Poor Man’s “Grapple Fork”

“I built what I call a ‘poor man’s’ grapple fork using an old steel railroad tie that I chained to the bucket on my Kubota 23 hp. loader tractor. The railroad tie holds the load together, allowing me to haul loads 3 times bigger than the bucket could by itself. Works great to haul and load loose material such as compost, brush and mulch,” says Quinton Tschetter, Oskaloosa, Iowa.

            He welded chain hooks to both sides of the bucket. He also welded a pair of hooks onto a 6-ft. long steel railroad tie. A pair of 7-ft. long chains with clevises attach to the hooks. 

            To grab a pile of brush, Tschetter drives forward until the railroad tie is up and over the pile and then lowers it to the ground. He then backs up, with the railroad tie dragging along the ground until the chains are tight. He lowers the bucket to the bottom of the pile, then drives forward again, pushing the bucket under the pile.  

            “The farther I push the bucket under the pile, the bigger the load gets,” says Tschetter. 

            Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Quinton Tschetter, 2379 Hwy. 92, Oskaloosa, Iowa 52577 (ph 641 660-9765; Qct1944@gmail.com).