Grapple Help

coltbean · Oct 9, 2020

I have a Kubota L2501 and am looking into these 2 grapples. The Falcon is 1/4' 50 grade steel and the CID is 3/8" 50 grade. Most others that I have looked at are 3/8" A36 which is a weaker steel and they are also heavier. The only thing that I can see that I'm not sure about is these don't look like they have greaseable pins.

Rustyiron · Oct 9, 2020

Other than the construction details, the falcon is a better all purpose design than the other one which would be better suited for racking roots but very little carrying capacity. Grease zerks are mandatory and I can't imagine that both don't have them at all the moving parts. I wouldn't get too hung up on the steel type or thickness considering the size and weight of the tractor. No "cut" on your tractor intended. I have a 84" grapple constructed of 3/8 that's either on a 5 ton 115 hp skid steer or my m9540 and I've been working it hard for 15+ years, I've tweaked one of the "lids" but that was just plain abuse on my part.

coltbean · Oct 9, 2020

I just want something thats not too heavy and will hinder my lifting ability.

Gordon Gould · Oct 9, 2020

I agree with Rusty. For my purposes I would greatly prefer the Falcon. The CID is much to flat to hold much and won't surround the load as it clamps down like the Falcon will.

gg

homesteader13 · Oct 10, 2020

It really depends on what your primary purpose of the grapple is.
And you can drill and tap grease zerks in, thats a simple task. (Although should have been done when it was manufactured in my opinion)

ehcrain · Oct 10, 2020

I have a cid grapple like your photo and am saving pennies for a replacement. It's less than a year old but the short comings mentioned in earlier post are spot on. It's held up to my 3901 just fine but doesn't grab as well as I want.

BRMyers · Oct 10, 2020

I prefer the clamshell type of grapple. I have found that it allows to get in and get the roots out and at the same time, I have been able to carry decent size loads.

mikester · Oct 10, 2020

coltbean said:
I have a Kubota L2501 and am looking into these 2 grapples. The Falcon is 1/4' 50 grade steel and the CID is 3/8" 50 grade. Most others that I have looked at are 3/8" A36 which is a weaker steel and they are also heavier. The only thing that I can see that I'm not sure about is these don't look like they have greaseable pins.

If you can, go check them out in person. I'd get the lightest grapple possible for your machine otherwise you lose too much lifting capacity. I've got the root rake style which is better for ground engagement but it isn't practical for grabbing large log loads or for doing firewood. I have to keep the grapple about 6 feet off the ground when I'm hand loading the grapple or logs just fall off. Check out BRMyers pics and where he is holding the load to see what I mean. My machine will lift the weight but the root rake is like trying to grab large bundles of sticks with tweezers.

When I'm doing firewood I keep wishing I bought the L style grapple.

coltbean · Oct 10, 2020

Does anyone know of a lighter L shaped grapple than that falcon? I think the weight on it is around 275 lbs.

cjoffutt · Oct 10, 2020

coltbean said:
Does anyone know of a lighter L shaped grapple than that falcon? I think the weight on it is around 275 lbs.

Lighter and stronger. However, probably more money, no idea how much the falcon is.

Subcompact Compact Tractor Wicked Root Grapple 50" Single lid

coltbean · Oct 10, 2020

cjoffutt said:
Lighter and stronger. However, probably more money, no idea how much the falcon is.

Subcompact Compact Tractor Wicked Root Grapple 50" Single lid

Yeah I've looked at EA and agree that they are the best but hard to justify 2x the cost on something used so rarely

shooterdon · Oct 10, 2020

My assumption is that the cheaper units use a lower quality steel, and to get adequate strength they need to be heavier. My MTL was cheap ($1000) and heavy but I have plenty of FEL capacity.

If I had the funds, I would have purchased an EA grapple. I move 10-20 cords of logs a year and could not justify it. Additionally, at 70 YO, I will not be doing this for too much longer.

coltbean · Oct 10, 2020

shooterdon said:
My assumption is that the cheaper units use a lower quality steel, and to get adequate strength they need to be heavier. My MTL was cheap ($1000) and heavy but I have plenty of FEL capacity.

If I had the funds, I would have purchased an EA grapple. I move 10-20 cords of logs a year and could not justify it. Additionally, at 70 YO, I will not be doing this for too much longer.

Yeah the MTL uses A36 steel at 3/8". The Falcon is 1/4" grade 50 which is stronger and lighter but probably comparable to the 3/8" A36. I'm only 40 and do about 3 cords a year plus any property cleanup but want something that will holdup. I only have around 1200 lbs lift at the pins so need to keep it light weight.

ruffdog · Oct 10, 2020

Most of my "property cleanup" is cutting trees and branches. For branch piles, it helps if your grapple has the ability to grab a big arm full of debris. We make neat piles by hand as we are cutting trees so when we burn the next brush pile, I can keep feeding it with the grapple. If we have a wind or ice storm, I may have 40 big grapple piles to feed the fire. It has been the best work-saver attachment I have. Mine is a Bobcat general purpose bucket with the Bobcat grapple attachment. It is not the best design for any one job but it does work good for a variety of different jobs. I have thought of cutting back the sides of the bucket to give it more room for logs but so far it is fine. If I had a sawzall close by, I would have cut it.:dance1:

shooterdon · Oct 10, 2020

Log Weight Calculator at WOODWEB

You are not handling much wood so think about your needs. The above calculator can help.

In my case, I used my heaviest wood (oak) to look at weight requirements. My firewood logs are 14" or less in diameter, and 100" long. If you need to clean up a large tree that has fallen, you can cut it to manageable lengths for firewood processing, so getting a heavier grapple may not be a bad trade off. If you are going to use the logs for lumber, cutting up to shorter lengths is not an attractive option.

Compact Tractor 48"-54"-6" HD Root Grapple Hydraulic - quick attach — MTL Attachments

This is a smaller version (48") of the 60" MTL I have and weighs 350 lbs. Seems it would be a good fit and likely handle 98% of your needs. Only you know how often you will need to move logs heavier than 750 lbs.

BRMyers · Oct 10, 2020

EA 55" Wicked Grapple is 239lbs.

Best Rated 55 Inch Wicked Root Rake Grapple from Everything Attachments

shooterdon · Oct 11, 2020

BRMyers said:
EA 55" Wicked Grapple is 239lbs.

Best Rated 55 Inch Wicked Root Rake Grapple from Everything Attachments

That is a nice unit, but costs over $1000 more than the MTL and nets 111 lbs more lift capacity. For most uses, it will be difficult to justify making the additional investment. And the OP has limited grapple work so it is even tougher to justify.

coltbean · Oct 11, 2020

I think I'm going with the 48" MTL. Now donibuse the WRLong 3rd function or the Landpride? Or should I go with a diverter?

ovrszd · Oct 11, 2020

For your uses, I'd go with a diverter and put it out on the FEL frame crossbar just behind the Grapple.

shooterdon · Oct 11, 2020

Coltbean,

I have a NIB diverter valve I bought when I was going to put a bolt on grapple on my JD 855 if you decide to go that way. Email me if you are interested.

When I got the LS, I had the dealer add a 3rd function. Glad I went that way. If you will be using the grapple much it is a nice set up. The LS will be my last tractor so that is why I made the investment.

If you will be keeping your machine for a long time, go with the 3rd function if you can afford it.