Grapple HD grapple shopping advice needed

[IslandTractor]

My misunderstanding of what was being said, sorry.

I'm the one who used root rake ambigously. I use my 'standard' grapple for root raking and forget that others use the term for a different style grapple. I checked WRLong and they actually use root rake to describe the type that Dex uses. They use OBG or open bottom grapple to describe a standard grapple and RBG (root rake brush grapple) to describe what I call a clamshell.

 

[ManAtArms]

Speaking of WR Long....what is the consensus on the the quality and price of their grapples? Does any one have one around here? I think Ducati996 has one on his L39.

-Mark

 

[IslandTractor]

Speaking of WR Long....what is the consensus on the the quality and price of their grapples? Does any one have one around here? I think Ducati996 has one on his L39.

-Mark

excellent quality and support but high prices due to their policy of forcing you to purchase through dealers.

 

[ManAtArms]

Do any of the dealers discount them?

 

[yellowdogsvc]

I have a toolcat and use a bobcat"farm grapple" which is a single cylinder grapple. It is light and fairly strong but would get torn up on a full sized skid. i think it would work good on a tractor and could double as a bale mover. I love my Bobcat industrial fork grapple but think it would be overkill on a tractor and even the smaller one would lower your lift capacity by quite a bit. The small ones weigh 960 lbs. +/-. I think the farm grapple is around 500lbs. but you may want to check that.

 

[IslandTractor]

Do any of the dealers discount them?

I suppose they might but the situation we see often is that the customer will identify the exact grapple they want by talking to WRLong (Nelson) who then informs them that they need to purchase through a dealer. WRLong is glad to make any local tractor or equipment business a dealer overnight so it is not like you need to travel long distances or anything but the downside is that the "dealer" typically is just selling one grapple and is therefore unlikely to be thinking volume discount etc. Bottom line is that the OBG series from WRLong, which is a nicely made grapple roughly equivalent to the Markham LD48, costs about $500 more. Of course there are some advantages to going through a dealer (setup, delivery etc) but with something as simple as a grapple these benefits are limited and come at a pretty high price. WRLong is one of the premiere if not the premiere CUT grapple maker but as they don't sell direct to consumer they are not really price competitive with businesses that use a newer internet based direct to consumer model.

 

[Goodluck w/ That]

After all the reading here, I went with the 48"LD Markham, I was sceptical. I just got it in this week & haven't used it yet but it looks stout & I don't think my L39 is going to hurt it. $900 plus shipping is a great deal in my opinion!! It is complete & ready to go other than I had to change the Q/D ends for the Hyd. lines.

 

[Cat_Driver]

My suggestion is get one custom made with extra tines, closer together this way you can use your grapple as a debris or rock strainer. About 2" - 3" apart so you can clean up all the little stuff, but still be able to grab the bid stuff.
I got mine here with extra tines, used it 10 years on a big CAT tracksteer and never destroyed it. Sold it 10 years later for nearly what I paid for it.
#6 Heavy Duty Root Grapple | MS Attachments