How to pick up pine needles?

[HomeBrew2]

Indeed, it's an excellent setup. In fact, all the guys that have to spend too much good money on a grapple could do exactly the same jobs with brush forks. The only exception is using the grapple pinch to yank stuff out of the ground ... that, and only that, you can't do with forks.

 

[KentT]

Indeed, it's an excellent setup. In fact, all the guys that have to spend too much good money on a grapple could do exactly the same jobs with brush forks. The only exception is using the grapple pinch to yank stuff out of the ground ... that, and only that, you can't do with forks.

I beg to differ -- have you ever used a grapple?

1. With proper technique, you can crush the brush into the grapple and pick up about twice the amount of brush as with simple forks...

2. Things don't tend to fall off and scatter all over the place like they do with forks...

3. You can carry an unbalanced load, which you can't do with forks...

4. You can precisely place a log or something EXACTLY where you want it, which isn't easily done with forks...

5. You can pinch logs or other things by the end and pull them out to where you can get to them, then pick them up...

I could go on and on... even more than I have. How much difference did the thumb make to your backhoe, and the kinds of things you can now do with it? The grapple functions the same way on the front of the tractor...

I understand you like your forks -- but the cat's meow for cut brush would be grapple forks, not empy forks... The rock/root grapple is a more versatile grapple overall, and the grapple bucket has it's plusses also, since you can scoop up things that would fall through the forks...

 

[HomeBrew2]

Finally found the dwg plot, attached.

 

[RonMar]

2. Things don't tend to fall off and scatter all over the place like they do with forks...

That is probably the biggest frustration for me. I built a 60" fork bucket with 11 tines about 30 inches long(looks similar to Homebrew's addon forks). You can just make it out in my avatar dumping onto a brushpile. It has been tremendously usefull for me and It is great for ripping out brush and scoops cut brush and branches well, but more often than not, one limb in a pile will be too out of balance or hang up on something and lever half or more of my load off of the bucket so I come away with half of what I could have had and a scattered mess of a pile.

I placed an order with Surplus Center yesterday for a new loader control valve, 3 spool with float as my original valve dosn't have float. I also ordered the cylinders, hoses and fittings for a light duty grapple I have been planning for a while. That third spool will be for the grapple and also for a hydraulic powered cement mixer I am planning that attaches out on the FEL bucket.

In the case of piled pine needles, I think the forks alone like Homebrew pictured would be very effective as not only can you scoop a ways into the pile, you can also stick the tines down into the top of a pile and rake back/separate out a nice bite sized chunk of the pile to scoop up.

I will start a thread in the build it yourself forum about the grapple build when I get started on it in a week or so.

 

[KentT]

In the case of piled pine needles, I think the forks alone like Homebrew pictured would be very effective as not only can you scoop a ways into the pile, you can also stick the tines down into the top of a pile and rake back/separate out a nice bite sized chunk of the pile to scoop up.

Nice long teeth work well for that too... My friend used the teeth, back-dragging, to prep for sowing fescue in areas that he'd cleared. Once he'd cleared the brush, he'd back-drag with the bucket pointed almost straight down, dragging out all the debris first and hauling it to the pile, then to scratch up the surface enough to seed it down to prevent erosion....

I'm not criticizing forks at all -- I plan to get a set of adjustable forks when its closer to building time -- only saying that the grapple can do several more things than just yank stuff out of the ground...

 

[LBrown59]

HomeBrew2,



Unfortunately, I can't get to all sides of my pile and
*there is nothing to push against.

*I can push things into the FEL Bucket with the front blade on my Bolens or CC Garden tractors in situations like that.

 

[Hosskix]

I'm in the process of building a "rock bucket" out of old oilfield sucker rods, looks like it would be just the thing for compacted pine needles. (I plan on using it for hay and manure as well.)

Just as soon as I get a little welding time I will post the pics, I've got the bars all bent and just need to start tacking it together. (bending was probably the hardest part of the job!)

 

[Steve_Taylor]

HomeBrew2, I sort of copied your design and made myself a set of brush forks. I have a friend who has a MIG welder and he showed me how to weld with it. I've only done Oxy-Acetylene before and I'm not very good at that. It turned out pretty well for my first such project. I used .092 1x2 tubes the steel cost $75. I also bought my friend a refill on his gas tank for $20.

Here are some pictures.

 

[gizmo111]

Well, I thought I had a dwg file of the forks, but I'll be darned if I can find it now. Theyre about 3' long and made of 1" x 2" x .0625 tube. Yep, pretty light but they take a beating and I have a small machine. Feel free to PM me if I can help any further. Many other folks have made brush forks posts as well.

I WOULD BE INTERESTED IN THE DETAILS AS WELL. MY ADDRESS IS BOB@SURVIVAL-SPANISH.COM THANK YOU

 

[Jimh4662]

I have both pine and assorted leafed trees with woods on two sides. Bought a Cyclone rake, it does great on any loose debris. Pulls behind tractor. They can attach to just about any contraption out there. I just converted mine to a x758 for this year's Foliage.
Cyclone Rake Lawn Vacuum Systems call them good bunch of people.