Grapple bucket

[MARK ROBKE]

I recently bought a Kubota M7040, 4wd, with factory loader. I am toying with getting a grapple bucket. Mostly limited use- between picking up tree limbs, some loose hay in the barn (once in a blue moon), and once a year loading manure that was scraped off the feed pad into the manure spreader. I've been looking on marketplace and a little on amazon, just trying to get an idea of what style bucket would work best. So.... anybody have any recommendations, or experiences to share? Thanks, Mark.

 

[mtf]

I use a solid bottom grapple bucket, for all those jobs you list. I am running it on a bobcat and not a tractor.

 

[E.B. Haymakin']

I recently bought a Kubota M7040, 4wd, with factory loader. I am toying with getting a grapple bucket. Mostly limited use- between picking up tree limbs, some loose hay in the barn (once in a blue moon), and once a year loading manure that was scraped off the feed pad into the manure spreader. I've been looking on marketplace and a little on amazon, just trying to get an idea of what style bucket would work best. So.... anybody have any recommendations, or experiences to share? Thanks, Mark.

The names different manufacturers use for their products is confusing, I'm getting close to purchasing a grapple, and I think the correct name would be root grapple. Kinda shaped like a C with tines that could push just into the ground to root out. My use would be for limbs, and to be clear invasive shrub like privet and mulberry. You may want to look at a 4in1 bucket-maybe. Like mtf you may need a grapple with a flat bottom. Manure could get sloppy

 

[stoughtonfarmboy]

I bought the Add-A-Grapple several years ago. Very happy with it. Clean up brush from limbing trees and decent sized logs. On my Allis Chalmers 5040 tractor.

Ken

 

[RobCons]

I"ve used a root grapple(flat bottom style) a good bit and will say its as handy as a shirt pocket. But I use my 4ft pallet forks more for brush, logs, and debris.

 

[DoubleR]

I bought the Add-A-Grapple several years ago. Very happy with it. Clean up brush from limbing trees and decent sized logs. On my Allis Chalmers 5040 tractor.

Ken

I have one similar to the one in the picture, a bolt on to a 60inch bucket. I've been real happy with it. I bolted a 60 inch piece of steel the same width as the bucket to the grapple also. to help hold things in the bucket. I have a set of 12 inch manure forks that bolt on the the front off the bucket makes for a nice setup for me loading manure or brush or what have you. I also have two other buckets if I want to move dirt or snow and don't need the grapple.

 

[Hobo,NC]

I recently bought a Kubota M7040, 4wd, with factory loader. I am toying with getting a grapple bucket. Mostly limited use- between picking up tree limbs, some loose hay in the barn (once in a blue moon), and once a year loading manure that was scraped off the feed pad into the manure spreader. I've been looking on marketplace and a little on amazon, just trying to get an idea of what style bucket would work best. So.... anybody have any recommendations, or experiences to share? Thanks, Mark.

For all around use its hard to beat a dual cylinder root grapple. Everyone I know that brought a signal cylinder grapple is not happy with it.

 

[MARK ROBKE]

I am more thinking that I would like a grapple that has manure fork tines with dual grapple set up. I was looking mostly for that style and only saw 2 of them. Most grapples that I see have bar/blade welded across the very end, which in my mind, would make digging into the manure more difficult. The manure is composted over the summer and pretty rotted down when I spread it. I thought the style with straight tines only would also work well for picking up tree limbs. Has anyone used or have this style? Thanks, Mark.

 

[caterpillar guy]

From what I have seen of those with 2 separate pieces that move with each having a cylinder they were all bent and out of shape. So they would not work good in the fact they would close one at a time and not close evenly on things. I would go for a single unit grapple with 2 cylinders or, even a single cylinder . I would also probably put one on a stone bucket rather than a smooth bottom bucket like for dirt. For a stone bucket I would want one with round tines rather than those with the flat tines on edge like I see a lot. there would be less problems getting stuck stones out from between them. At least I think it would work better. We used to just load pen packed manure with a dirt bucket in the barn and any other place we had it without much trouble. It was also a snow bucket by the definition of the manufacturer. About waist high and about 2 feet deep front to back with a round curve inside. IS 7 feet wide or close to it . We could scrap alleys out with one pass if we were ina hurry and didn't mind if there was a bit left on the one side. Bucket was a wee bit wider than the tractor.

 

[Geo-TH,In]

I have 4 ft forks for my L3560.. I made 4 ft forks for my Terramites.
I worry about using forks on my L3560 to pick up sticks. Many times I've picked up sticks with my terramite.
that would poke holes in radiators. My Terramets are Air cooled. One time I damaged the crankshaft seal on
the terramite with a stick .
One can pick up more sticks with forks than a grapple.
If I only had the Kubota, I would put a piece of plywood in front of my Titian forks brush guard to prevent
damaging the radiator. I might want a second layer of protection to protect the radiator.
I picked up all the branches with the terramite forks then loaded the logs.
With a little practice, forks will pick up sticks. The last pic is my Boss picking up sticks. How many have a woman that use your tractors?
My Boss is a country girl raised on a sod farm and no stranger to using tractors. She can dig small stumps with the backhoe.
I would try using forks instead of a grapple.

 

[TerryfromSWIowa]

A bucket with a grapple used right sticks will not get close to a radiator.

 

[Geo-TH,In]

A bucket with a grapple used right sticks will not get close to a radiator.

Terry
Yes when used RIGHT, when used right. But accidents happen. I damaged the crankshaft main Seal on my engine.
If I had a radiator, the stick that damaged my main would have cost me a radiator and the plastic hood on my Kubota.
My tree guy had a grapple on his skidder. I could lift more with my forks than he could with his grapple.
It's your money, Do what makes you happy. I'm a big fan of forks.

 

[Hobo,NC]

I am more thinking that I would like a grapple that has manure fork tines with dual grapple set up. I was looking mostly for that style and only saw 2 of them. Most grapples that I see have bar/blade welded across the very end, which in my mind, would make digging into the manure more difficult. The manure is composted over the summer and pretty rotted down when I spread it. I thought the style with straight tines only would also work well for picking up tree limbs. Has anyone used or have this style? Thanks, Mark.

I don't know how it works on manure they will pick up leaves good you are not going the get it clean on a hard surface they will get most on dirt. You turn the teeth down to dig on top of the dirt that bar acts as a sweeper. The complaint with a single cylinder single arm is it will grab the big part any of the little stuff away from it will fall out are you can not hold the load at all. With a double you can pick up a unbalanced load and go with it without dropping the load and going for another bite.

In this post you can see when one arm grabs the big stuff the other arm continues and grabs the smaller part of the load.

https://forums.yesterdaystractors.com/threads/new-toy.1210324/

With any grapple are forks sticks are going to get to the tractor all you can do is be extra careful and make a guard for it. What are you going to use it for most life is to short to live without a grapple are 2. I am looking for a pix where I cleaned up a cut over with my root grapple that had grown up all that was left was dirt and stumps. I would keep pilling it up then would dig into the piles and haul to my land fill RR track right of way in a year it had all rotted down.

 

[m16ty]

A grapple is like a set of forks, once you get one you won’t know how you ever got by without it
I was in the market for a grapple and found out my neighbor had an add-a-grapple. He bought it at auction but later bought a regular grapple and had no use for it. I got it and mounted it on an extra bucket I had. It works ok and is fine for what I do, but is nowhere near as good as a compete root grapple. The bucket shape limits how much brush and whatnot you can get in there for the grapple to grab.

When I get time I’m thinking about reinforcing the bucket and cutting the sides down, which will allow a bigger “bite”. A friend of mine did this on a bucket but didn’t reinforce, without adding some reinforcement the bottom of the bucket becomes weak when you cut the sides.

 

[MARK ROBKE]

I have 4 ft forks for my L3560.. I made 4 ft forks for my Terramites.
I worry about using forks on my L3560 to pick up sticks. Many times I've picked up sticks with my terramite.
that would poke holes in radiators. My Terramets are Air cooled. One time I damaged the crankshaft seal on
the terramite with a stick .
One can pick up more sticks with forks than a grapple.
If I only had the Kubota, I would put a piece of plywood in front of my Titian forks brush guard to prevent
damaging the radiator. I might want a second layer of protection to protect the radiator.
I picked up all the branches with the terramite forks then loaded the logs.
With a little practice, forks will pick up sticks. The last pic is my Boss picking up sticks. How many have a woman that use your tractors?
My Boss is a country girl raised on a sod farm and no stranger to using tractors. She can dig small stumps with the backhoe.
I would try using forks instead of a grapple.
View attachment 106725View attachment 106726View attachment 106724

For me, pallet type forks are not really an option. Like I said above, one main use will be loading half rotted manure that has old hay in it. So, I was wondering if anyone has a set like that, with basically a manure fork with grapples, that they use for manure. I push the manure/wasted hay off the feeding pad several times over the winter, and it rots over the summer. Then I spread it in late fall. Thanks, Mark.

 

[MARK ROBKE]

From what I have seen of those with 2 separate pieces that move with each having a cylinder they were all bent and out of shape. So they would not work good in the fact they would close one at a time and not close evenly on things. I would go for a single unit grapple with 2 cylinders or, even a single cylinder . I would also probably put one on a stone bucket rather than a smooth bottom bucket like for dirt. For a stone bucket I would want one with round tines rather than those with the flat tines on edge like I see a lot. there would be less problems getting stuck stones out from between them. At least I think it would work better. We used to just load pen packed manure with a dirt bucket in the barn and any other place we had it without much trouble. It was also a snow bucket by the definition of the manufacturer. About waist high and about 2 feet deep front to back with a round curve inside. IS 7 feet wide or close to it . We could scrap alleys out with one pass if we were ina hurry and didn't mind if there was a bit left on the one side. Bucket was a wee bit wider than the tractor.

Interesting- I would have thought the ones with a single cylinder grapple would bend first on an uneven load, where I would think the dual cylinder type would work better, like in Hobo's post with a link to an old post with all the pics. Thanks, Mark.