Grapple for mini

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  • #26
Is mick correct in that you lose lifting height with the bmg? My dump trailer sits pretty high. I take the top wooden rail off as it is to load with the regular grapple.
 
The BMG KILLS IT!

Its like a micro combination of a dangle grapple skidder (free floating swivel) and logging shovel.


I've seen Vermeers in action in Augusts videos. It has a few tricks up its sleeve.


Hands down, BMG.


I tell people to buy the BMG, and rent a mini with aux hydraulics until they can afford a mini. That was the route I was heated, but bought a machine at the same time.


You can get BMG Scoops that attach to the grapple. Something that helps a lot for stump grinding material, and loose debris piles, as I've seen in videos.


You loose lift height with a power rotator and need 2 aux hydrualics, instead of one.
 
What machine are you using?

That is part of the problem, possibly. Smaller rental machines have lower lift heights.
 
Page, have you seen the sub 36" giant articulated tele-handlers? Bolt on duals.


I would like to have one instead of the mini. its a jump up in price, but a lot more performance IF it fits your market.
 
So here for example, you'd lose a mètre of lift height using a bmg.

Plus you'd have to get the balance just right to land it flat/straight compared to a grab like this.
 

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You might lose a little height in that configuration. But you can gain height as well. Think about heeling the log up so one end is high, other lower. Then slowly set it down, let go, back up, spike it with the top of the grapple and push.
 
Yah. I would suspect Micks guess at losing a metre of lift is way off, just look at the bmg in the pic I posted, it doesn't hang way down below the attachment plate. It's as Willie mentioned, think of heeling a log up.

It's also as Sean mentioned. Awesome. I used my mini on ground that it would normally never be able to travel on by using it in the same manner as a skidder in the woods can drag turns(a turn of logs) down terrain that the skidder would otherwise roll or tumble. By using the logs to stabilize and support.

I found the BMG to be awesome, a real game changer.
 
Also in using a grapple/bucket like in Micks picture it would seem to me the limiting factor more often than not is going to be your width, more than your actual capacity.

Again I relate it to logging. Forwarders don't carry logs sideways. If all yOu were doing was loading with it, as in your trailer/truck was right beside every tree, I could see a grapple like Mick pictured being an advantage. But if you are primarily moving the tree from somewhere like a backyard to where it's loaded, bmg all the way.

And with brush, I could feed my bandit 250xp like no tomorrow with the bmg, never to rarely having to handle any brush by hand. Drag, or heel it(like willie described) and travel backwards to the chipper and drop the butts on the tray, grab them a little longer with the grapple and jam em in.
 
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  • #35
Yeah it sounds pretty sweet. I'm looking at bobcat and toro right now. They seem common in this area and a good choice as far as people here will work on them and they are easy to get parts for. It's been a game changer already just renting it with the regular grapple.
 
I don't know if these pics are of any benefit or not
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The whole point of a BMG is it rocks at doing tree work. It was designed by a very smart tree guy with a flair for practicality. It will pick up weird shaped wood but more importantly IMO it will drag your brush. Think about that a second, no more dragging brush. I haven't dragged brush in years, if I cant get my equipment to it I don't do it. The only way to make money in this profession IMO is to mechanize. You have to be smart about your purchases and research what you are getting.

Mick your grapple looks nice but you can only carry as much brush as it can lift and only as long as your thinnest access width. A BMG will skid a 40' top through a 10' opening..... I know different markets...
 
A bucket or root rake grapple is great when you have wide openings to get through or a lot of smallish brush latex out every which way. They are a bit trickier to load a chipper with and like Paul said you are limited to you narrowest opening. I load higher than the actual lift hieght by doing what Willie said. I can't reach over my sides on the trailer but I've loaded logs clear up to the top with it. Best option is to have both. Still working on the root rake grapple. Gotta find time to research them.
 
Also you'll have to pick which machine. The bobcat mt has a different mounting plate than the toro. I ran a mt 85(?) this winter and wasn't overly impressed, but I never got to put it head to head with the Vermeer. One benefit of the bobcat is you can hook up to most standard skid steer attachments. I hooked it up to the power broom at work and cleaned the shop floor one morning. It also had enough ass to load the rockhound onto a trailer.
 
I agree, both would be nice. I need to get a rock /root rake with top clamp as well
 
Ok, I'm convinced, I'll get one in a few months when the dust has settled on my account.

Thanks for the pics and explanations.
 
Paul, your grapple has no rotator, true?
 
IMO a rotator would eat up precious lift capacity on a mini. Once an operator has a few hours he/she should be able to manipulate the knock around design with no problem without getting off the machine. It only takes a few inches of movement side to side with a tracked mini to move the grapple into position without turf damage.
 
Yah there should never be a reason to get off to have to position the grapple. It is easy peasy to knock, drag, tap, jostle you name it the grapple into the desired position. Once you start picking mushrooms with it like Willie, well, that's Jedi level.
 
I was the undisputed champ of the mini. A real smooth operator. I'm sure owning it, and having the most time on it helped possibly just a bit.
 
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