What tractor attachment do I need?

[jodebg]

We will be cutting down over 30 large trees on our property. I have a Kubota B2650 with a quick attach bucket.
I also have a set of Bradco pallet forks.

What would be a good tractor attachment to work with to lift, haul and place the logs in long lengths onto a pile ,
and also help us to haul all the brush that we will need to move?


Thanks

 

[Peter 315]

A bigger tractor.........just joking.... A grapple would be great do you have a 3rd function valve?.......

 

[senecak19]

I think you have what you need. Pallet forks do the trick for me but don’t stack large logs. I just sold my LT35 hydraulic woodmizer and used to stack with forks using an L3200 and I couldn’t stack what the mill could handle. I had to roll most logs up one at a time.

 

[farmeratheart]

I agree with Peter. Pretty much sounds like the job description of a grapple! One is on my wish list ...

Good luck.

Frank

 

[nybirdman]

A "light weight" grapple,thumb on pallet forks or a thumb/tooth-bar on bucket.I added a Green's Machine Thumb and tooth-bar to my bucket to do exactly what you are doing;works very well.Less expensive than a full grapple.Third function will be required.Also you will need some kind of counter-weight.

 

[jodebg]

Thanks, have some follow up questions:

Does a grapple have any advantages over the Green's Machine Thumb and tooth-bar set up?

Are there different styles/functions of grapples?

What is involved in adding a 3rd function to this B2650 and approximate cost to have it installed?

How stable is a log on a set of pallet forks when driving...thinking the log would need to be strapped to the forks?

Can the thumb be installed on the pallet fork frame?

 

[Peter 315]

If you go slow and the log is centered rolled back to the pallet fork frame you should be ok....

 

[s219]

Pallet forks work fine as long as you can set them wide. Don't cut the logs too long or you will tweak your front loader arms while handling the logs, since it's a lot of weight hanging past the forks on each side.

I generally do a max of 12' logs on my L3200 (which has a slightly larger loader than you) and I have clamp-on forks that are set to 60" wide. For a smaller loader or narrower forks I might stick with 8' logs maximum.

BTW, I grew up not far from you in Burlington CT.

 

[rademamj1]

Doing same thing in clearing 27 acres by hand. Moving logs by pallet fork is quite safe and efficient. Just orient the pallet forks so gravity does all the work, and pulls the logs down for transport. No tie downs needed. Its always better to move logs in multiple trips, than try to do too much. And so very long logs can be cut to manageable size.

Some trees are absolutely rotting, so I use a bucket to move the rotten debris to a dumpster for haul off.

 

[i7win7]

Land Pride SGC 0660

 

[senecak19]

A log arch works well if your property isn’t all tore up. Seeing your right here in CT, Log Rite makes them somewhere in the state. Just get one that attaches to a hitch and go. I don’t know what your trying to do. If the logs are manageable lengths, surely a front end set of forks is the way to go. But if your trying to love long lengths, the arch will be slower but will work.

 

[Carl_NH]

Thanks, have some follow up questions:

Does a grapple have any advantages over the Green's Machine Thumb and tooth-bar set up?

Are there different styles/functions of grapples?

What is involved in adding a 3rd function to this B2650 and approximate cost to have it installed?

How stable is a log on a set of pallet forks when driving...thinking the log would need to be strapped to the forks?

Can the thumb be installed on the pallet fork frame?

Yes a dedicated grapple setup will hold more material and be easier to grab/gather up loose brush, also will be more HD. There are many different types of grapples available, but for your tractor, probably a light to medium duty grapple would be best as you don't want to lose lift capacity with a heavy grapple.

Cost for a third function valve, wiring, hoses and related parts is about $5-600 range, dealer installed are typically around $1000-1200.

I have moved many logs with bolt on pallet forks - no need to strap them on unless you are moving them across rough sloped terrain, as others have said carry low and go slow and you should be fine. Counter weight on 3PT is key- also maybe you want to look into a rear log lift for your 3PT?

As far as a "green" thumb, or bolt on grapple on your bradco forks, I think this might be your best option cost and function wise, it depends on your fork style where you can mount the bracket for the thumb. You might have $1500 or so in this setup `$1000 for the 3rd function valve, $500-800 for grapple setup.

If this is a "one time event" cutting and moving 30 trees and brush, then you could get by with what you have now, but if this is something you will do over a few years, then I would invest in the grapple now.

The other benefit of the bolt on grapple you could use it on the pallet forks or the bucket if you get duplicate mounting hardware (set for the bucket and the pallet forks)

 

[cglaser104]

The problem with added a thumb to what you have is weight. Can it be done? Absolutely it can. Will it eat up a majority of your lift capacity? It sure will!

A grapple is the right tool for the job for a couple reasons. They weigh less and they keep the load closer to the tractor which help reducing stress on the front axle and loader frame.

There are various sizes and shapes but for your machine you're looking for lightweight and heavy duty. The EA wicked grapples, precision manufacturing mini 322's or possibly an artillian frame grapple.

If you're handy, you can order a kit to add 3rs function. The more ready made it is the more expensive. If you need cheap, you can make your own kit but it takes some work on your end to get all the pieces.

 

[oldballs]

jodebg,

I have done and still use both my B2620 and B2650 to do what you plan.....using clamp on forks ....working by myself....over the past 10 years. I hand load the smaller limbs/brush for hauling to the burn pile stack. The longer logs I have stacked....some of them I cut into shorter lengths to burn more readily.

Cheers,
Mike...just a few pics

In the background you can see some longs that are stacked...pic #3

 

[old and tired]

...over 30 large trees on our property... ...logs in long lengths onto a pile...

What species are we talking about and what's "large" in terms of the diameter in inches? I assume you want as long as possible but what length are we really talking about? (The weight by species x diameter x length will tell us what you can move).

You can drag a lot bigger tree than you can lift!!!

You have a tractor about like mine, spec-wise. A white pine tree vs. an oak tree are two different animals to pick up. I think what you have in the way of pallet forks would get most of your work done, with a wee bit of effort (Ratchet Rake to make piles and switch to forks to pick piles up).

 

[Carl_NH]

^^^^ Agree totally - I can carry on the forks a 18"x16' white pine log but oak maybe 10-12" x 16'. I just get the forks under, curl back and lift and go. Also I use the BH and thumb to grab the branches and drag to chipper.

 

[kenmbz]

And with Pallet forks you can also move other items like a bar.
Or some Ash-

 

[buck12]

A grapple works great for what describe. When I added a grapple to my first tractor, Mahindra 2615, I went a WR Long third function kit and inexpensive Wild Kat grapple. That setup worked well for me for ten years. My current tractor has the Kubota third function kit and I have a MTL grapple. I actually preferred the button placement with the WR Long kit over Kubota. You can spend a fortune on a grapple but the cheap grapples have worked fine for me to date.

 

[/pine]

98.9% of the work you see being done with a full grapple here on TBN can be achieved with just a thumb on a loader bucket etc... (like the Green Machine)...a pile of brush is just as easy to pick up with a bucket thumb as it is with a full grapple...
I have run and seen both in operation side by side and the thumb equipped tractor is just as efficient...

Good Luck...!

 

[Steppenwolfe]

I just bought this 3pt stump grinder... no more digging out stumps and leaving a bomb crater.