Branch Manager Grapple.

colb said:
Wow, I emailed Branch Manager to get the spec on the bmg hydraulic ram so I could turf up an o ring for it. They are just sending me a new cylinder for free. Couldn't talk them out of it. It's like this every time I interact with them.

This is one of the great companies in America. They designed a superior money-making product, and they support the clients impeccably.
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I tweeked one of the tines/jaws on my BMG several years ago and I was sent a new replacement free of charge it arrived the next day. One hell of a fine company and one dang fine product!
 
flushcut said:
I tweeked one of the tines/jaws on my BMG several years ago and I was sent a new replacement free of charge it arrived the next day. One hell of a fine company and one dang fine product!
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How on earth did you tweak a tine?
BranchManagerAttachments said:
Colb,

Thanks a bunch for the kind words!



We have a kit available similar to the Avant to swap over a machine to that FasterConnect cam system. Originally intended for the Giant 254T loaders but people have converted their Vermeer, Ditch Witch, etc.

Same origin as the Avant cam system but with single auxiliary (2 hoses) instead of their 4 port version. Keeps the price and form factor lower. Our kit has the bracketing for the Giant 254T that you can use as a jumping point for your machine.
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Can't stack plywood on that tho... My biggest beef with the bmg is the bollard pin that faces up and tilts my plywood. It's already balancy and that bollard pin does not help, lol.
 
colb said:
How on earth did you tweak a tine?

Can't stack plywood on that tho... My biggest beef with the bmg is the bollard pin that faces up and tilts my plywood. It's already balancy and that bollard pin does not help, lol.
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Stand the plywood on its long side and pinch 6 3/4" sheets at once.
I was grabbing a pile of brush and something in the stack caused the jaws to miss align tweeking it some how. But I have never had an issue since, one of those freak things I guess.
 
There's three of us that locally that have torn up the jaws on bmg. I know we tore mine up just grabbing brush and logs. I can't say for the other guys. I made all of us some super heavy duty jaws with teeth and they have held up great since then. I really do like the BMG and understand tree folks are rough on stuff.
 
colb said:
How on earth did you tweak a tine?


Can't stack plywood on that tho... My biggest beef with the bmg is the bollard pin that faces up and tilts my plywood. It's already balancy and that bollard pin does not help, lol.
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A $4 ratchet strap on the lowest piece, with a 540 degree wrap somewhere on the boom might help. Balance over the pin, not the boom, maybe,

or

fab a little bracket that slips over the pin and the other round tube on the far side of the boom, maybe, making a stable, flat carrying surface.
 
@rugger01

Here's a couple of pictures. They work better than smooth jaws to keep stuff from slipping out when it's small enough you don't really have it clamped tight. Stuff still slips at times but it's better. Larger stuff doesn't seem to make a lot of difference unless it's a really weird shaped piece. They are also built out of thicker plate and have more reinforcements. I made the ones in these pictures in 2016. I have made more since for myself and some friends. I have a cnc plasma table in our shop that I cut all the pieces on.





 
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Fivepoints said:
@rugger01

Here's a couple of pictures. They work better than smooth jaws to keep stuff from slipping out when it's small enough you don't really have it clamped tight. Stuff still slips at times but it's better. Larger stuff doesn't seem to make a lot of difference unless it's a really weird shaped piece. They are also built out of thicker plate and have more reinforcements. I made the ones in these pictures in 2016. I have made more since for myself and some friends. I have a cnc plasma table in our shop that I cut all the pieces on.

-IMAGES-
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@Fivepoints that's awesome! I actually have a picture saved of that arm that I saw another forum from years ago! Cool to see them painted & on the grapple. Loving the red. Looks like you need some red spiral wrap for your hoses to match those arms, we'll get some going your way :)

We've thrown around the idea a bit of adding teeth and ended up with a few sharp teeth towards the tips of the arms- very popular request- picture attached. Dave & I didn't think about rounded teeth/nubs going that far though. Hmm... Wondering if it'll work ok with the BMG Rake. Great ideas.

In the last year and a half we've made a good handful of changes to the original BMG to beef it up a bit, thicker steel, more reinforcements on the arms, grease fitting locations, tolerances, Grade 8 bolt pins, no more flexlock & jam nut on the center bolt... All backwards compatible.

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Love all the BMG ideas & modifications I've seen online, talked about in person at shows and hey maybe we'll integrate them like the receiver hitch, bollards, scabbards, pusher etc :)

Thanks,
-Blake
 
Blake,

I'm glad you guys didn't take my earlier post as a slam. It wasn't at all but I was really hoping it didn't come across wrong.

I've made two sets of the arms like shown above. I made a plain set as well. The guy that has the plain set bought one of the very first bmg. He's used it so much he has wore out the hanger that has the two bolts perpendicular. We made him another one with bushings in it this time around. His was so early it was just a drilled piece of square tubing. His didn't have any teeth on the mounting plate itself either. Nothing to heal a log up to.

We also put spikes on the front of the top horizontal tube to help push logs into the truck. It looks like you guys have really incorporated that well into the bracket that hangs the grapple, now. That's great as it makes it much more useful loading into a truck.

A rake is on my wishlist. On of the other local guys has one. We work together sometimes. I keep meaning to try the rake with my toothed jaws. I'll let you know when I do.
 
Thanks for the pics. That's cool. I would be curious as to the rake and scoops. I have and use both. They rock.
 
After seeing my buddies rake in action, I'm either going to buy one or make one. Seems like the rake coupled with our grapple truck is the best way to clean up big pine tree messes, etc. We have a regular trash grapple on ours so it works well for picking up piles of rakings. I was previously thinking about getting a powerbroom but its really not needed. It would take longer to swap it out vs using the bmg rake.
 
Blake, how do those three teeth at the ends of the new BMG work for holding onto big pumkin log pieces when you grab rounded sides?

Or rounds that are so heavy you can only cut them 16" long and grab the flat sides???
 
Fivepoints said:
After seeing my buddies rake in action, I'm either going to buy one or make one. Seems like the rake coupled with our grapple truck is the best way to clean up big pine tree messes, etc. We have a regular trash grapple on ours so it works well for picking up piles of rakings. I was previously thinking about getting a powerbroom but its really not needed. It would take longer to swap it out vs using the bmg rake.
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The rake is great on pavement all that is left is dust and saw chips.
 
I've always wanted to try the powerbroom. I feel like it would be great, but too expensive to buy in the dark without trying it first.... Anyone got any videos????
 
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Not a video of the broom in action, but an example. We pulled over this old declining horse chestnut the other day. It was right around 36". Chipped all the brush, moved the wood, then busted out the broom. It took me 20 minutes all by myself to clean up that whole yard and the gravel driveway. I timed it. Off to the right are some woods/shit pile. I pushed everything into a windrow, then plowed it all into the woods.

If you can drop a 36" tree and clean up the rakings in 20 minutes with one person..... That's a money maker!

I've been doing this "back and forth" sort of rake stroke with the broom that helps get much more debris than if you just put the broom down and go like a snow plow. It's especially necessary on uneven terrain, where you'll be pushing the broom then just basically lose everything. It takes a bit of practice. What I did when I first got it was try to use it like a snow plow. You'll get a bunch of debris cleaned up, but you'll be annoyed because it doesn't really get everything. You'll think you just wasted a thousand bucks on something that doesn't really work.
You have to go back and forth and get the broom at the right height/angle and use some finesse and you'll be able to get a lot more of the debris. On pavement the snow plow method works just fine.
 
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