Tractor FEL log Grapple Ideas

there is also the option for a smooth bottom bucket. its good for mulch, bark, sawdust and chips that build up due to cutting and processing wood. and smaller cut offs. the downside is that they are almost impossible to see what your doing if you tilt the bucket. and they are harder to learn to run. like this.

just make sure you get one with greasable pins. avoid this non-greaseable style. also the hoses aren't protected, which is another red flag. it does have the good style of tines on it though.


also try to avoid this style. notice the tines are curved up at the cutting edge. with this style you have to operate it with the bucket pointed down at about a 45 degree angle. you cant just drop the bucket flat and go. its too tedious and slow. this is why the kubota tractor in the video posted earlier, has to roll the logs off the pile to pick em up.

this one, vvvvvvvv looks like a pretty good one. many times you can call the company and haggle a little, and get a much better price, than the ebay listing.

Kubota Skid Steer Attachment 72" Rock Bucket Grapple with Teeth - Ship for $149 | eBay

 

also try to avoid this style with one single cylinder. they just don't have the power or versatility of something with 2 cylinders.
MTL attachments Bobcat MT55-463-S70 mini skid steer 42" Bucket Grapple-Ship $139 | eBay

 

thanks for the helpful hints and reasoning felter!

 

The guys on tractorbynet would go nuts if they heard this. They think all you need is a 48" single lid grapple.

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Well 94BULLITT you got tractor and grapple.. what do you say? I got 50 hp kubota.. I know nothing abut tractors.. I got one and I'm learning... I watched your you tube channel.. great info and thanks...

 

i'd be interested to read more, can you post a link?

 

I found this review on that site,
You'll get MANY opinions on rake style single lid design vs. L style dual lids but we sell MANY more dual lid grapples than single and that was the case even before our Wicked Grapple arrived on the scene. IMO the dual lid design is more versatile because you'll get a tighter grip on loads that are not uniform and the L shaped design will allow you to cradle logs/debris. Our tines are designed to penetrate the ground easily and minimize turf damage.(see pic below)
The squeezing power will be the same either way. The flow goes to the cylinder with the least resistance until it is closed tightly and is then it is transferred to the other one until the same is accomplished.

if you want to double check here is the source: Grapple Which type of grapple is best suited for... - Page 2
post #15

I don't agree (with this guy from tractorbynet) the squeezing power would be the same with 1 or 2 cyl though. unless the 1 cyl model was twice the diameter size of the 2 cyl model.

 

I will tonight when I am on a computer.

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I had a set of forks so I bought a grapple to go on it. It was only like $400 +/- on eBay. Works good for me and I pull the pins and take the grapple off if I just want to use plain forks. Came with the cylinder and everything.

 

there is also the cheaper option of a bolt on/weld on grapple. all just depends on your needs and situation.

here vvvvvvv is the "style" I would buy. it has a lot of the features I would want. grease-able fittings, protected hoses, low tines. (so you can drop the bucket and go) I think the sides of the bucket would be a disadvantage, since the log would hit em and not want to roll deeper into the bucket. also the bottom tines stick too far out past the grapple, making it harder to pinch the end of a log or anything if it was in a tight spot. I hope that makes sense.
Rock Haul Grapple Skeleton Rock Bucket

 

this is also a good option!! nice and light weight so you can lift heavier logs. also reasonably priced. also you wont end up with a bunch of dirt/bark/chips debris as you would with a smooth bottom bucket. you just gotta switch attachments to clean up the bark/chips/debris. when your done moving logs around.

 

I do 98% of my logging/firewood processing right in the woodlot now so I don't even bother with clean-up of bark debris; I just let it rot!

 

excellent!! just curious though. do you push the rounds into a pile or just keeping moving your splitter?

 

It is. The open side design is more gooder for grabbing. The downside is you can't use it as a bucket.

Yep. I like them to meet at the corner as well.

 

It depends. I usually skid to an open area then process off a pile. I usually cut a tankful or two through the saw then split and stack right onto my pallets right there so there's usually not rounds spread all over. If there are I use either the bucket on the tractor or the blade on the skidding winch to push them into a pile. The rounds I just split this weekend I pushed into a pile with the bucket mainly because I needed the room to turn the Ranger around with the splitter on the back. My trail at the point where that particular log pile was isn't all that friendly; steep with large rocks sticking out. I am hoping to get my buddy in there with his excavator this year to fix my main trail.

 

I may have missed it, but what size tracts is this going on. If it's here and I missed it, my bad. I have a Sundown grapple that was setup with a skid steer mount. I had a welder modify the bracket to fir my JD quick attach mount. One thing to keep in mind is weight. For every pound of grapple, you lose a pound of log right. This grapple was heavily built, yet compact so I can pick the biggest log possible with a smaller tractor. I have no idea if they still make this, but a grapple compliments my tractor and skidding winch well. Let us know what you get.

 

I believe the tines are curved up so the tractor is pushing down on the tines when you drop it into the ground. I had the roll the logs of the pile because the tines are too tall to penetrate between the logs. It has nothing to do with the angle. If I had something thin like forks it would go right underneath a log.

 

I would go with 6' dual lid grapple for your tractor. I think a dual lid clamps a load better. I like a grapple that as wide or about as wide as the tractor so it is cleaning up were you are driving. For me opening size it not as important as it is made out to be. A large opening grapple is nice is you are moving a bunch of small piles into one big pile. In normal use for me, it takes a good bit of brush to mae a full load. Most of of the time a tree or something will be in the way before you can get a full load so a lot of the time I will go dump what I have at that time.

Mega Compact Utility Tractor Wicked Root Grapple from Everything Attachments

Compact Tractor Dual Lid Wicked Root Grapple from Everything Attachments

I recommend you put flat face couplers on your 3rd function. They are more money but they don't make a mess when you unhook them like ag couplers.

Thanks!

 

Grapple grapple size

It has been beat to death in this thread.

The WICKED Root & Debris GRAPPLE!!!!!!!

 

I've seen two examples of the Bobcat model near the bottom of your post where the grapple cylinder mount was bent. One to the point of being nearly unusable. That one was on a skid steer, the other on a Versihandler.