EA grapple not an option now what?

[oosik]

Well - after a 52 hour drive - you probably want something you can eat while standing.

 

[oosik]

52 hour driving time. WoW!!! Got me to thinking. I quit riding motorcycles last year. 60+ years - I shed a tear.

Anyhow - when we would go on extended trips - my butt would began aching after about 7-8 hours. If we could not stop - had to go on......... Tylenol and wash it down with a shot of JD. Worked every time.

I've never had that "sore butt" problem with the Taco Wagon. Fortunate, because I gave up on alcohol also.

 

[North to Alaska]

Maybe so but my MTL has served me well.
Unlike my Titan forks...

More likely to break your FEL before you ever break your grapple. I’ve got a MTL and it, along with my 4520r Branson, has been put through the works in land clearing.

 

[oosik]

So.....I wonder, what company will be the new - - coup de coeur???

 

[Torvy]

HLA.
Trust me, you’ll love it.

I took a look at those. They are pretty heavy.

 

[Midniteoyl]

I bought a Top Dog Attachments 60" grapple. Shipped out the same day I ordered it. Made in the USA. Got it last week and used it a few days. Seems to work really well with my tractor, and I have no complaints yet.

Granite Grapple - Top Dog

topdogattachments.com

At first I wanted teeth on top and bottom tines, but I think only having them on the top tines is a better way to go, IMHO.

I bought the same grapple (sold through Rural King) a few years back. Love the thing.

 

[oosik]

The MTL grapple - like my Land Pride "Rock & Root" model - is 200 pounds heavier. I'm sure it is a beast for strength also. But a bit over the top for weight - as far as my needs.

My Land Pride SGC1560 is 820 pounds of AR400 steel.

 

[shooterdon]

oosik makes a good point on the MTL grapple being heavy. If you have a green or orange tractor, that can be an issue. My LS has 2200 lbs of lift capacity and I find most "off brand" tractors have better lift ratings.

But the machines with low lift capacity to not need super duty grapples anyway. They run our of lift before they start bending steel.

If you typically move large logs or stones, investing in a higher quality grapple that uses better steel to reduce weight is worth considering.

In my case, the MTL had done it all, but I do not move large boulders. If I had a 20' long oak 20" in dia, I could not lift it very high anyway (2800 lbs). Cut in half, and it is easy peasy.

Important to understand YOUR needs and not the needs of others.

 

[oosik]

shooterdon - weight and capacity limitations - so true. On the internet - I have found and use log weight carts and rock weight charts. Based upon weight - my pine logs are either 10 foot or 5 foot long. Not a difficult calculation at all.

Rocks pose a bit more of a problem. Since I never lift log or rock more than 6" off the ground - I get almost max lift out of my grapple. However - I have a self imposed limit - 2500 pounds.

I have lifted up to 3200 pounds. BUT - pool table level ground - no holes, dips, swales - etc - ground was rock hard - move was only 40 feet. This SINGLE move was not fun and will NOT be soon repeated.

 

[5030]

ATI makes a quality one as well. They also make tooth bars and complete buckets as well as landscape attachments and seeders. I run their heavy duty SSQA as well as their tooth bar.

Nice folks to deal with and not flakey like EA was / is either.