Grapple Kubota L39 TLB Grapple "Markham"?? WOW

[Goodluck w/ That]

used my grapple for some cedar tree brush this weekend, did a great job, lots easier to "Grab it with a Gator" then haul it & stack it by hand.

 

[pitt_md]

You get what you pay for. Not that there is anything wrong with the Markham grapple, but what do you guys expect for $900? They have to make a profit somehow. It looks like they are using an apprentice welder and just paint the grapple without at least cleaning the metal first. I imagine that if they produced what you guys would be happy with, they would need to raise the price.

Just my opinion of what I see.

I have to agree with you. Markham was not known about when I bought my WRLong OBG2-56. It has top notch welding and the unit was painted well and still has most of it. My unit has two jaws, its wider and it has more steel on the sides but it costs several hundred dollars more.

 

[SCDolphin]

Trying to decide on a one jaw or 2 jaw grapple........any thoughts??

 

[IslandTractor]

Trying to decide on a one jaw or 2 jaw grapple........any thoughts??

I've been using a one jaw 48 inch light duty grapple now for about four years. Used mostly for brush clearing but also rocks, logs, stumps etc. I have never found an object that I could not grapple and have never wished I'd had two upper jaws. In fact two upper jaws would be cumbersome for most of what I do and only add weight (limiting net lift) and expense.

I might sing a different tune if I were cleaning up construction debris (but then I'd have a grapple bucket) but for routine use on land/brush etc I would advise going with a single upper jaw.

Don't make the mistake of thinking you need a grapple as wide as your standard bucket either. My 2700lb lift loader works beautifully with a 48 inch grapple. At least one TBNer with a M59 uses the same grapple I have with no complaints (CharlesAF3)

 

[Glen Watkins]

I am going to try a "Sweeping C" design with a single wide top jaw. I think this will work good for raking materials out from between trees and this design closes tight to hold any amounts of debris. Check em out!
60" Skid Steer Grapple/Root Rake for Bobcat, Cat, etc. - eBay (item 150419592262 end time Apr-01-10 06:42:17 PDT)

Has anyone used or have any experience with this Rake?

 

[IslandTractor]

I am going to try a "Sweeping C" design with a single wide top jaw. I think this will work good for raking materials out from between trees and this design closes tight to hold any amounts of debris. Check em out!
60" Skid Steer Grapple/Root Rake for Bobcat, Cat, etc. - eBay (item 150419592262 end time Apr-01-10 06:42:17 PDT)

My only comment would be that this design should work very well with brush, especially pure brush. The weakness of such a design is that the wide upper jaw can twist when unequal sized material is held in its maw while you apply closing pressure. That twist can damage the jaw. An example would be trying to clamp a stump (almost always asymmetric). More concerning would be blind clamping in brush or a brush pile where you cannot see that there is an asymmetry to the load.

I understand the impression that a wider top grapple (or two) would be better as it covers the whole bottom area but such is not really the case. Think of the human hand, our thumb is not as wide as our four fingers yet we grip things without much trouble. For the most part with this style grapple (not with a clamshell) the upper grapple is really just holding the load in place while all the weight is on the bottom tines. It doesn't take much to hold a load of brush which is always tangled together anyway. With a true clamshell grapple you need to have the upper jaw wide as the load is carried by both jaws almost equally (another disadvantage of that style IMO).

 

[pitt_md]

I have the model in the pic and I never wished I only had one grapple. In my opinion two arms have an advantage over one.

 

[2720wes]

I am going to try a "Sweeping C" design with a single wide top jaw. I think this will work good for raking materials out from between trees and this design closes tight to hold any amounts of debris. Check em out!

Has anyone used or have any experience with this Rake?

I have that grapple, just had them make mine 52", they suggested that instead of 48". My favorite attachment. Very happy with it. My main use is moving logs and it works great. 1/2" metal is very strong and heavy. Some would say its too heavy for a machine my size but I easily picked up and carried 2 30" wide by 20" long maple firewood logs. Also worked good for brush. I do try too keep the load centered. I recommend it.

 

[IslandTractor]

I have the model in the pic and I never wished I only had one grapple. In my opinion two arms have an advantage over one.

I understand your opinion but one should also consider that there are virtually no complaints wishing they had two by the probably hundreds of owners of single jaw grapples. Bottom line for me is that unless there is a specific benefit of two that someone should carefully consider the clear specific benefits of one: 1) costs less, 2) weighs less therefore greater net lift capacity.

 

[Glen Watkins]

Thanks for your response 2720wes. They look like a nice Rake and Paul Green is a great guy to deal with! :thumbsup:

 

[MtnViewRanch]

I understand your opinion but one should also consider that there are virtually no complaints wishing they had two by the probably hundreds of owners of single jaw grapples. Bottom line for me is that unless there is a specific benefit of two that someone should carefully consider the clear specific benefits of one: 1) costs less, 2) weighs less therefore greater net lift capacity.

IslandTractor, I think that I can safely say the same thing about those of us that have two grapples. Have you seen or heard anyone with two grapples wishing that they only had one? I have not, and I am perfectly happy having two.

I think that weight is a big factor in deciding on what to get when you have a small tractor, (under 2k lift capacity). But do you think that with your DK40, the extra weight of a second grapple would really make any noticeable difference with how you work with the unit?

 

[davygp38]

I took the time to read this entire thread, and here is my two cents. Bought my Markham light duty grapple, last summer off e-bay for $850.00. I was able to delete the Skid steer couplers for $50.00, and used the ones I had. The grapple was in great shape, and I could not believe how well made it was. I have used it hard ever since. I was picking up rocks, and logs that had my L4400 bouncing. After clearing out 2 acres for a food plot, there is not one bend that I can see. That being said, I just went to Gator attachments, to look at some of their attachments, and I was disappointed. The web site is garbage. I was thinking that maybe some of the problems guys have been having are directly related to the take over of Markham by Gator. We all know the drill. Company is bought out by the competition, shut them down, and sell whats left, no more competition. Or you can take the good name of your competition, and fire the good fabricators, bring in your son in law fresh out of Vo-tech to do the welding. Either way, I will hold off on buying from Gator until I hear some good things in this site from people who have used Gator/Markham attachments.

 

[dangerdoc]

I took the time to read this entire thread, and here is my two cents. Bought my Markham light duty grapple, last summer off e-bay for $850.00. I was able to delete the Skid steer couplers for $50.00, and used the ones I had. The grapple was in great shape, and I could not believe how well made it was. I have used it hard ever since. I was picking up rocks, and logs that had my L4400 bouncing. After clearing out 2 acres for a food plot, there is not one bend that I can see. That being said, I just went to Gator attachments, to look at some of their attachments, and I was disappointed. The web site is garbage. I was thinking that maybe some of the problems guys have been having are directly related to the take over of Markham by Gator. We all know the drill. Company is bought out by the competition, shut them down, and sell whats left, no more competition. Or you can take the good name of your competition, and fire the good fabricators, bring in your son in law fresh out of Vo-tech to do the welding. Either way, I will hold off on buying from Gator until I hear some good things in this site from people who have used Gator/Markham attachments.

Is Gator another company? I bought an extreme Gator mini grapple, I was dealing directly with the family, not a bigger company. Quality was good, paint was good, it works well.

 

[kennyd]

I took the time to read this entire thread, and here is my two cents. Bought my Markham light duty grapple, last summer off e-bay for $850.00. I was able to delete the Skid steer couplers for $50.00, and used the ones I had. The grapple was in great shape, and I could not believe how well made it was. I have used it hard ever since. I was picking up rocks, and logs that had my L4400 bouncing. After clearing out 2 acres for a food plot, there is not one bend that I can see. That being said, I just went to Gator attachments, to look at some of their attachments, and I was disappointed. The web site is garbage. I was thinking that maybe some of the problems guys have been having are directly related to the take over of Markham by Gator. We all know the drill. Company is bought out by the competition, shut them down, and sell whats left, no more competition. Or you can take the good name of your competition, and fire the good fabricators, bring in your son in law fresh out of Vo-tech to do the welding. Either way, I will hold off on buying from Gator until I hear some good things in this site from people who have used Gator/Markham attachments.

Is Gator another company? I bought an extreme Gator mini grapple, I was dealing directly with the family, not a bigger company. Quality was good, paint was good, it works well.

I think the "Gator Attachments" is just a re-name or re-branding...not a big corporate company takeover situation.
Gator Attachments From the website:

We guarantee no one has a better product or cheaper shipping anywhere, buy American, buy Markham today. Don't settle for less when you deserve the best!

 

[Goodluck w/ That]

Davygp38 doesn't have his info correct!!! Gator Attachments is Markham Welding!!! I bought from Melissa Markham, the bussiness card has Gator Attachments as the Company but also has Markham Welding at the bottom. I don't why the name change, I didn't ask? Maybe the name Gator just sounds more aggessive then just a welding shop name or maybe it was done for tax reasons?? At any rate you are going to get the same product from the same people!! I used mine again yesterday for moving some bushes & think it is great! For $900+shipping, it's a steal compared to the others out there. I've very happy I found out about them instead of spending thousands of dollars. With the product I recieved, I would recommend them to anyone, friend or enemy.

 

[powerstroke444e]

Davygp38 doesn't have his info correct!!! Gator Attachments is Markham Welding!!! I bought from Melissa Markham, the bussiness card has Gator Attachments as the Company but also has Markham Welding at the bottom. I don't why the name change, I didn't ask? Maybe the name Gator just sounds more aggessive then just a welding shop name or maybe it was done for tax reasons?? At any rate you are going to get the same product from the same people!! I used mine again yesterday for moving some bushes & think it is great! For $900+shipping, it's a steal compared to the others out there. I've very happy I found out about them instead of spending thousands of dollars. With the product I recieved, I would recommend them to anyone, friend or enemy.

Any way you look at no matter who owns the company they are a steal for under $1,000. I thought I could do it cheaper and better if I built one my self and I have $650+ time and electic to run welder, does it feel good to build it my self yes was it worth it??? time will tell but I think it is better deal to buy on than build it your self.

 

[IslandTractor]

I have the model in the pic and I never wished I only had one grapple. In my opinion two arms have an advantage over one.

IslandTractor, I think that I can safely say the same thing about those of us that have two grapples. Have you seen or heard anyone with two grapples wishing that they only had one? I have not, and I am perfectly happy having two.

I think that weight is a big factor in deciding on what to get when you have a small tractor, (under 2k lift capacity). But do you think that with your DK40, the extra weight of a second grapple would really make any noticeable difference with how you work with the unit?

yeah with bigger loaders the lift difference is not that important but lots of guys have loaders withess than 2K lift and for them it is a factor. Also I've never seen a two jaw grapple that cost less than $1300 or so while the light duty singles can be had for under a thousand shipped.

If I were primarily cleaning up construction debris I'd seriously consider a double but the bang for the buck factor still argues for the light duty 48 single.

No disputing that any grapple is better than none at all. Everyone seems to love whichever type they own so I'll leave it at that.

 

[MtnViewRanch]

No disputing that any grapple is better than none at all. Everyone seems to love whichever type they own so I'll leave it at that.

Agreed :thumbsup: