Last weekend I picked up a new grapple for my tractor. I knew the weather was going to be beautiful for this time of year so I took a day of vacation and ran the hydraulics for it. Then I got to use it! This will make our "wood working" much easier!
When you get good with it you can pick up 2 of those logs at a time and 3 to 4 smaller ones at a time. We have one to use on a Bobcat. They are great!! And when it comes to moving a brush pile its a snap!!!
That's awesome! I want a bale spear for my tractor. Not because I have any bales to spear... but just because it would be bad arse. hee hee.
I'm guessing you have the grader on the back for balance. LOL Too many logs and you'll have the tires off the ground. LOL One of my buddies here in NY just turned his tree lopper on it's side. Drove up with the monster, sawed the tree and the unbalanced weight turned the machine instantly on it's side. LOL
Gosh, I'd love to have something like that. Think I could justify it with only a acre and a half of land?
Finch, anything over 1/10 acre justifies a riding mower around here so why Wouldn't a tractor be needed on an acre and a half?
Those pics are of my land. I used the grapple to make a landing where I'll be cutting and splitting most of our wood. Right now we're gathering and cutting standing dead and blow downs. Those 2 logs (trees) were getting close to the limits of my tractor. The rear blade is on and ready for winter or I'd have my back hoe on. It is definitely used for ballast. My tires are fill with rim guard for ballast as well. The rears hold 600 lbs each and that whole set up weighs about 7000 lbs. When I picked up those trees I could feel the back of the tractor getting light. The grapple works great. Drive up to the blow down, drag it into position then pick it up from the side and start cutting. I would take cuts on both sides to keep it from being imbalanced. When the tree is cut, grapple up the logs and put them into a pile for splitting. You can also use the grapple for uprooting small trees and sapplings. Drive up, poke the tines into the ground under the roots and pop them out. I save all the limbs and branches in a separate pile, then have a friend come over and chip them into a pile to be used for trails and such. Thanks for the replies.
Oh dear.....my target price for my tractor purchase just went up. Greg, if you don't mind, what'd that set ya back? I planned on getting a snow blade when I get the tractor, but recently found a steal on a Hiniker for my truck, so I may just have to get that grappler instead of the snow blade.
