Grapple Pros,Cons of single/double lid grapples? Opinions needed

[HKH]

I am going to be buying a grapple shortly. I have a 38HP CUT and will be using it for clearing brush, loading firewood etc.

What type would you recommend? Single lid or double. I have been looking at a single lid 48" and a double lid 60" one.

Weight is obviously a concern the larger I go, so I want to keep it as small as is feasible. My budget is 1K.

Thank you for any and all insights.

Merry Christmas

 

[sea2summit]

I went with single because it gives me half the number of pieces to break, I mean trouble shoot when something doesn't work, and should open and close nearly twice as fast.

It will be my first and it's still in transit so I could be totally speaking out of my butt.

 

[k0ua]

All I can say is my single lid works for me. There are a lot of folks with some well defended opinions on this subject. I don't think it makes that much difference. Others will beg to differ.

 

[EddieWalker]

For a small tractor without a lot of lift, weight should be your primary concern.

I have a double on my loader backhoe. Weight isn't a concern, for me it's more important to be able to get as much as possible on there and for it to stay there all the way to the burn pile. Having the two arms close separately allows me to hold an uneven load more securely.

What I've found to be more importantly is how will you connect your hoses so you can take it off and put it back on quickly and easily. I've tried two different brands of quick release fittings with horrible results. Now I just unscrew the hoses and screw in a plug when the grapple is removed. This has proven to be the fastest, easiest method for me.

 

[k0ua]

For a small tractor without a lot of lift, weight should be your primary concern.

I have a double on my loader backhoe. Weight isn't a concern, for me it's more important to be able to get as much as possible on there and for it to stay there all the way to the burn pile. Having the two arms close separately allows me to hold an uneven load more securely.

What I've found to be more importantly is how will you connect your hoses so you can take it off and put it back on quickly and easily. I've tried two different brands of quick release fittings with horrible results. Now I just unscrew the hoses and screw in a plug when the grapple is removed. This has proven to be the fastest, easiest method for me.

Eddie what kind of problems did you have with your quick connects.? I just have the "Ag" connectors on mine.

 

[Luke'sScreenName]

At $1k just get what you can find.

 

[4570Man]

Two lids are better for fire wood. For brush it doesn't make much difference. What model cut do you have. Hp isn't a very useful number.

 

[HKH]

Two lids are better for fire wood. For brush it doesn't make much difference. What model cut do you have. Hp isn't a very useful number.

I have a Boomer 35. Lift capacity isn't all that, so I wanted to get the lightest grapple I could. Interesting comment on the firewood, I have not thought of that.

 

[2458n]

A grapple is great and you will like it. At a grand for budget you will be in the single lid market.

 

[Luke'sScreenName]

I'd think the cheap Tomahawk double lid grapples that are arround would serve you fine. Maybe a 60" one? Then again a 72" would hold more bucked and split. Fairly deep, flat bottom should be good for firewood. They go for $1000-1300 here on CL. Not much else in that price range and should be about as light as you can find.

And you are correct to be concerned about weight IMO.

 

[Steave]

I use a lite weight Tomahawk single lid 66" grapple "Bucket" and its cheap but serves my purpose and has held up better than I expected. $950 and comes with hoses but no quick connects. It weights 400 lbs. Not sure of the weight of the root grapple. I use mine mostly for carrying brush not firewood. The double would be better for firewood like 4570 stated.

 

[aeblank]

I use a lite weight Tomahawk single lid 66" grapple "Bucket" and its cheap but serves my purpose and has held up better than I expected. $950 and comes with hoses but no quick connects. It weights 400 lbs. Not sure of the weight of the root grapple. I use mine mostly for carrying brush not firewood. The double would be better for firewood like 4570 stated.

X2. Got my 66" Tomahawk for $850. For your budget, you're getting a Tomahawk (whether you know it or not). =)

 

[Industrial Toys]

I have a single and I really can't think of any case where a double would not have worked better. Everything is irregular it seems. Imagine using your fingers if they all had to work together, how useless that would be.

Just as a side note. My hoses come from the wrong side and I always have to watch where they are routed. I just noticed, that they got in the wrong place and I totally sheared both of them off! Always something!

 

[Steave]

X2. Got my 66" Tomahawk for $850. For your budget, you're getting a Tomahawk (whether you know it or not). =)

You're right I miss quoted the price. I was thinking of the Tomahawk Rock bucket, it was quoted for $950 is where I got that number from. It was closer to the $850 you paid. I feel like I got my money's worth its very useful around the property. Still debating about the rock bucket. I'm using my cousins' heavy built one right now. For around the farm its a good deal.

 

[petegoud]

Both have merit. I only have experience with a single on my tractor, but IMHO a single may be a little safer in that your load has to be better balanced. I've grabbed some pretty heavy things and have lifted a rear tire on occasion. It may also cut down on the temptation to overload your tractor.

 

[HKH]

Picked this sixty inch up for 995. It's not a Cadillac like an EA but it will do on my little machine.

 

[newbury]

Looks GOOD, thanks for the followup and pics.

 

[justinramani]

Picked this sixty inch up for 995. It's not a Cadillac like an EA but it will do on my little machine.

What brand/model did you end up going with?

 

[Luke'sScreenName]

Have fun! ... I mean, get lots of important work done!

 

[txdon]

You went with a double, good. I just planted a 15' telephone pole and set it in place with my grapple. It fit nicely between the lids with a chain - something I would not have been able to do with a single lid.