# clark grapple vs deere 540 grapple



## dozerman37 (Jul 17, 2010)

anyone got any advice on these two machines? im looking for a grapple skidder, and the timberjack 240 grapples are very very hard to find. so i found some others. any words?


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## joesawer (Jul 20, 2010)

What Clark did you find.
I ran a 1988 667 Clark for quite a while and really liked it.


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## upstateny (Jul 20, 2010)

The 540, depending on tires/wheels, and hours on the machine, maybe the one to stay away from. They are tall and top heavy as it is, then add tall narrow tires (I cant remember the notation from tire to tire), and depending on your terrain and experience in the seat of a JD, you might make yourself go :jawdrop: the first time you get the 540 up on 3 wheels!

The boss has a 665 Clarke (cable) and a 640D (cable also) and in steep ground the Clarke goes just as well as say a 230/240. Cant say much for how it is in off-camber situations as I've never ran it. From watching him run it, it seems to be very stable and I've seen it crawl places the 640 was just too big for.


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## tlandrum (Jul 20, 2010)

i vote clarke mainly becouse i've owned them. i had a 667d and now have a f66g grapple skidder. and its seems awsome on the steep stuff that i log.


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## nhlogga (Jul 26, 2010)

You are looking at two excellent machines. The Clark is a very tough and stable machine. What model Clark are you looking at? If it is an older one some parts may be difficult to find as Clark is no longer made. The Deere is also a great machine. They can be extremely tippy at times. Especially if it has 18.4 - 34 tires on it. The 23.1-26 or 28L-26 tires help with stablilty. As far as parts are concerned I don't think you'll have a hard time at all getting anything you need. If you get parts from Deere you better show up with a school bus packed tight with cash cause you'll need it. I own a Clark 664C cable and have run my fair share of Deeres. One thing the Deere has over the Clark is that the grapple has a constant lock meaning that when you pull the lever all the way to the close position the hydraulic system keeps pressure on the grapple at all times. The Clark doesn't have this. With the Clark you gotta Keep pushing on the lever every so often or your hitch will slide out of the grapple and cause you to say a few profane syllables. Also the Deere has 360 degree rotation on the grapple( unless it's a 548E ). The Clark does not. What model Clark are you looking at? How old are the Clark and the Deere?


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## 056 kid (Jul 26, 2010)

I would try and get atleast a 380 as far as TJs go. I dunno know much about other skidders, but I dont think you want a grapple skidder with a stick shift...


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## dozerman37 (Jul 28, 2010)

*grapple*

667, and a 540 deer. i saw a 540 boom grapple. looked excellent. tj 240 would be the best. but their impossible i mean impossible to find. but i seen plenty of clarks in remarkable good shape. i ran a 664 cable for a short time. i just dont like how thier so high up. our timberjack has the 18.4/34 tires on it as well as our cat 518 and they are a little bit tippy or uneasy as one might say. i would defntly go with the 26 size tires, most guys say that the deere is better over the clark from what ive read here and seen. but the deer is also $$$pricey but still made. its a delemma ughhh but thank you guys i really appreciate it.


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## jay_d (Aug 11, 2010)

if you got the money id say a 450 timberjack is the best all around skidder, the single arch ones crawl around on a hill pretty good, and they are simple to work on. I dont like jd b/c the parts are high. ive ran a 666 clarke before (good machine, but the timberjack moves much faster. and owned a 667 before, it would pull a bigger load than my 450c, but didnt move as fast.


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## Oldtimer (Aug 11, 2010)

To heck with both.

Go find a JD 648D or E. Simple to work on, but they run and run and run...so you won't work on them much. Best machine Deere ever made was the 648D DUAL ARCH. A single arch is no good if you are cutting with a chainsaw. Using a fellerbuncher and picking up ready made bunches, not so bad.

The 648 will move 2x as much wood as the 548, but it will not use 2x as much fuel. And when it comes time to shove a big burly tree over with the arch, it will not fail you.

Hardwick Mass, there's a 648D or E for sale in craigslist for $12,500. Same guy has a newer Cat 525 DA for $21K.


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## nhlogga (Aug 17, 2010)

Oldtimer said:


> To heck with both.
> 
> Go find a JD 648D or E. Simple to work on, but they run and run and run...so you won't work on them much. Best machine Deere ever made was the 648D DUAL ARCH. A single arch is no good if you are cutting with a chainsaw. Using a fellerbuncher and picking up ready made bunches, not so bad.
> 
> ...




I agree to a point. I would take the 648D over the E any day due to the constant rotation of the grapple. On the E the grapple hoses hang off the back of the boom. Push a tree over with the boom and see ya to the hoses unless you weld a pusher on the boom. Go to the G series and newer now ya got somethin'. More electronics but so does everything.


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## jay_d (Aug 17, 2010)

just find a good 460 dual arch, monster size cab....fast hydraulics, locking grapple....a real nice one can be had for around 25k


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## 2dogs (Aug 17, 2010)

I ran a Clark a couple of years ago. Loud and under powered. It blew a motor not long after I used it.


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## tlandrum (Aug 18, 2010)

2dogs said:


> I ran a Clark a couple of years ago. Loud and under powered. It blew a motor not long after I used it.



i bet it had a detroit in it, thats the loudest thing youll ever run. my clark ranger f66g has a 210hp 6bt cummins in it and is very quiet. it will pull whatever you can get in the grapple.


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## jay_d (Aug 18, 2010)

yeah clarkes are damn good skidders, they are just a little bit slow at moving. they are geared really low

anything with a detroit is gonna be loud and weak, unless its a 60 series like they put in the big trucks, those are awesome motors


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## 380LGR (Aug 18, 2010)

Stay away from the Deere unless u go with atleast a E series. The D in 640-648 stands for dinosaur.. The Clark is at least 80%of the shelf parts just like Timberjack that means you can get parts pretty much anywhere.


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## Oldtimer (Aug 19, 2010)

380LGR said:


> Stay away from the Deere unless u go with atleast a E series. The D in 640-648 stands for dinosaur.. The Clark is at least 80%of the shelf parts just like Timberjack that means you can get parts pretty much anywhere.



My friends Dino pulls wood every day. It's required a U-joint since he's owned it, 4 years now. That's all. The D is simple enough for a landing mechanic to fix. Later years, not so much.


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## jay_d (Aug 19, 2010)

which series jd did the cab turn over first on? if the cab turns over its gonna be a pita to work on


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## Oldtimer (Aug 20, 2010)

jay_d said:


> which series jd did the cab turn over first on? if the cab turns over its gonna be a pita to work on



The G series maybe? I know the D is old school. 

A poll in timber harvesting magazine had the 648D as the "favorite" skidder because it was reliable and easier to work on than newer machines. I know the D I have run was a pulling biatch.


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## 380LGR (Aug 20, 2010)

I owned a 648D for years... Its a big heavy under powerd beast. If u think they are easy to work on they have a very complicated hyd system on them.


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## Oldtimer (Aug 20, 2010)

380LGR said:


> I owned a 648D for years... Its a big heavy under powerd beast. If u think they are easy to work on they have a very complicated hyd system on them.



Some are more peppy than others. My friend's 2 648D grapples are night and day different. One seems sluggish and ponderous, the other has double the snap and runs circles around the former.

BOTH put my C5D Twig Farmer to shame. 

It's all relative. As for the O-P's question, I have NO DOUBT (personally) that a 648 D/A with a winch would serve him better than either the clark or the 548. 
I would find a 648D/E/G Dual Arch with a winch, or perhaps a Cat 525 or 535 DA with a winch if I were him.


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## nhlogga (Aug 21, 2010)

jay_d said:


> which series jd did the cab turn over first on? if the cab turns over its gonna be a pita to work on



GII series. The tip over cab makes it easier to work on 99% of the time imo.


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