Grappling fun - A Picture Thread....

EverythingAttachments · Dec 10, 2015

avc8130 said:
I'm confused, was he trying to "mow" or ROTOTILL? :laughing:

That was for fun and show at about 18mph. Ted said he usually only mows at 13-14mph. :laughing:
Travis

houser52 · Dec 10, 2015

After swapping my grapple hydraulics from curl /dump to the boom circuit yesterday I had some time to play with it a little today. The short time I used it, it seemed to function okay. This thing is going to be great.

Tomtint · Dec 10, 2015

I got mine all hooked up and working today. Got to use it for about hour and a half before it got dark. It really speeds up the brush cleaning process.

ArtMech · Dec 11, 2015

Could experienced users of grapple answer a question: which is the most useful way to work with a grapple if it is fitted on a FEL bucket - with teeth mounted on a bucket, or without?

IslandTractor · Dec 11, 2015

saracenas said:
Could experienced users of grapple answer a question: which is the most useful way to work with a grapple if it is fitted on a FEL bucket - with teeth mounted on a bucket, or without?

Depends on what you want to do. If you are clearing brush then a toothbar is a useful addition. If you are digging then a toothbar is useful. If you use your bucket to move sand or spread loam or back drag to smooth out ground, then it is best to leave the toothbar off. Toothbars are held in just with a handful of bolts so it isn't impossible to remove it for a specific task but it will take half and hour or so and then needs to be reinstalled.

Another consideration if you are just clearing brush is the Ratchet Rake attachment. Goes on in about five minutes and does a much better job with brush and roots than a toothbar. Downside the the RR is that you cannot dig at all without removing it.

Edit: I just saw you are in Europe. The Ratchet Rake is probably not available there. Also, when we talk about mounting teeth on a bucket of a tractor we are generally talking about a toothbar, not welding teeth on to the bucket lip. A toothbar is just a solid strip of metal with teeth welded to it that fits over the bucket cutting edge and is secured on the bucket sides. I'm sure if you google tractor toothbar you will see what I am describing. Would not be a difficult home welding project.

4570Man · Dec 11, 2015

saracenas said:
Could experienced users of grapple answer a question: which is the most useful way to work with a grapple if it is fitted on a FEL bucket - with teeth mounted on a bucket, or without?

For using a grapple a tooth bar would almost always be an improvement. For average bucket work I prefer to leave my tooth bar off, but it does greatly improve digging performance.

ArtMech · Dec 11, 2015

Thanks, fellows, I indeed know what does a toothbar mean from TBN. And yes, we usually either weld the teeth to a cutting edge, or drill an edge and screw each tooth by bolts. My question was about the jobs like brush clearing, rock or stump extraction, logging, or similar. Anyway thanks for answers.

Helitech · Dec 11, 2015

Moved a big, heavy chunk of oak that I've been wanting to get rid of for a while now.

Helitech · Dec 11, 2015

And a big log that washed in the pasture from the last flood a couple of weeks ago.

TomSeller · Dec 11, 2015

Helitech said:
And a big log that washed in the pasture from the last flood a couple of weeks ago.
http://s1377.photobucket.com/user/arhaney/media/Mobile Uploads/20151211_160224_zpsutkiwufq.jpg.html

Free firewood delivery? Make you want to have a flood more often? I bet not, but free wood is nice.

avc8130 · Dec 13, 2015

HKH · Dec 31, 2015

Just got mine set up today

HKH · Dec 31, 2015

burst mode

Xfaxman · Dec 31, 2015

Looks like a gooder-un. :thumbsup:

What size and brand?

HKH · Dec 31, 2015

Xfaxman said:
Looks like a gooder-un. :thumbsup:

What size and brand?

It's a 60" that weighs about 450lbs. It's not an EA but for my little machine it should do fine. I am thinking about welding some teeth to the lids for better grip strength when pulling a log rearward.

eta: I got it for 995 OTD so I stayed on budget.

TomSeller · Dec 31, 2015

HKH said:
I got it for 995 OTD so I stayed on budget.

That is always a plus.

IslandTractor · Dec 31, 2015

HKH said:
I got it for 995 OTD so I stayed on budget.

My $500 grapple is going strong after 8 hard working years. Isn't as pretty as when new but works just as well. No reason at all to buy expensive grapples.

4570Man · Dec 31, 2015

My cheap grapple had held up pretty good. I have had to weld it up once, but that was cheaper than paying double for a EA grapple.

TomSeller · Jan 1, 2016

IslandTractor said:
My $500 grapple is going strong after 8 hard working years. Isn't as pretty as when new but works just as well. No reason at all to buy expensive grapples.

I wish they were still in business, good price, good weight, best size.

mrtwister · Jan 1, 2016

HKH said:
Just got mine set up today

My grapple looks exactly like yours HKH, only it's 72" and a bit big for my tractor weighing in at approximately 600 lbs. I picked it up from a trailer dealer who just wanted to get rid of it for $1000.00 cash. It's a no name brand and I'm thinking it'a probably Chinese-made but it is sturdy and tough. It has survived some pretty severe punishment and has easily become my favorite attachment...enjoy your new grapple!!...twister