Rock/Skeleton grapple vs Skelton Bucket+Root Grapple?

[Xfaxman]

My first buckets had flat laser cut bottom slats which looked fancy and aggresive - but worked poorly. The one that worked best has round tines with a bend in the front and it definitely longer front to back

Yep, sounds like the Bradco that EA sells:

But I need closer tines for saving gravel.

 

[future_vision]

Yep, sounds like the Bradco that EA sells:
View attachment 751090

But I need closer tines for saving gravel.

Couldn't find it on their site. This is the closest I found. Just need to dig up a price

Bradco SS Rock Bucket | Paladin Attachments

Bradco's Rock Bucket is available in 2" or 3" tine spacing and is designed to collect rocks and debris, allowing soil to sift through. Its rake design is used for fast cleanup, ground leveling, sifting out debris and rocks, and gathering material away from buildings and obstructions.

www.paladinattachments.com

 

[rScotty]

Which bucket did you find works the best and is it a dedicated rock/skeleton bucket or does it include a grapple?

The one I like is the Bradco - although they used to make the points in a chisel shape that worked noticibly better than the centered points they use in one of their pictures.
Bradco makes a special grapple just for their rock bucket. That would be a nice combo.

Houle also makes a similar bucket. As far as I know, both have 3" open spacing.

But be warned.... the Bradco & Houlebuckets cost slightly over twice what the laser-cut buckets do.

I'll attach a picture of the Braco and Houle adv. and also a screen shot photo of the bucket I bought for $900 that didn't work as well - but sure did cost a lot less. It's the one I loan out. 4" spacing...but for some reason the rocks don't roll in as well and the dirt doesn't fall through.

That what I meant when I said that subtle differences make a big difference in how they work.

Interestingly, some of the bucket pictures seem to show a chisel point and some a round point. Look at the 7th one from the near end on the Bradco photo. Now THAT looks like a proper flattened chisel point.
rScotty

 

[future_vision]

The one I like is the Bradco - although they used to make the points in a chisel shape that worked noticibly better than the centered points they use in one of their pictures.
Bradco makes a special grapple just for their rock bucket. That would be a nice combo.

Houle also makes a similar bucket. As far as I know, both have 3" open spacing.

But be warned.... the Bradco & Houlebuckets cost slightly over twice what the laser-cut buckets do.

I'll attach a picture of the Braco and Houle adv. and also a screen shot photo of the bucket I bought for $900 that didn't work as well - but sure did cost a lot less. It's the one I loan out. 4" spacing...but for some reason the rocks don't roll in as well and the dirt doesn't fall through.

That what I meant when I said that subtle differences make a big difference in how they work.

Interestingly, some of the bucket pictures seem to show a chisel point and some a round point. Look at the 7th one from the near end on the Bradco photo. Now THAT looks like a proper flattened chisel point.
rScotty

Other than rocks does it do a good job with roots and branches or would you recommend something else? I'm wondering if maybe renting a power rake might be my best bet. I have a decent amount of rocks but nothing like they show in videos. A dedicated rock bucket might be overkill. Just don't know.

 

[rScotty]

For roots you need something shorter with more leverage. The M59 has a powerful loader - lifts 4000 lbs to full height and is stable. But even its BH bucket can be stalled by a few small roots. The rock bucket is long enough to be stalled by a backberry thicket.

The trick to using the rock bucket is to first use it as a fork to loosen the soil, then just push the rock bucket into a loosened soil sort about a foot, then lift it and tilt bringing up soil and rocks and hoping the soil fall through as the rocks roll back.

Soil plus roots won't fall through. But the rock bucket is good for forking the soil - but then so are some of the other grapple buckets and they are probably better for ripping the soil even if they don't carry anything.

For branches or trash the rock bucket is great. It sticks out the right amount to hold a huge load, has tie downs everywhere, and can spear things.

 

[future_vision]

For roots you need something shorter with more leverage. The M59 has a powerful loader - lifts 4000 lbs to full height and is stable. But even its BH bucket can be stalled by a few small roots. The rock bucket is long enough to be stalled by a backberry thicket.

The trick to using the rock bucket is to first use it as a fork to loosen the soil, then just push the rock bucket into a loosened soil sort about a foot, then lift it and tilt bringing up soil and rocks and hoping the soil fall through as the rocks roll back.

Soil plus roots won't fall through. But the rock bucket is good for forking the soil - but then so are some of the other grapple buckets and they are probably better for ripping the soil even if they don't carry anything.

For branches or trash the rock bucket is great. It sticks out the right amount to hold a huge load, has tie downs everywhere, and can spear things.

Yeah. It seems a dedicated rock bucket might not be the way to go. The soil has rocks but not so many rocks that they can't be picked out or handled by a power rake I suppose. Thinking I just need to focus on getting a root grapple or root rake which will still pick or the larger rocks that aren't easily moved by hand or a power rake .

 

[rScotty]

Yeah. It seems a dedicated rock bucket might not be the way to go. The soil has rocks but not so many rocks that they can't be picked out or handled by a power rake I suppose. Thinking I just need to focus on getting a root grapple or root rake which will still pick or the larger rocks that aren't easily moved by hand or a power rake .

I can see your plan has some real good points. And now you have a better idea of what a rock bucket will do and won't do and what to look for in one.

Lets see... $2K for a SSQA Bradco Skeleton bucket, $3K for the grapple, and a decent power rake is about $5K and up.

Keeping in mind that good used implements are simple and infinitely repairable if you want to save.

The good and the bad of the Harley type of power rake is that it is it makes windrows of rocks and is real expensive. The rocks didn't go away; you still have to deal with the windrows.

Instead of a power rake I also have a poor man's version which is a landscape rake with lots of teeth an inch apart that angles and has gauge wheels. If I run it over an acre it will pick up maybe half of the fist sized rocks down to about 4" deep and roll them off to the side in a windrow. Great...... so now instead of an acre of rocky soil I have an acre with not as many rocks on top ...but instead it has long lines of useless sized windrowed rocks every 8 feet. Going back over it again moves the windrows farther apart - but not much. Before long they are so tall and strong that the landscape rake can't do anymore. The power rake will do better, but the problem remains.

Darn...maybe we should have bought one of those combination Harley power rakes and rock crushers. 60 hp at the PTO will just run one and they leave half inch crushed gravel behind. Ooops, $20K..so maybe not. Or maybe so. After all, you do have SSQA, and the skid steer rental yard has those for rent. I've never used one.

What I do instead is this is when I put on the rock bucket. Lay it flat on the ground and ease forward centered on the windrow until the bucket is full of rocks. About every 6 to ten feet you have so many rocks and roots that it is time to raise the bucket, leave the dirt behind, and take those rocks to their new home.

our acre is looking pretty good down to about 4". The next winter freeze will "frost jack" a new crop of rocks of course..... And you do it over again, but this time you already have the $10k invested in fun toys just sitting ready to be used. It sounds like a winner to me.
rScotty

Or you could just hire it done. What's the price of manual labor these days?

rScotty

 

[future_vision]

I can see your plan has some real good points. And now you have a better idea of what a rock bucket will do and won't do and what to look for in one.

Lets see... $2K for a SSQA Bradco Skeleton bucket, $3K for the grapple, and a decent power rake is about $5K and up.

Keeping in mind that good used implements are simple and infinitely repairable if you want to save.

The good and the bad of the Harley type of power rake is that it is it makes windrows of rocks and is real expensive. The rocks didn't go away; you still have to deal with the windrows.

Instead of a power rake I also have a poor man's version which is a landscape rake with lots of teeth an inch apart that angles and has gauge wheels. If I run it over an acre it will pick up maybe half of the fist sized rocks down to about 4" deep and roll them off to the side in a windrow. Great...... so now instead of an acre of rocky soil I have an acre with not as many rocks on top ...but instead it has long lines of useless sized windrowed rocks every 8 feet. Going back over it again moves the windrows farther apart - but not much. Before long they are so tall and strong that the landscape rake can't do anymore. The power rake will do better, but the problem remains.

Darn...maybe we should have bought one of those combination Harley power rakes and rock crushers. 60 hp at the PTO will just run one and they leave half inch crushed gravel behind. Ooops, $20K..so maybe not. Or maybe so. After all, you do have SSQA, and the skid steer rental yard has those for rent. I've never used one.

What I do instead is this is when I put on the rock bucket. Lay it flat on the ground and ease forward centered on the windrow until the bucket is full of rocks. About every 6 to ten feet you have so many rocks and roots that it is time to raise the bucket, leave the dirt behind, and take those rocks to their new home.

our acre is looking pretty good down to about 4". The next winter freeze will "frost jack" a new crop of rocks of course..... And you do it over again, but this time you already have the $10k invested in fun toys just sitting ready to be used. It sounds like a winner to me.
rScotty

Or you could just hire it done. What's the price of manual labor these days?

rScotty

Hmm. I wonder what I can get done with some forks with some strapped on chain link fence? Lol!

 

[future_vision]

Hmm. I wonder what I can get done with some forks with some strapped on chain link fence? Lol!

Ok. So maybe that isn't so crazy but in a different approach. Ever hear of a rock grizzly? I bet one can be built for cheap. Doesn't have to be as beefy as these in this video. Throw a screen on there or chainlink and I could probably catch all of the twigs and roots too.

 

[rScotty]

Hmm. I wonder what I can get done with some forks with some strapped on chain link fence? Lol!

Try it. Post some pictures. It might even be a good excuse to get a second tractor. Sometimes the simplest things work. Two chains and a log make a nice land plane.