"Made-It-Myself" Brush Grapple

Made-It-Myself Brush Grapple TRACTORS Loaders Picking up logs brush and downed tree limbs is an easy job for Joseph Baril since he built a brush grapple for the front-end loader on his Kubota 24 tractor     He used flat steel to build the grapple and bolted it to the 4-ft 2-in wide bucket on the tractor     “I saved a lot of money and it’s built heavy to stand up to a lot of tough use ” says Baril “It’s big enough to pick up large quantities of brush and wood yet is lightweight enough for my 24-hp tractor ”     The grapple fork has nine 2-ft long curved shanks spaced about 6 in apart Each shank measures 2-in wide by 1/4-in thick The grapple fork swivels up and down on a long shaft that’s connected to 1-in thick bolts which go through heavy steel brackets that bolt onto both sides of the bucket A pair of hydraulic cylinders are used to raise and lower the entire unit     The grapples are made from 2-in wide by 1/4-in thick flat steel cut and welded together at an angle They’re welded to a rectangular frame made of 4-in high steel for reinforcement “The frame gives the grapple forks strength so they won’t bend under pressure ” says Baril     A pair of old truck springs cut down to about 2 ft serve as forks and are bolted to the bucket’s floor The forks extend forward about 12 in     “I use it to handle everything from brush to big logs that I remove from my woods I’m amazed at how well it works ” says Baril “I never have to get off the tractor at all I just scoop the branches with the forks to line them up clamp down on them and move them wherever I want to The shanks open up about 7 ft high so I can pick up really big loads ”     Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Joseph Baril P O Box 292 Marlow N H 03456 ph 603 446-2292; joe@barils com

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