PT 54" grapple bucket vs the 29" utility grapple which to buy??

[goeduck]

For the record, I went with the grapple bucket. It is working out great and seems well made. I weighed it and found it to be 370 lbs. The shipping weight on the utility grapple was 380 lbs, so basically the same. Terry at Power Trac stressed that the utility grapple will bend if you try to crush with it and by looking at it's flat design I can see it bending if abused. The 1430 model grapple bucket seems more forgiving being it has a hyd cyl on each side and four bushings across the top shaft to keep it in alignment. Terry did say not to crush things with it also. Time will tell.

I think you made the right decision between those two. The flat design of that grapple sure does look like it would easily bend but that would depend on the steel used. Your bucket grapple looks solid. :thumbsup:

 

[MossRoad]

I've said it before, and a couple members on TBN have them... I think single fang on top grapple forks would be about ideal for most folks' brush removal needs AND be highly useful too. Most of us have buckets for our PT's. But to to get under something well and then grip down on it, it's hard to get a bucket to get under something. You have to fully dump the bucket with the grapple open, then push down on the item to be grasped, then close the grapple teeth, then lift it up. With forks, you can much more easily get under objects compared to a bucket lip. Someone should fabricate one for their PT and give it a try.

 

[goeduck]

^^^ that would work very well for moving brush and logs, better than many grapples. Not so well for moving firewood, etc which happens rather than changing attachments. The fork Grapple was a configuration I wanted on my smallest tractor (kept where I live) but I could not find one that was in the under 300 lb range at the time (to keep my lift capacity up).

 

[MossRoad]

^^^ that would work very well for moving brush and logs, better than many grapples. Not so well for moving firewood, etc which happens rather than changing attachments. The fork Grapple was a configuration I wanted on my smallest tractor (kept where I live) but I could not find one that was in the under 300 lb range at the time (to keep my lift capacity up).

That's one of the beauties of the PT's quick attach system... owner's actually look forward to changing implements. It's too easy. Non-powers implement change takes less than 15 seconds and you don't leave the seat. Powered, like a grapple, requires you to get off your butt and swap some hoses. Adds at least 30-40 seconds to the chore. :laughing:

 

[m5040]

If I had an unlimited budget I would definitely have both the grapple bucket and utility grapple. I thought the grapple bucket to all around more useful therefore the better deal and it works well when you use it like MossRoad explained (dump bucket forward and face down into pile then close grapple). But even if I don't get a full grasp-load-pile, the Power trac moves and cycles quickly to load my dump truck that it doesn't hurt to bad to have a smaller pile each trip.
I thought if the utility grapple jaws were made out of spring steel it would bend and return, but Terry said no and you can't use it to crush. I called the guy that has the ad for a utility grapple on the PT webb site and got the impression he was selling it and replacing with a new one for his business. I have attached a pic from his business web page of the way he used the UGrapple, make of it what you will.

 

[m5040]

Yeah, that extra weight is probably the reason.

On that utility grapple you seen, did it look like the one in the ,Attachments for Other Equipment, picture on the Power Trac website? Their website has type styles of the utility grapple. I think I like the look of that one better, the one in the Attachments for other equipment.

Did you notice the cylinder is way to one side? Which may cause distortion if you bear down on an uneven object. I think the other pictures are current with a center cylinder

 

[m5040]

Tried out the Power trac to SSQA adapter using a tree puller (it happened to be a small tree for the picture, but it can do more). It is nice to see the implement to position it on the tree. I gave up using the 60HP Kubota trying to drive in blind, close and see if the tree stays or goes up with the loader.
Then loaded the dump truck with the grapple bucket, even know it doesn't get as much as the utility grapple, it has a quick cycle.

 

[joshlee]

Did you notice the cylinder is way to one side? Which may cause distortion if you bear down on an uneven object. I think the other pictures are current with a center cylinder

Yeah, it looks like it would cause binding with it being over on one side. I'll ask Kristy if there is any difference in the two utility grapples, maybe this week and we'll see what she says?

 

[joshlee]

If I had an unlimited budget I would definitely have both the grapple bucket and utility grapple. I thought the grapple bucket to all around more useful therefore the better deal and it works well when you use it like MossRoad explained (dump bucket forward and face down into pile then close grapple). But even if I don't get a full grasp-load-pile, the Power trac moves and cycles quickly to load my dump truck that it doesn't hurt to bad to have a smaller pile each trip.
I thought if the utility grapple jaws were made out of spring steel it would bend and return, but Terry said no and you can't use it to crush. I called the guy that has the ad for a utility grapple on the PT webb site and got the impression he was selling it and replacing with a new one for his business. I have attached a pic from his business web page of the way he used the UGrapple, make of it what you will.

Is that a PT-1460? The U Grapple might be one rated for that machine, also with the different QA plate. Did the guy say if this U Grapple was in ok shape? From the picture it looks alright.

 

[joshlee]

Tried out the Power trac to SSQA adapter using a tree puller (it happened to be a small tree for the picture, but it can do more). It is nice to see the implement to position it on the tree. I gave up using the 60HP Kubota trying to drive in blind, close and see if the tree stays or goes up with the loader.
Then loaded the dump truck with the grapple bucket, even know it doesn't get as much as the utility grapple, it has a quick cycle.

That's awesome, pulls the roots and all out. That seems like a effective attachment. That Tigrecar has to be a handy machine, wow.

 

[m5040]

That picture was from his business advertisements and not the ad for the specific grapple when he was selling, it may be old and prob didn't represent the grapple in its current condition, but it was sold anyway. I asked myself, why would you sell a grapple and buy the same thing unless there was at least some issue with it? Possibly bent and straighten numerous times, or leaking cylinder or worn pin/bushings??

 

[m5040]

The Tigrecar is great to have around, it helps out with everything. I guess they dont have a lot of rock in Italy, the bottom is not protected like the Power Trac is and I always have to watch out so as not to put one through the oil pan. It is had to do when grass or ferns are 2' high.
Before I had it (and still used sometimes) I was using a 1931 Ford AA dump truck. It was a good worker for 85+ year old machine.

 

[joshlee]

Wow, that is an old one! There are a couple of old mills around here that have loading docks for the old trucks, and the width of the doorway is only about 4 ft wide . It seems so odd to see.

 

[m5040]

For what would have been considered a heavy duty middle size truck in its day it is quite small and is very maneuverable in the woods (more narrow then today's pickups). And this one has an oversized dump body which was used for light material-coal (with 2 compartments for 2 deliveries). It has a rudimentary hydraulic dump mechanism that still doesn't leak! The truck must have 100 grease fittings, I think most are optional....

 

[joshlee]

Wow! That is really neat how you have that set up! That's funny about how many grease fittings it has. After more thought about those old mills, the doorway at the docks are smaller than I had posted. They are probably only 4 ft wide.