OK some of you guys may not believe this but I got into a discussion with my wife the other night and she was asking all kinds of questions about forestry equipment. I like to sit for a while some evenings and watch YouTube videos on the TV and she'll sit and watch a few with me. I was looking at some that involved a loader-mounted grapple and also a 3-point forestry winch and she suggested we should get one of them to make my job easier. Well I told her they cost a few grand and it didn't phase her at all. But I got to thinking - which one would be better? My land is pretty steep. There's not a thousand square feet anywhere that is flat, and probably half of it is over a 20% slope and dangerous for a tractor. The grapple would allow me to pick up logs and brush and move them around easier, although I do have pallet forks as well for the front end loader. I also have plans for getting a sawmill and the grapple might make log handling easier. However, I am still limited to terrain when out in the woods, so it would be nice to not have to worry which way to drop a tree so that I could get to it, I could simply hook the winch on and drag it up to the trail for easier processing. The negative is that I am not a big fan of skidding logs as they collect dirt and tear up the trails. Winter skidding would be OK though and I have good chains for the tractor. I guess I'm looking for advice and opinions on which one I should be considering first. I watch several YouTube channels and most of the guys have grapples but not winches, but I always wonder why a winch wouldn't make their job easier. My tractor does have front hydraulic ports intended for a grapple so it would be plug-n-play for either one.
Kinda sounds like you might use the winch more. Don'tcha pick up one end of the log(s) high enough at the winch end that the dragged end only has a tiny bit of contact with the ground ? When I was undecided on getting a backhoe for the tractor I made a list of the projects I had for it, what other methods I could use without it and how much extra time those methods might take. Plus renting a backhoe for the absolutely necessary to accomplish projects.
I use winches on a trailer and log arch but I’d love a grapple. That being said you have forks. Not as fun, not as safe but not too much different once you get them onboard except they will slip off. Have you used your forks in the woods? Tractor 4wd or 2? If you find the forks too dangerous to use a grapple won’t be much different. Have you considered a log arch? Or a winch and small arch in the back so your not dragging the log?
I cut a big oak log with Brandon Scott using the grapple on his skid loader a while beck. Man, it made very short work out of a really big tree. I felled the tree and cut the top off and Brandon picked up the log and we began cutting from each end to the middle. The tree was down, in rounds and in my truck in minutes. Get the grapple!
How big is the wood you are going after? I’ve found the portable winch to be handy for moving logs around. Might work for you to get the logs to where you can get the forks or grapple on them. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Determine what portion of your land is inaccessible by your tractor. Also, figure out what kind of slopes you will have to deal with. If too much of your land is inaccessible by tractor, or if the skidding will be too steep, go with the winch. Skidding with a winch allows you to drop your hitch at the bottom of a steep hill, drive up, then winch it in with the tractor sitting in place. With a grapple, you might just spin your tires on the steep slopes. If you can access most of your land with your tractor and if you don’t have a lot of steep slopes, go with the grapple for ease and safety.
Just buy both... Grapple is handy for moving stuff around the job site and piling brush- if you have bigger logs just skid them with a chain or rope and snatch block to a safe place. All my property is on a hill
I have a 6' rock grapple. It will just barely fit over a 28" log. I bought it for log and brush work, as well as removing broken concrete slabs. It was $1200. If I weren't removing concrete, i would've bought a log or brush grapple that opened wider
Another thing on the grapple is they are much heavier than buckets and forks depending on design and limit stable lifting capacity
I would go for the winch if it were me, you can always buy a bolt on thumb for your forks or bucket later for a lot cheaper than a grapple. With the winch you can get trees that you can't with a grapple, especially with hilly ground.
If you property is hilly I would get the winch. Winch and skid your logs to a level area then use your forks. That’s what I do.
I agree on the winch for your situation, I've got a 12K hydraulic mounted on a 3 point box blade & I can pull logs out of some hellish places. Also have a pretty stout winch on the skidder that will do some real work. Skidding does get dirt on a log for sure, but many of the logs wouldn't even be available without it. Worst case scenario is to broom them off before bucking. Getting nice logs out of tough spots really ups the firewood gathering plan.
Winch on a box blade sounds like a great idea.I’d like to see a picture of that. Do the logs rest on top of the box blade when you winch them in to get them up off the ground?
