Just scored a me ramrod.

[imagineero]

I did hear the diesel's cold starting is not so great. It gets way cold up here.

If you operate any diesel machinery and live in cold territory it's a good idea to carry one of those small $2 propane torches with you, they use the same disposable gas canisters that the portable cookers use. The gas is cheap. If you happen to be in the middle of nowhere and your truck/machinery wont start due to extreme cold or your glowplugs having gone bad then pull the inlet pipe off as close to the intake manifold as you can, crank the torch and put a little fire in her belly. Just have the torch hovering above the opening, and when you crank it will pretty much suck the flame right down the barrel. Will get most engine started first crank no matter how cold, I've used it down to about -30c with good effect. Could save your life. If you cant get your truck started for other reasons, then those propane torches make short work of getting a fire started.

Shaun

 

[arbor pro]

Yeah we have redesigned the edge, and will have an option for bolt on teeth.
I have not run the scoop day in day out, and I am waiting for the second generation. My initial thoughts are that it will hold up fine on Mulch and stump grindings. Now when it has teeth and you get a good bite on say a root or rock whatever and if the operator starts wrenching on it it will bend.
Remember it has to be made light enough for the machines to lift it + a load.
If I built it heavier to compensate for S____d, I mean an agressive operator, it would severely limit payload and more of a PIA to attach.

Where in the world are you? I might take on your trial challenge

Dave,

Picked up a used BM a month ago along with a used dingo from a tree guy in MN who went out of business. Unfortunately, I didn't find the BM to be as useful as my custom bucket grapple (see attached). I could only pick up 'perfectly stacked' piles and always left stragglers behind. my bucket grapple allows me to plow into debris and create a pile before picking it up. No hand work required to stack piles.

Good news is I didn't have a hard time selling the BM to a tree guy in Denver. He was more than happy to take it off my hands and put it to work on a sk500 I sold him a few months ago. He loves the BM so, to each his own I guess. I just like my bucket grapple.

Said I would give you a fair review if I ever got the chance to try one out. I think it's a good attachment - it just doesn't serve my purpose as well as the bucket grapple I had built...

AP

 

[arbor pro]

couple more pics of grapple...

 

[Saw Dust Smoken]

grapple

Arbor pro do you have fenced in yards there? Or gate at each end of house? End gate post at house wall. No room for limbs\sticks hanging out each end of grapple. Most larger city\town have fenced yards. For open areas sure yours will do fine. Yes the BM will push things into a pile. Operator knowledge and practice. Push piles and pick up toothbrush off golf course. Love your grapple Dave.

I should demo Arbor pro's bucket style grapple for a year. Give it a fair workout and report.

 

[StevenBiars]

I heard it will lift more if yer fat buddy stands behind you and gives you the reach around.

[video=youtube;P2vkiLHiTcY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2vkiLHiTcY[/video]

 

[arbor pro]

Arbor pro do you have fenced in yards there? Or gate at each end of house? End gate post at house wall. No room for limbs\sticks hanging out each end of grapple. Most larger city\town have fenced yards. For open areas sure yours will do fine. Yes the BM will push things into a pile. Operator knowledge and practice. Push piles and pick up toothbrush off golf course. Love your grapple Dave.

I should demo Arbor pro's bucket style grapple for a year. Give it a fair workout and report.

we do have gates but usually I can just raise the loader arms and grapple up and over the top of the fence. very few times I couldn't clear a gate by doing that.

as I said, to each his own. I'm not selling prototypes of my grapple so, it doesn't matter to me what folks use - just sharing my 2 cents about what works best for me. I'm sure that with practice I would have gotten better with the BM but I could tell right away it wan't going to be replacing my bucket grapple.

Just for the sport of it, I would love to go head to head with dave's grapple just to really see which is faster. Who knows - maybe the BM would win...but, then again, maybe not.