I have the 50" Compact Wicked Root Grapple from Everything Attachments (For your perspective tractor, you'd have to go up one size to at least the 54" single or dual lid model).
This grapple is an "L shaped" grapple (vs a clam shell style like the new 55 Inch Wicked Root Rake Grapple ) and so far my only "desire" is if it had a wider opening (Sorry Travis). This is more from laziness than outright need however.
I have done everything from moving trees/logs to brush to basketball sized stone. Just this week I was using it to get up the remains of old round hay bales (don't ask - story for another time) and I moved a LOT of hay by using the grapple & a landscape rake to push it up into piles then grabbing large bites out of the pile with the grapple. Would a wider opening have allowed me to just plop down in the pile, take a big bite, and move on? Sure. Instead you have to perfect your technique - I did a lot of "mashing" and then rolling the scoop over onto the pile to get more material per bite. Same thing would apply to brush. (And for what it's worth I was getting enough material that I was maxing out the stability of the tractor for the terrain I was on and no heavier counterweight than a landscape rake anyway).
For the jobs *I* have used the grapple for the only place I see a real advantage of the L shape vs Clam Shell is in moving logs because I am able to pile them up and then get under the pile and carry several at once, everything else I have done would either be advantage clam shell or a draw. Both designs will perform the same jobs, they just work differently and will have strong suits and weaker suits when compared to the other style. At the end of the day a competent operator can accomplish the same jobs with either one, he just has to understand the limitations and alter his approach for the tools he has.
Had the newer clam shell style been available when I purchased, it would have been a very hard decision between the two but I might have ended up with the clam shell style - hard to say. BUT ... I am not "unhappy" enough with the L shape to switch. This one has served me well and I have no doubts it will continue to do so, I just might have to take a few more bites is all.
My advice is to hit YouTube and watch videos of both styles in operation (even if it's on skid steers or heavy equipment) and see how each style operates and the work being done then compare that to your tasks and see which one would suit your needs best.
Either way a grapple is a tractors best friend and you'll enjoy having one.
.jpg)
