grapple bucket

[dave esterns]

so out of the millions of options, i think i have narrowed my choices down to a flat bottom grapple bucket, rock bucket grapple bucket, or tine grapple bucket. looking to primarily load bedding pack manure and occasionally clear out some fence lines. can't decide which would be most strategic.

 

[Bumpsteer]

I went with the Bobcat industrial grapple, solid bottom & back with open sides and independent grapples.

When moving brush, there are always branches that want to go through an open back grapple and poke you. This eliminates that.

No idea how it would work on manure, I quit cleaning barns years ago......took to long to get the stink off the machine.

Ed

 

[hvy 1ton]

Ag/tine grapple will work best for manure, but might end up with bent tines clearing fence rows. I don't think the spacing and hump in rock buckets would lend itself to handling manure. A proper grapple bucket with the side cutouts is probably the best all-rounder. It can deal with just about anything, but it won't keep the dirt out like a grapple rake.

 

[hammerlaneh1]

A rock bucket can be the best of all 3 you can get 3/16 plate and weld 3/4 bolts on the side of 10 tines and have a solid bottom and a rock bucket two jobs one bucket

 

[Shimmy1]

We have a Virnig. It is way tougher than it looks. We use it for exactly the same things you describe. I would not hesitate to recommend it.
http://www.iowafarmequipment.com/virnig-skid-steer-skeleton-grapple.html

 

[62oliver]

I bought this one a number of years ago, it's a very well made bucket and works good, but if I was looking today I think I would be looking at some kind of skeleton rock bucket.

http://www.erskineattachments.com/industrial-tine-grapple

 

[StumpyWally]

Dave....have you considered something like this??
http://www.demo-dozer.com/
I don't have one, but I think I would choose this if I ever need any kind of a grapple...Pay particular attention to the 2" receiver tubes on the grapples...

 

[hammerlaneh1]

I have the demo dozer bucket with the removable plate bottom, it works awesome but it also is pretty expensive. We did the same concept to a rock grapple bucket from a company in North Carolina it was half the cost of the DD with the same result. The DD has a lot more engineering and R/D so we as consumers pay for that which is fine I’m in business and charge for my lack of knowledge and experience also.

 

[terex herder]

I've have a Faver grapple rake and I like it. Its has several hundred hours hard usage without bending a tine yet. The tines are AR400 and aren't tied together at the tip like many manufacturers.

 

[KSSS]

I don't move much manure. However I have the Virnig soid bottom scrape bucket and use for demo and moving rock. Excellent bucket, really well made and thought out. I have bought several of the Virnig dirt buckets and I don't think I will own anyone else's dirt bucket. You know it is good when your operators comment on much they like the bucket.

I also have a Quick Attach Saber tine bucket, it has 12' between the tines, which are really HD. I use it for handing trees, brush and large rock on land clearing jobs. It is a good bucket as well.

 

[Jbullfrog]

I have both Bobcat industrial/material and a root grapple. I had the material first and it's a great grapple, but not being able to see thru made it difficult working with trees and concrete. I like the visibility of the root grapple, but the large triangle catch on the ends of the tines can make it hard to dump when it's full of brush. I use the industrial grapple to clean hay manure away from the feeders on the concrete and clean out our cattle sheds with floors. It has a bolt-on cutting edge, so you could add a toothed edge for better digging. Each has it's place and sadly the one you need is usually not the one where you are.

 

[dave esterns]

so at this point i was not looking to spend 4000 dollars on a grapple bucket and I ran across this unit. made in USA at dirt cheap price so I bought it just for the heck of it.

http://www.tomahawkattachments.com/...MI9Je9uuO62QIVgkBpCh2j6g7HEAQYASABEgIe1_D_BwE

i am actually pretty surprised with it for how cheap it was. it would be ideal on a 1500 lb machine with an owner operator with half a brain running it. we got it on the 2200 lb machine and it is not bad at all. i liked the well protected cylinder and hoses compared to others i have seen. and i kind of liked the single grapple for simplicity and high cycle times loading manure. the only flaw i noticed was that the grapple bends the bucket edge a little when grapple is down. but the build quality and welds are some of the best i have seen. the bucket itself is built on the lighter side so u wouldn't want to beat on it too much but i like the fact that it is light weight because then you can carry a bigger load in the bucket.

we do have an 8 ft virnig snow bucket. probably have 5000 hours on it digging feed out of the bags, moving snow, general farm tasks and it has been a good bucket.

 

[Mark13]

Dave....have you considered something like this??
http://www.demo-dozer.com/
I don't have one, but I think I would choose this if I ever need any kind of a grapple...Pay particular attention to the 2" receiver tubes on the grapples...

I have a 78" removable floor Demo Dozer. I bought it after a few years of using a different brand bucket that I hated and a variety of different grapple buckets on friends machines or machines at work. After having the demo dozer for under a year, I wish I would have bought one the day I picked up my machine. Very well built, handier then I would have ever imagined, and well thought out.