Solid bottom grapples

[Hay Dude]

I see a place for a solid bottom grapple. It would work well as a limited use loader bucket and a grapple. Even a loader bucket without sides can hold a lot of dirt.
It could still carry logs or branches or fine debris.

 

[old and tired]

To be honest... I mainly bought this grapple off of a TBN member that lived less than an hour away for $350. I'm a cheap bas-tard and this one works great for that price!!!

Also, Did I say it was only 143 pounds??

 

[EddieWalker]

If I ever buy another grapple, it will have a solid bottom. Like other have stated, I thought it was important to have tines on the bottom so debri would fall out. So far, in over decade of using it, that has never really been an issue. I don't scoop up any dirt when picking up trees or branches.

My reason for wanting a flat bottom is to carry dirt on my way back to the tree I'm working on.

My most common project with my backhoe is clearing trees. I dig them out with my backhoe, cut them up into lengths that I can carry with the grapple, and bring them to the burn pile, or firewood area. Once I get the roots ball out of the hole, I need to fill it up again.

I've tried carrying dirt with the grapple, but most of it falls out through the tines, like everyone says they want to happen. What little amount that I get there is almost not worth the effort. If I make four or five trips to haul off a decent sized tree, I could also make that many trips going back there with dirt in my grapple if it had a flat bottom.

The way I do it now, is after I take out the trees, I have to come back with another tractor to haul dirt to fill the holes. Or I have to remove the grapple and put the bucket back on.

The grapple on the bucket sounds like a nice compromise for what I'm doing, but I feel that I would loose too much lift, or abilty to haul the most material possible with my grapple if I dind't have two lids on it.

 

[ruffdog]

One of my general purpose Bobcat buckets has the bolt-on grapple. It weighs a bit but the Toolcat can handle it. I can use it as a regular bucket or grab things with it. The solid edge prevents me from digging into the ground if I'm just moving piles of branches. I have moved LOTS of firewood, logs, branches, etc with this bucket/grapple and I agree, any grapple is better than no grapple.

 

[Jstpssng]

^^^^^
I think anybody with a grapple of any type can identify with this picture.
Except in spring when putting my garden in, it's my most used implement. I have even dug potatoes with it.

 

[M59]

You can just about bet that there will come a day that your chainsaw, gas, oil, chains etc. will get smashed.

Been there and done that BUT only penetrated the saw carrying case before remembering where the saw was. Keep the saw carrying case with the grapple teeth holes in it as a reminder. Stuff in the grapple is out of sight when carrying grapple low or as I did, got occupied with where I was going, and pressed the grapple close button. I no longer carry anything in a grapple of in the FEL bucket. Be smart and set your tractor up like Smokeydog and prevent the pain of "stupid".

 

[scootr]

I'm not too concerned about allowing dirt to fall through. I'm mainly interested in being able to grab onto plies of brush, gripping logs, etc.

I think the solid sides will prevent you from getting under longer limbs. Notice the open bottom units have no sides. When the sides hit the brush pile they will act like a dozer pushing the pile rather than getting under it for a grapple bite. Make a box or a holster for your saw.

 

[dstig1]

If I ever buy another grapple, it will have a solid bottom. Like other have stated, I thought it was important to have tines on the bottom so debri would fall out. So far, in over decade of using it, that has never really been an issue. I don't scoop up any dirt when picking up trees or branches.

Yeah but I call NO FAIR!!! You live in Texas where the ground is all poured concrete, so you CAN'T scoop it even if you wanted to!

 

[4570Man]

I had a smooth bottom grapple or as I called it a demolition bucket. It sucked and I sold it. Mine was a smooth edge. It would have been better with teeth. When you curled the bucket down it blocked your view with the solid bottom so you were clamping blind. A tractor might have been slightly better in that aspect but this was a skid steer bucket and it was on a skid steer where the operator sits right behind the bucket. The deeper bucket bottom combined with sitting close to it made the visibility loss a real problem. Because of the smooth edge it was also terrible for trying to rake up any brush.

 

[Hay Dude]

I think the solid sides will prevent you from getting under longer limbs. Notice the open bottom units have no sides. When the sides hit the brush pile they will act like a dozer pushing the pile rather than getting under it for a grapple bite. Make a box or a holster for your saw.

Yep. Deleting the sides allows branches to gather in the flat bottom, open sided grapple bucket.

Ever try to pick up brush with a loader bucket with sides? Thats an exercise in futility.

I love my grapple forks, but a decent amount of smaller material falls through them.

 

[EddieWalker]

This video shows what I'm dealing with. I'm always clearing trees. My land was so thick when I bought it that it took me years just to see most of it. 20 years later, I'm still clearing trees!!!!

My grapple is great at what it does, but as you can see in the end of my video, I have to use a different tractor to bring in dirt to fill the hole from the root ball of the tree that I took out.

My neighbor has a full-sized backhoe with a 4 in 1 bucket, and that might be the ultimate solution. He can pick up branches and downed trees with it, then haul a load of dirt to fill in the hole without changing tractors or getting off the seat.

I like the idea of a flat bottom grapple because it will hold some dirt. It might take two trips, or even three to fill in a big hole from the root ball, but I'd be making those trips anyway when I'm going back for each part of the tree. Since what I already have is working, I doubt that I will ever buy anything else, but if I didn't already have a grapple, I think that's what I would buy.

 

[Hay Dude]

This video shows what I'm dealing with. I'm always clearing trees. My land was so thick when I bought it that it took me years just to see most of it. 20 years later, I'm still clearing trees!!!!

My grapple is great at what it does, but as you can see in the end of my video, I have to use a different tractor to bring in dirt to fill the hole from the root ball of the tree that I took out.

My neighbor has a full-sized backhoe with a 4 in 1 bucket, and that might be the ultimate solution. He can pick up branches and downed trees with it, then haul a load of dirt to fill in the hole without changing tractors or getting off the seat.

I like the idea of a flat bottom grapple because it will hold some dirt. It might take two trips, or even three to fill in a big hole from the root ball, but I'd be making those trips anyway when I'm going back for each part of the tree. Since what I already have is working, I doubt that I will ever buy anything else, but if I didn't already have a grapple, I think that's what I would buy.

Boy you sure knocked that tree down fast. It only took like 5 seconds
You backfilled it even faster! lol
I see you are big on chainsawing safety equipment like me

Beautiful property you got there.

 

[EddieWalker]

Thank you. I had ear plugs in, and safety glasses on. I'm all about safety!!!

 

[Hay Dude]

Thank you. I had ear plugs in, and safety glasses on. I'm all about safety!!!

I wear my “safety flip flops” sometimes

 

[scootr]

Eddie is obviously not an hourly worker.

 

[PreacherM]

I think the solid sides will prevent you from getting under longer limbs.

My OP shows a grapple with virtually no sides.

Your point is one of the reasons I hesitate to add a grapple to my existing bucket. As well as the fact that it doesn't appear too cost effective in my view. (Approx $1400 for the grapple vs $6-800 minimum to add a grapple and tooth bar to mine, plus several hours fabrication time.)

 

[Hay Dude]

I’d summarize it this way. Base your “bottom/lower half” of your grapple on what you handle the majority of the time.

1. Dirt/fines branches smaller logs- solid bottom
2. Logs/small branches/roots, no dirt- multiple tines (root style) on bottom
3. Logs/large branches, no roots or dirt- 2 or more forks on bottom

Of course there are exceptions and other situations.

 

[scootr]

And there is the 4 way bucket option ... I used mine for solids and brush.
And pulling fence posts.

 

[old and tired]

...reasons I hesitate to add a grapple to my existing bucket...

So do you have a quick connect bucket on your tractor??? If so, get a grapple with tines... Mine is a pin on bucket, so I added a bolt on one. 3 bolts, and 70-ish pounds are removed. Did that a couple of times before I decided that it was too much hassle (vs. making another trip with a full bucket of gravel...)

All depends if you have more money or more time...

 

[scootr]

I had an extra set of 42" forks from the lift, replaced them with 48". So I bought this little rig from Titan minus the forks pretty cheap.