grapple vs. wood chipper

[Kapnfriday]

Thanks - Our undergrowth is almost all Autumn Olive - Elaeagnus umbellata - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - nasty stuff. Our trees are mostly pine and poplar with a few sweetgum, maple, and sourwood thrown in. No ash trees, which I guess is a good thing.

I'm sure a grapple would be one of those things like a FEL - you don't know how much you're going to use it and what all you'll use it for until you have it. What type of chipper does your neighbor have and why would he be interested in selling?

On the subject of burning brush - I would love to but I live inside the Raleigh city limits where it is illegal to burn. The city does offer curbside yard waste pickup as long as your debris is in neat and tidy piles that can be handled by a single individual. Yeah . . . I'm gonna get right on that.

 

[blucoondawg]

I would consider moving, lol

 

[txdon]

I would consider having a tree company come and remove or chip the pile. Can you build a brush pile out of the way and wait for it to go to compost?

 

[beeforty]

On the subject of burning brush - I would love to but I live inside the Raleigh city limits where it is illegal to burn. The city does offer curbside yard waste pickup as long as your debris is in neat and tidy piles that can be handled by a single individual. Yeah . . . I'm gonna get right on that.[/QUOTE]

You just need a bigger patio fire pit or a large stove for outdoor cooking!:laughing:

 

[treefarmerguy]

I have both a grapple and an old M&M chuck and duck chipper. I use the grapple weekly during the warm months and the chipper maybe once a year. I agree that piling brush into several piles and burning is the way to go.

 

[matoyan]

Okay, I'm going with a grapple. I just need to put a 3rd function auxiliary on the tractor and order the grapple. Any suggestions on the 3rd function? Everythingattachments has one that seems to be pretty good.

 

[Code54]

I personally just ran a line from my rear Hydraulics to use for the grapple. Figure I only have it on now and then so the rears are handy and really using the lever is not a big deal. I found Wildkat grapples to be far cheaper to buy and ship than any other companies. Also if you call them sometime they have better prices than what is listed on-line.

Once you get used to the grapple you can sort of "rake" the limbs together then just scoop it all up. Really makes the whole tree cleanup project a ton easier! That is rough that you can't burn, but the rules are the rules. We are lucky that most of the year it is no big deal and even when they restrict it you can still burn in the evenings.

Good luck and watch the weight of the grapple you are buying as it will suck down your ability to lift. I personally use a 4' grapple on 50hp machine and never found it to be too small.

 

[kfxgreenie]

I personaly find the need for both, plus a rotary brush mower in certain situations. We have some low swampy land that had been neglected for years, and then ceratain parts pulped. I started with a root grapple on a CTL and piled much of the tops and pulled many of the smaller stumps 12" and less. Actually used an excavator to pull the 12-24"s. While piling and burning is the least labor intensive and fastest its not always the answer. I found certain spots I couldn't get into with the CTL without sinking in the swamp. That was the point when the Wally BX42 was purchased, get the chipper as close as possible to what needs cleaned without getting stuck and hand carry and feed the brush into it. Yes this is more labor intensive but the only option. I also find it nice just to chip sometimes when the run to the pile is just to far away and a waste of machine hours and fuel, a little hard labor never killed anyone. And then the rotary mower to take care of the brush that would be fed into the shredder option (on the chipper which I didn't purchase) . Now i will admit I'm running a big rotary mower on the CTL so i can drop it on the brush and small trees and it will eat em up. But like everything theres never a perfect tool, but you made the right decision even on the CTL I find the Grapple to be the most used tool. Just be ready to buy the next attachment. :thumbsup:

 

[econometrics]

Chipper!

(Full disclosure: I do not have a grapple)

I have 100 acres and about 75 of it is woods. So my situation is a bit different. I bought the chipper because I, like many others have said here already, did the whole "Oh I will make a huge pile then [rent chipper, burn it, etc]! ...the piles always get too big and you just end up hauling the brush around, dumping it onto the pile, and telling yourself "I'll rent that chipper soon" (or burn it)

Anywho... I LOVE being able to pull my tractor right up to brush and turn it into compost in minutes.

And anytime I think I need a grapple, I'm usually able to get that job done with pallet forks or my bucket.

But this is just my $0.02. It's what works best for my scenario. Sounds like a grapple will do you best in your mind, so get you one and have some fun!

 

[KubotaToy]

Okay I decided that the grapple would be the best investment for me. Any suggestions on a good one, reasonably priced for a JD 750? I was looking at the 50 inch one from everythingattachments.com.

This is the one I bought, it is more heavy duty than I wanted but the price seemed good.
Skid Steer Root Grapple

 

[k0ua]

If you have a rear remote on the JD consider just running hoses from the rear.. That is what I did. I have $150 invested in hoses and couplers, including a set of couplers in the middle so I can remove the loader easily without removing the hoses. Just an idea, and you may like the true 3rd function better, but I get along fine with my remote lever just at my fingertips, and saved hundreds of dollars. I have the 50 inch single lid from Everything attachments and find it a very useful tool.

 

[matoyan]

If you have a rear remote on the JD consider just running hoses from the rear.. That is what I did. I have $150 invested in hoses and couplers, including a set of couplers in the middle so I can remove the loader easily without removing the hoses. Just an idea, and you may like the true 3rd function better, but I get along fine with my remote lever just at my fingertips, and saved hundreds of dollars. I have the 50 inch single lid from Everything attachments and find it a very useful tool.

View attachment 360262View attachment 360263View attachment 360264View attachment 360265View attachment 360266View attachment 360267View attachment 360268

Nice tractor. unfortunately mine didn't come with a rear remote. Did you find EA to be very helpful?

 

[k0ua]

Nice tractor. unfortunately mine didn't come with a rear remote. Did you find EA to be very helpful?

Yes they are excellent to deal with. I have bought several things from them. give Travis a call.