new attachment

[John D]

I picked up a used root grapple recently,and got to really use it for the first time today.It works great,what an easy way to pick up and move logs. I picked up a 60-70 ft long locust easily with it,also works great for limbing,and clearing brush.I brought in a bunch of dead treed locust mostly today.Im trying to get everything out of the woods before it thaws out,and i make a mess getting to it all.My OWB has been rewarding,I really like taking trees that are going to waste and heating my home.

 

[John D]

By dumb luck,look how perfectly my Husky box fits in the grapple ,makes it easy when heading out to cut and load. A pic of some of the wood I took in today,it was hanging,dead for a few years,nice and dry,but in a dangerous position.I am no expert logger,I wouldnt try taking these trees without equipment,too much risk for me,esp alone.

 

[John D]

Pulling one out

 

[Nailsbeats]

Nice, welcome to the grapple club. They are awesome tools. Now go get some over the tire tracks on that machine and you'll see another huge improvement.

 

[Rusty99]

Nice Husky Box, I just picked one up to put my MS 260 in. Haven't really used it yet, how do you like it?

 

[John D]

Nice Husky Box, I just picked one up to put my MS 260 in. Haven't really used it yet, how do you like it?

I have one for each of my huskys, I love them.They take a beating and protect the saw.I also keep my oil,extra chains,and tolls in there as well.If they arent i nthe box,they get banged up.The boxes have been great so far.Im nto gentle on them either,I slam them apart,and together,and no breakage even below zero.
I got a few more pics here,I wasnt able to get out and take some pics wit hthe logs in the grapple,but I was able to pick every log up I pulled and set them in the area where I have them for now.

 

[John D]

A few more ,I'm happy with what i got done,now its all on my property,where I can cut it to 12 ft lengths,and stack it in piles for next year,as I dont think I'll need it this year. I used my little 345 today also,havent used it in a while,that is nice little saw,very light,although it feels a little weak after running the 460,and dads 041 Stihl.

 

[John D]

I still have about as much as I took in left to get. Hopefully ill get it tomorrow.i spent about an hour today getting what I did,but i was alone,and had to clear my way to the work site with the grapple and saw,thru the downed trees to get there.

 

[alderman]

Nice tools

I'd like to get hold of one of those for about 6 months.

 

[John D]

last ones for now. Its hard to get pics while working,esp when working solo. My little Cat is a beast.The longest tree is probably 80ft +,could be bigger,and it had no trouble taking it in one shot.Cant tell very well from the pics,but the trees were laying over a steep drop off about 15-20 ft,and had to be pulled up it and over the top.It was a job just getting the chain around a few of them,and getting a cut,it was so steep

 

[John D]

Heres what I got last week before I had the grapple,I used the pallet forks to get this stuff. Im trying to get good wood for the next few yrs.Ive got a ton to take down this spring,but it wont be ready to burn til 2010-11,but il lget it to log length for now this summer,and cut up by fall,so it has a yr after that.This stuff I got now is mostly ready to burn.

 

[mtfallsmikey]

How much is a used grapple like that one?

 

[whitedogone]

http://hattiesburg.craigslist.org/grd/1012796561.html

 

[John D]

How much is a used grapple like that one?

Like anything else,some brands are better than others,in both build quality and materials used. Mine is a quickattach, a top rated company with reguard to skid steer attachments.I could have gotten a no name brand a little cheaper,but these things take a beating,and I have friends who have the same unit I found and work them hard with no problems.The one listed in this thread looks to be beefy unti lyou look at the main frame attachment points to the attachemnt plate.Compare them to mine.

Here is what i got used. I paid less than 1/2 the price of a new one.They are 4000+ for a 72" now.
http://www.quick-attach.com/attachments_catalog/?view=quick_claw&p=4

 

[STLfirewood]

Like nails said get some over the tire tracks it will turn your machine in to whole new one. You wouldn't have to use that chain very much. You would just latch on to the end of the tree and pull it out. Tracks really save you a lot of work.

Also on that craigslist ad. does anyone else fond it funny when someone posts an ad that says hurry if it doesn't sell I'm going to raise my price. That's not a bad price on that grapple but the are a lot better deals out there. I bought mine off e-bay for 1k. It is close to 80"s. It was new also.

Scott

 

[John D]

Like nails said get some over the tire tracks it will turn your machine in to whole new one. You wouldn't have to use that chain very much. You would just latch on to the end of the tree and pull it out. Tracks really save you a lot of work.

Also on that craigslist ad. does anyone else fond it funny when someone posts an ad that says hurry if it doesn't sell I'm going to raise my price. That's not a bad price on that grapple but the are a lot better deals out there. I bought mine off e-bay for 1k. It is close to 80"s. It was new also.

Scott

Thanks guys for the suggestion,I intend to get OTT,but I need to repalce both rear tires first because they are slightly smaller than the new fronts i installed this summer when i bought it. The difference in height would kill the chains inside,so by the time I get tires,and OTT tracks,im looking at a few thousand bucks.I just dont have the extra now,the grapple was more important,and the price was right,ive been looking for a quick attach now for a while.Hopefully over the summer I will be able to afford the tires,and OTT's for next winter.At the rate im going I should have enough firewood for next winter soon.
In this case I couldn't have pulled the trees out with the machine,the pics dont do it justice,there is a steep drop off,the trees were gowing on a ledge,probably why they blew over in the first place,Thefell down the hill,with a small step over them as well.It was all i could do to stand on the hillside to put the chain around them.Once i did, i yanked them right out with the machine.Had I been able to get right up to them,no doubt it would have pulled them out.These are the last ones I want to get this winter,and i saved the hardest for last,im headed out today to get the rest.

 

[K7NUT]

:jawdrop:
Thanks for the pic's and info. I bet that's alot of work! I can imagine getting in and out of that cat to hook up, unhook and what not and on top of that, you thought of us BORED out of work wood cutters, THANKS!

From the snows of Oregon

 

[fishercat]

that is the one i have.

http://hattiesburg.craigslist.org/grd/1012796561.html

i bought it with my Mahindra tractor new.i use it all the time.it's on more than any other attachment.i couldn't live without it.

it's made by W.R. Long Inc. in NC. Great guys!

 

[gink595]

Like said earlier, welcome to the grapple club!!! Awesome attachemnet for sure and a real time saver. I couldn't live without one, I come up with reasons for using it. Enjoy!!

 

[tballard]

I've got that same grapple on an ASV 4810. Man, that thing is an awesome tool! If you get the chance, crush a junk car with that thing. It's TONS of fun to crush one and sling it around like a rag doll...