MTL Grapple Review

[justman777]

Thought I would do a video review of the MTL 60 inch HD grapple for anyone interested.

MTL HD 6 inch Grapple Review - YouTube

Overall, i'm satisfied with the build quality for what I paid for it. There are some things I would change about it, particularly the paint job.

 

[goeduck]

Nice video! Also nice to see a good value grapple.

 

[MAD777]

Thanks for that video. I need a grapple soon & MTL is on my short list.

 

[shooterdon]

I bought the same unit a few months ago. It is all I need for a lot less $$ than a "quality" grapple. Mine is stored indoors and so far so good.

If I was using a grapple a lot and I was younger, I might be able to justify spending double or more. I am in my late sixties so I doubt I will wear it out but if I do they are simple to repair or I can buy another "cheap" one and still be ahead.

 

[goeduck]

There is a lot to be said for inexpensive Grapples for moving brush and medium jobs. They can get crazy expensive and manufactures try to look make them look wild to sell better. But who cares for moving brush with smaller to medium utility tractor? It is a frickin Grapple that sits in the barn most of the time. The heavy duty ones are great for skid steers and larger loaders, but the much of what I see on TBN is not that. I have 3 grapples and probably more Grapple time under my belt than most and I would not buy some of the ones I see at those prices. I have never had a grapple fail and I have had 2 of mine for going on 10 years.

 

[buck12]

Great video.

I purchased the same grapple in orange about a month ago. I think MTL probably has the best bang for the buck in grapples at this time. The paint is horrible but it’s a tool. I have a 48” Wild Kat grapple on another tractor. The Wild Kat grapple is several years old and has hundreds of hours on it and the paint is in better shape than the MTL grapple with maybe 10 hours of use. Also my MTL grapple was delivered without the 90 degree fittings that were supposed to be included. I have contacted MTL but they have not returned my message about the fittings. With all that said I would buy the MTL grapple again given its price and the fact that it was so much less expensive than anything else I considered.

 

[flashpuppy]

I have a 66 inch MTL in my M7040. I have had it for nearly a year. I have absolutely not been nice to it. It has been probably much much harder than intended considering the size of tractor it is on. 100% satisfied with the purchase.

 

[TractorGuy]

I bought the 60" RK5 for my JD 4310. In hindsight I should have bought the 50" single lid but I will make do with the heavier one I have.

My ears for the cylinder rod ends are straight so somebody was having a bad day when they built yours. They need to add grease fittings for the cylinder pivots. I sprayed mine down good with dry moly.

I'm not crazy about the JD quick connect design they use but it fits and it's functional.

As far as the finish goes they claim they are using powder coating which IMO is a terrible choice for implements. Paint would work better but you can spray over the places where the powder coat chips off easy enough. Implements are going to get scratched up either way. After the first use I don't bother trying to keep paint on the bottoms of any of my stuff.

The MTL stuff is the best bang for the buck.

 

[relkins11]

***BUYERS BEWARE*** I purchased a 78” HD tooth bucket for my skid steer from MTL Attachments. It looked very well made when I received it. After 1 hour of digging a hill side of relatively soft dirt I noticed the blade was snapped in half near the center of the bucket. Obviously the heat treat was incorrect making the blade very brittle. The blade should bend before it breaks! I contacted MTL Attachments and they kept giving excuses like my machine was too big, (old 1999 New Holland Lx885 60 HP) which it is not. Then they said I had over the tire tracks on it which disqualified it for the bucket. The tracks where on to keep me from getting stuck in the soft and muddy dirt I was digging in. Then they said it was the wrong bucket for my application. Said I needed a “ track loader bucket “... Just one excuse after another.
The bottom line to me is the heat treat on the blade was faulty making it too brittle.
There used to be a time when made in the USA meant something. My Chinese bucket though might have been bent a little never broke after years of use. My recommendation is look at Titan, Spartan Equipment, Everything Attachments. The bucket I purchased from MTL Attachments is nothing but junk and unusable now. I guess you get what you pay for. Message me if you want pictures of my broken bucket and you will see for your self.

PS: Just look at the owners responses to the negative reviews on Google. That’s all you really need to see...

 

[fried1765]

***BUYERS BEWARE*** I purchased a 78 HD tooth bucket for my skid steer from MTL Attachments. It looked very well made when I received it. After 1 hour of digging a hill side of relatively soft dirt I noticed the blade was snapped in half near the center of the bucket. Obviously the heat treat was incorrect making the blade very brittle. The blade should bend before it breaks! I contacted MTL Attachments and they kept giving excuses like my machine was too big, (old 1999 New Holland Lx885 60 HP) which it is not. Then they said I had over the tire tracks on it which disqualified it for the bucket. The tracks where on to keep me from getting stuck in the soft and muddy dirt I was digging in. Then they said it was the wrong bucket for my application. Said I needed a track loader bucket ?.. Just one excuse after another.
The bottom line to me is the heat treat on the blade was faulty making it too brittle.
There used to be a time when made in the USA meant something. My Chinese bucket though might have been bent a little never broke after years of use. My recommendation is look at Titan, Spartan Equipment, Everything Attachments. The bucket I purchased from MTL Attachments is nothing but junk and unusable now. I guess you get what you pay for. Message me if you want pictures of my broken bucket and you will see for your self.

PS: Just look at the owners responses to the negative reviews on Google. Thatç—´ all you really need to see...

37 reviews on Google for MTL.
Complaints are primarily about owner, and others who answer the customer service phone.
2 complaints out of 37 reviews are specifically about product quality.

Makes me wonder a bit.
First post on TBN is to bash a manufacturer?