Thumb Please Help.....Grapple or Thumb?

[dangerdoc]

I've been considering one of these for at least a year: Add On Grapple
My problem is I keep talking myself out of it and the price keeps going up. Considering we're probably headed for some inflation in the next year and metal prices are going back up, I need to talk myself into it!

I already have a Toothbar and there's no way I can justify the cost or storage involved with a full grapple. It looks small enough that it would be easy to put on or remove by hand, but would easily double or tripple the load of logs or brush I can carry. Not to mention the manual labor involved with getting it balanced on the bucket. I already have an extra valve spool available from when I added a hydraulic "top" cylinder a while back.

In addition to the other benefits discussed by others, you will quickly find out the sides of the bucket are a real hindrence when trying to grab things. An appropriate sized grapple will also be lighter than the bucket allowing more payload.

 

[IslandTractor]

In addition to the other benefits discussed by others, you will quickly find out the sides of the bucket are a real hindrence when trying to grab things. An appropriate sized grapple will also be lighter than the bucket allowing more payload.

While I there is no question that a grapple avoids the bucket side obstruction inherent in a bucket grapple, I am not so certain about the weight issue. It is hard to find published weights for standard buckets but I believe a standard duty 60-72 inch bucket weighs pretty close to 200-250lbs. Maybe more but not as much as 325-350lbs which is about the weight of a light duty 48 inch grapple. Of course the Add A Grapple or welded top jaw would add 50-100lbs or so to the bucket but that means that weight wise they are about the same. Again, I've not carefully compared the weights of standard buckets but I suspect there is not much difference and almost certainly no more than 100lbs difference between the LD grapple and a standard bucket plus grapple add on.

 

[Phineas7]

I'm sure you can grapple more brush and such with a full system and can easily see all the good points that have been made about them, but lets not forget the wide variety of user needs represented here.

If I knew I was going to spend 3 or 4 Saturdays a year doing heavy grapple work and that by using a bucket grapple the decrease in capabilty was going to mean it was going to take 2 extra Saturdays a year to do the same work, I'd buy one! Maybe even for 1 Saturday, as I plan on having the tractor another 30 years and those Saturdays add up!

For me it's going to make some occasional chores easier and faster and save me a few hours a years. And there are a few things I'd do if I had it, but it's not worth the work to do it without it. Those thing just get left "as-is" and life goes on.

 

[J_J]

trook

You know money talks, so get what ever you can afford, or get something better like a full grapple and put the expense on the plastic, and pay over time. In the picture I posted above, the grapple can be removed quite easily. I don't think the weight should be an issue, because you can keep at the job till it is done. Versatility should be the guide.

 

[IslandTractor]

If I knew I was going to spend 3 or 4 Saturdays a year doing heavy grapple work and that by using a bucket grapple the decrease in capabilty was going to mean it was going to take 2 extra Saturdays a year to do the same work, I'd buy one! Maybe even for 1 Saturday, as I plan on having the tractor another 30 years and those Saturdays add up!

I think both bucket grapples and full grapples are wonderful tools. I'd like to have one of each. There are some tasks that can only be done by one or the other. For example a true grapple is far more effective in moving logs and is easier to use and more effective in clearing brush. Then again, if you need to move some dirt or small rocks around at the same time you are out of luck if you have a grapple mounted and the bucket grapple would be far superior. For most tasks involving clearing brush or moving logs more than 4-5 feet long the grapple will save time but I'm not sure that justifies the grapple over the bucket grapple unless those sorts of tasks are the main work that needs doing. You can do an awful lot of work with a bucket grapple.

Having defended the bucket grapple, I would also point out that the difference in price between setting up a bucket grapple and just buying a full grapple is not that great. A full grapple can be had delivered for about $1000 (assuming you have a skid steer adapter on your FEL). To install a grapple to a standard bucket costs around $400-500 in parts (more for a bolt on kit) and will also require welding or lots of drilling to reinforce the bucket and attach the grapple. Lots more labor involved in setting up a bucket grapple than simply unloading a ready made grapple from a truck. Of course in both cases you need hydraulics but those costs should be identical. If you don't have a skid steer adapter on your tractor then the cost of installing that can be considerable ($300-800 or so) which would be an argument to just settle for the bucket grapple solution.

Bottom line, I don't recall hearing from anyone on TBN who had either a bucket grapple or a full grapple who decided that his implement "sucked" and therefore changed to the other. Both are excellent tools.

 

[Gordon Gould]

This is certainly a case of "different strokes for different folks" .
I find my bucket grapple very handy. The bucket sides do not
seem to get in the way as sugested. The bucket sides simply act as the
other tong for the grapple fingers to work against.

When Im down in the woods working on a road
with my blade and bucket and come across a fallen tree its
pretty convenient to be able to just grab it with the grapple
to get it out of the way. I dont have to cut it up in small
bucket size pieces or go all the way home and change out the
bucket to the grapple and then back again to continue what
I was doing.

 

[cowsrus]

I want a grapple bad, but i'm a bit concerned that when you pick up a tree that is down about tree branches scruffing up my tractor and maybe poking into the radiator. Has this ever been a problem for anyone? I know in the past i have had some misfortunes like this while i was pushing brush with my FEL.

 

[CurlyDave]

I have never had a problem with tree branches hitting the machine.

If I have a brushy shrub to deal with I am more careful, but I don't see an issue with a my grapple.

 

[IslandTractor]

I have never had a problem with tree branches hitting the machine.

If I have a brushy shrub to deal with I am more careful, but I don't see an issue with a my grapple.

I agree. Not an issue. The only time I have had problems is when trying to compact piles of brush by driving into them. In that situation oddly angled branches can sometimes sneak through and hit the tractor or hydraulics.