Picked up a grapple for the Tractor... Hoo boy! Good fun ahead!!

[Rob]

I have been wanting to pick up a Grapple for some time to assist with moving logs and hauling brush to the burn pile.

I did quite a bit of research on TractorByNet and selected the Stinger Attachments Compact Clamshell Grapple - 56 inches. (https://stingerattachments.com/buy/ccg-56-compact-clam-grapple/)
My reasons:
-I primarily want to move Brush piles (I have plans to limb a bunch of trees and generate a bunch of burn material). 
-I also have many larger trees that need to be cut into rounds and being able to move them around is a bonus
-I have several large rocks I need to re-position with more to come as I unearth them.

Based on this, the brush and rock grapples seemed less efficient than the clamshell design.  I also wanted to have independent right and left top clamps so I can pick up items that are not symmetrical.

My research on grapples for my uses cases told me that one does not need a super wide grapple.  In-fact wide grapples are heavier and reduce the lift capacity which on smaller tractors is already a scarce recourse.  This is why I chose the 56 rather than the 66.  I am thinking that I I will get better lift performance on the grapple over the Forks even though the grapple is heavier as I can dangle the the load under the pivot pins rather than have it spread out over the 48 inch fork tines. 

I just got it yesterday, but had to get it on the tractor ASAP and try it out.  It will take a bit of practice, and the grapple does not know it's own strength - I tried to pick up the pallet that it shipped on and promptly removed two boards and crushed a third in a heartbeat. It did however grab brush just fine, pick up a decent sized log, and grab some large rocks with ease.  I am going to love this thing!

[Rob]

moving a rock in the past without the grapple...

[Ghost Hunter]

Nice.  Reading I was picturing it on the back, then the pictures.  I need one of those.  I burn some but chip most of my brush, move rocks like you show (still need the chain to get them out of the bottom of post holes, and a lot of firewood up to 12' in length.  What HP is your tractor?  I've got a 35hp JD.

[Happy Gilmore]

I wished id bought one when I was clearing my place in Fall City. Poor little tractor took a beating. Now I need on of a different size class.

[Rob]

Nice.  Reading I was picturing it on the back, then the pictures.  I need one of those.  I burn some but chip most of my brush, move rocks like you show (still need the chain to get them out of the bottom of post holes, and a lot of firewood up to 12' in length.  What HP is your tractor?  I've got a 35hp JD.

Chipper is next on my list...  I am jealous of your woodland mills.

My LS is a 35 HP.  I get 1688 lbs of lift at the pins (Wish I had more).  The Grapple weighs 360 so I should be able to lift around 1300ish give or take (at the pins). 
It takes a pair of front remotes to use the grapple. 
My tractor has 13.7 GPM of flow, 8.2 to Implement as I have a hydrostatic tractor.  It operates the grapple with ease.  I like the independent top clamps - The both drop at the same time, and when one meets resistance, it stops.  The second one continues to drop until it meets resistance.  This way you only need one pair of remotes.  Pretty cool

[Rob]

I wished id bought one when I was clearing my place in Fall City. Poor little tractor took a beating. Now I need on of a different size class.

Nice looking tractor!
Different land, different tools - one of my life lessons is that having the right tools makes a job so much easier...

I was commenting to someone else that I need a small tractor that can thread it's way thru trees.  A big tractor would not work on my small postage stamp of wooded land on a slope.  Conversely my little tractor would be useless on a large plot of land used for farming. 

[Ridgeratt]

What kind of lift do you have without the counterbalance on the back?

[highside74]

I have an Everything Attachments Wicked 66. A grapple is by far the most versatile thing a property owner can have for their tractor. My grapple is on the front 100% of the time unless I need the bucket or forks.

Anyone that might get one be advised that a grapple can put a lot of uneven pressure on your loader arms that they aren't designed for. (I've seen videos of tweaked arms) Try your best to keep weight and work load even and centered as possible. Fight the urge to pry or push with the edges by themselves.

[Rob]

What kind of lift do you have without the counterbalance on the back?

I am not sure.  The numbers I provided were spec from the Mfg.  I always have something on the back.  The three point can lift 1808 and the box blade weighs 436

[Rob]

I have an Everything Attachments Wicked 66. A grapple is by far the most versatile thing a property owner can have for their tractor. My grapple is on the front 100% of the time unless I need the bucket or forks.

Anyone that might get one be advised that a grapple can put a lot of uneven pressure on your loader arms that they aren't designed for. (I've seen videos of tweaked arms) Try your best to keep weight and work load even and centered as possible. Fight the urge to pry or push with the edges by themselves.

Good to know about uneven pressure.  That could happen pretty easily. 

I have been thinking of getting one of the Everything attachment cutting edges for my bucket.  I hear they are fantastic.

[EnglishSetter]

Nice. Been considering a grapple for my Vermeer tracked mini skid (Dingo style).  I thought the 4 way bucket would suffice.  It does pretty good with a single log but not a bundle of smaller logs and leaves something to be desired on brush.

I passed up a Chinesum grapple at Ritchie Bros a month ago, then coulda really used it a couple days later.

[Rob]

I like those 4 way buckets - they seem like a decent compromise.  But if you find yourself doing the same task over and over, having a specialized tool will work better I suppose.

What I like about the clamshell grapples over root and rock grapples (See first photo below) is that you do not have to "scoop up" your payload.  You can hover over it and drop onto it and grab.  Many of the root/brush style grapples also have side bracing that would hinder picking up a bundle of logs (See second photo).  They do however look like they might take a bigger bite of stuff.

I am thinking once I excavate a large rock, I can probably just hover the clamshell over it and pluck it out of the ground like a carrot.  At least in my mind I can - reality will need to prove that out.

 

Those Vermeer's are nice!

[Happy Gilmore]

I wished id bought one when I was clearing my place in Fall City. Poor little tractor took a beating. Now I need on of a different size class.

Nice looking tractor!
Different land, different tools - one of my life lessons is that having the right tools makes a job so much easier...

I was commenting to someone else that I need a small tractor that can thread it's way thru trees.  A big tractor would not work on my small postage stamp of wooded land on a slope.  Conversely my little tractor would be useless on a large plot of land used for farming.

I cleared my Fall City 5 acres of blackberry and alder jungle with my kubota
.

[Happy Gilmore]

Needed to mow some millet on the new place as part of normal harvesting practices.

[Rob]

Blackberries...  One thing I do not miss after moving to ID.

I do however miss the honey the bees made from the BB nectar flow and the few weeks of berry production.  But I do NOT miss the 8 foot tall fields of blackberries with canes 2 inches across!