Grapple Grapples Galore

[MtnViewRanch]

Glowplug, I have an 81" heavy duty grapple from Limited Fabrication LLC. It is very well built, & very reasonably priced. $1550 for a 63" or $1600 for a 72". If you want a very good grapple for your money, this is the one that I would recommend. Mine has held up very well digging & moving rocks, logs and brush. And you can move a lot of brush with each load with this style of grapple.

Good luck with what ever grapple you choose.

 

[jcotta]

I have not read a post where WR Long grapple did not get a good rating. I bought a 66' RBG for 1,600 used. The guy selling had it on a Cat Skid steer. A lot more powerful than my JD 4600. The following was his write up. Can't wait to use it on my own. Attached is picture of his machine.

John

This is a universal mount root grapple attachment, it will fit Bobcat,Johndeere,New Holland,Caterpillar,Daewoo,Thomas, Mustang, etc,as long as they have the 2 pin universal mount. the attachment is 69" wide and opens over 6 feet high,it is only a few months old perfect condition, I used it for only 1 week the paint is not even worn, no leaks, the hoses are perfect. this piece is made very strong with plenty of gusset plates,excellent for grabbing demo, brush, trees,stumps, and will not hold dirt.I used this on a job in North Carolina I purchased 2 and now im selling 1. one of the best pieces I ever purchased.these are garaged kept. I travel from NY to North eastern North Carolina a few times a month, I may be able to haul this attachment to the winning bidder for a small fee just let me know if I can. and ask any questions you may have thanx. Pete

 

[IslandTractor]

The open jaw photo of the WR Long grapple shows me that even medium sized material like 2 foot pieces of branches etc, might fall out the bottom of that grapple. That seems to be intended for construction debris and was presumably used for such by it's original owner with the Bobcat. Most of the really heavy grapples are way over built for what someone with a CUT would actually use it for. I'd argue to focus on having lower tines that are no more than nine or ten inches apart as a key design feature if you are going to pick up brush. The width of the top 'grapple" is less important than it might seem as brush tends to hold itself in once you compress it so long as it isn't falling immediately out of the bottom. Virtually any grapple can manage a log. My 48" grapple could carry bigger logs than some of the monster $3000 72" grapples because it will hold the log just as well and will give you greater payload capacity as it only weighs 280lbs.

I think some folks may be rather naively buying more grapple than they need on the same mistaken premise that tractor buyers fall into in thinking more horsepower is better. You need to figure out what you are actually doing with the grapple and then figure out what grapple will work. For brush removal virtually any grapple is adequate and smaller grapples have the advantage of greater payload weight. Some of these bigger grapples are excellent for full time construction but way overkill for homeowner/landowner use and will actually cut manuverability and payload.

 

[DaryleD]

I am just throwing this out, due to not having a grapple yet, so I'm just speaking on things that I am noticeing about some of the grapples that you saved a link for. I am thinking it might be a little better to get a grapple with a straight bottom due to the clamshell style, seems to be designed tipping way back on the lower jaw,so that you loose some advantage of your curl of your loader. It looks to me that they tend to tip forward, and thus would make you have to curl you loader back all the way, to get it so the branches or whatever could rest on the bottom jaw. I think that with the straight lower jaw, you could curl less, or if you did curl it all the way, than I would think that it would help shift the load ( weight ) back toward the tractor for safer tractoring, and have that as the main advantage. I hope that I made sense with all that. Maybe IslandTractor can submit a photo of his when the loader is at the level position and then the curled back position? That seems to be the design that seems to have a little of both advantages. Good luck whatever you get.
Daryle.

 

[jinman]

I like narrow grapples over wide ones for working around trees or other obstacles. In an open materials yard where you move large objects all day, a wide grapple is just fine, but what if you want to reach between two trees that are 66" apart and you have a 72" grapple? I tend to think that anything wider than the loader arms is not needed most of the time. I'd buy a 48" to 60" grapple that is built heavy enough for lots of abuse. That would be my "ideal" grapple.

 

[m7040]

If you do a lot of rock removal and leaving the dirt behind then the grapple would be best but for most uses an add on thumb to the existing bucket will perform most tasks for a lot less money. See attached pics of the set up for my M7040 that I installed myself.

 

[1bush2hog]

The open jaw photo of the WR Long grapple shows me that even medium sized material like 2 foot pieces of branches etc, might fall out the bottom of that grapple. That seems to be intended for construction debris and was presumably used for such by it's original owner with the Bobcat.



You may be correct if the 2ft pieces are on the bottom of the pile you are moving, however, I have not really experienced this problem as most of the brush I am moving is in longer lengths. Maybe I am just piling brush differently(all laying in same direction) before I use the grapple to move the pile.

Also, another advantage of the WRL design is that the v-shaped plates behind the bottom tines are designed such that small standing sapplings can be wedged between these, and uprooted without digging

I like the wider grapple as it allows more bite and more holding area when closed - on a smaller tractor this may not be a priority. It is nice to be able to pick up an object from an angle, using only one end of the grapple, without having to first center the load. The terrain I work on does not always allow ideal positioning.

I'm not saying one grapple is better than another, but one thing is for sure - everyone that has a grapple seems to LOVE their grapple - no matter what type or style they have.

One other consideration - being able to see thru both top and bottom of the grapple is a huge advantage for me especially considering my limited experience.

 

[DDT]

This is the one I have got. For my use this one works great, But I really would like to have a different type for brush. with no bottom, just a back and grapple. For brush I could leave most of the dirt compared to the soild bottom grapple I have. My current one works great for concrete and debis clean up work.

 

[DDT]

This is the type I would like to have for brush and tree work if I could afford both worlds. This would leave most the dirt on the ground and the load is closer the the loader for more lift cap. and could be used as a rake as well.

 

[MtnViewRanch]

[I'm not saying one grapple is better than another, but one thing is for sure - everyone that has a grapple seems to LOVE their grapple - no matter what type or style they have.]

I would have to agree, I have not read anything from anybody saying that they were unhappy with there grapple of any kind.

ALL GRAPPLES MUST BE GOOD