Grapple Pinnacle series?

EA Wicked 60

Best Rated 60 Inch Wicked Root Rake Grapple from Everything Attachments

60 inch root rake grapple capable of clearing trees and roots with a compact tractor. Order today to get free shipping.

www.everythingattachments.com

Homestead Root Grapple Pinnacle Series

Pinnacle Series Root Grapple - Rugged, American-Made Grapples

Discover the Pinnacle Series Root Grapples, perfect for clearing large limbs, dead trees, and boulders. Available in multiple sizes and colors for Cat-1 tractors. Order now for reliable land maintenance.

homesteadimplements.com

The differences I see are:
Weight - HI is lighter
Price - Homestead is cheaper by about $1000
Durability - Not sure here. Hardox teeth on both. Cylinders looks the same from a spec perspective. Maybe the tubing/piping is the difference?
Utility - Openings are about the same.
Build/lead time - 16 weeks for EA and 7-8 for Homestead (this is kind of a big deal)
Shipping - HI ships to home for free (also kind of a big deal)

Is EA, at $1000 more plus double the lead/build time, plus no free home delivery a better purchase in any way?

Not for compacts, but HI's Utility version uses 1/2" Hardox (though not doubled/laminated at digging point, which, I believe, combines for 3/4" for EA, but only at engagement points). HI also has gusseted teeth (which might make up for the non-lam), four hinge points, and larger cylinders (3" x 10"). HI also has mechanical stops to protect cylinders from being over-extended or compacted.

Again, I'm describing their Utility unit. Even so, I'm trying to decide if EA's 1-7/8" thick-walled DOM tubing (on their Wicked 66) is superior to HI's 2" Schedule 80 piping. The Sch 80 is harder, but EA's DOM has 3x the wall thickness. Does this difference overcome the other differences? -- i.e., contemplating forces applied to framing rigidity vs. the strength of the teeth. EA's 3/4" (2 x 3/8") Hardox teeth bearing on that thick-walled tubing seems awfully tough. But HI's 1/2" Hardox throughout ain't no joke (although not doubled at dig points), and neither is Sch. 80.

I hope the info above is accurate -- it's what I gleaned from their respective web sites. I would welcome any corrections or feedback, including from EA and HI reps.