Best grapple for mini ???

NE Tree

NE Tree

Branched out member
Location
fremont, Ne
We are getting a second mini and another grapple to go with it. We currently have a ditch witch sk650 that we have been using a BMG with for the last couple years and I love it. I recently demo'd a vermeer 725 with a vermeer grapple. I have gotten pretty good at the free hanging style of the branch manager and had a hard time in the brush with the vermeer. What I did like about the vermeer grapple was the holding power (I tried it on both mini's with similar results). I've been looking around and found a video on the Beaver squeeze grapple. No experience with this brand but a but more pricey at around $6500 or so if I remember correctly. I would love to hear everyone's thoughts and experiences. Thanks, Steve
 
Right, clamping strength. Working with the BMG, when we get into the large trunk wood( say over 30 inches or maybe a little bigger, the clamping strength seemed to be lacking in power. This could be due to the smaller sized cylinder used, I noticed the vermeer had quite a bit larger diameter cylinder. Maybe the HD BMG might be a good option. Do they fit on a mini mounting plate?
 
Just small pieces of scrap steel. I think less than 1/4 thick. I actually think they were cut offs from blunting up a piece of angle iron so you wouldn't have the sharp corner sticking out. I'll get a pic tonight. It's really so simple that it took longer to post this than it did to weld them on

Sorry it was storming by the time I got in last night. In my soaking wet haste I forgot to get a photo.
 
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Finally got a photo. I warned you guys that it was nothing fancy. Quick and easyimage.webp
Looking at it now, I'm embarrassed of the crappy weld job I did. Like I said quick and easy
 
Best Grapple for my Mini? Nah, I'll pass.
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Wolter
 
I just had a one-way check valve installed on my bmg to prevent grapple release due to normal hydraulic bleeding. I'm only a week or two in, but it may hold slightly better. My Sk650/bmg combo is running its smoothest ever.

Nice teeth, treebilly. Got me considering...
 
It has been done, most commonly (to my knowledge) on 600 and 700 series Avants. The HD squeezes harder, is stronger and heavier... otherwise they're about the same.
 
Just saw a chart for a loader that showed its lifting ability right at the plate, out one third say, out half way, and at the tips of the forks. What struck me was that the lifting capability was about half out at the tips of the forks as compared to at the plate.

So then...every pound heavier a grapple is will reduce the lifting capacity by at least that much, sometimes multiples of that - on each pick. Right???

If that is correct how much heavier is the HD BMG? (What is the minimum capacity you lose on each lift?)

And don't you have another fix for that phenomena of bleed off coming Carl?
 
I'm not sure of the weight difference between the grapples themselves, but yes, the more the grapple weighs, the less you can lift, directly.


And yes, there is another fix coming, I don't know if it has arrived yet.
 
We have a Ryan's Equipment grapple on our mini(Vermeer s800tx) and love it. It's heavier than the BMG, it's more expensive than the BMG. this is the only grapple I have expierence with other then the one on the log truck, so it's hard to compare..ill try my best to answer any questions if you have any about it. Good luck with your decision.
 
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