Brush Grubbing Bucket - small one with a grapple.

[John-W-WI]

With all of this cold weather I find myself sitting at my computer more than I would like. To try to keep my sanity I have been working on a small grapple bucket for a skid steer. I have a couple acres to clear in the spring that has brush and no big trees. So here is my attempt at a bucket. The design isn't final yet, I haven't decided what I want to do at the end of the grapple, where it meets the bucket. A couple more cold days and I'll have it figured out:







Everything is made out of 3/8" thick steel (the thickest I can weld at home) and I doubled up the spots that need a little help. Also added some holes for plug welding and slot and tabbed where I could so it self-fixtures:




In one of his videos @Prof.Kent mentioned he teaches 3D modeling. That's what made me think of sharing this build. I have others I'll share in the future.

-John

 

[Bill]

Build two while you’re at it :)

That just looks like something I would need. Don’t know why, just seems like I need one...

 

[Big Snow Man]

I believe these are on the market

 

[Tree Spud]

I like it ...

I would consider replaceable edges on lower bucket lip and angled sides.

Not sure if you have considered the stress along the long horizontal welds on the bucket when digging and lifting. That's a long bucket with long welds. Would consider gussets on back wall to lower bucket floor and gussets on side walls & side wall to floor.

 

[John-W-WI]

Don’t know why, just seems like I need one...

Yeah, it's one of those tools you don't need very often, but nice to have. Like a dump trailer (which I still don't own by the way).

Not sure if you have considered the stress along the long horizontal welds on the bucket when digging and lifting. That's a long bucket with long welds. Would consider gussets on back wall to lower bucket floor and gussets on side walls & side wall to floor.

Good catch @Tree Spud - I built a round version of this a few years ago for trenching and digging. It has the gussets you are talking about I believe. I used it this fall to put a "turd in a punch bowl" rubbing post on a foodplot:








It has a pointed tip, which makes it not very good at grubbing. When you try to get under a tree with it, the tree always wants to go to one side or the other. That's why I'm building the new one with the inverted v to hopefully make the root ball want to stay centered on the bucket and the small grapple to hold onto it. Also agree on something replaceable on the front.

Thanks for the input - that's exactly what I was hoping for. Sometimes you stare at something long enough and you can't see the obvious.

-John

 

[H20fwler]

That thing blows my mind! Looks like something from robot wars on steroids...well done John!

 

[John-W-WI]

That thing blows my mind! Looks like something from robot wars on steroids...well done John!

Right up there with your Scotch Eggs.... There is always something new for everyone

 

[jsasker007]

Looks fancy but brush doesn't grab very easily and in my opinion the root grapples that are already on the market have spent LOTS of money on research and development to figure out what works the best. I think you'd be better off just copying a design that's already been tested and proven to work. 3/8" plate is extreme overkill in my opinion.(which is worth very little)

 

[Red Picqua]

i think the grapple is gonna give you problems if you use it as a spade. i would move the brace on the top that holds the ram towards the tractor/skidsteer more. that should give you more of an opening. I don't think you would want that interfering with digging operation. you could put the front brace on the ram on a slight hinge. meaning have it move a few degrees back and forth to compensate for the larger opening with ram. I think if you move the back of the ram too far it won't close??? I like it though. IMO

The Danuser intimidator is a nice implement.

 

[Catscratch]

Will the grapple not be in the way if you tilt it down and try to get under a root ball? With that said your soil looks sandy with no rocks. That gives a lot of leeway.

 

[WeedyJ]

How much is that to make? Why not a good stump bucket with a grapple?

 

[OakSeeds]

Yesterday I watched a fellow clear AO with a Track Cat skid steer with a grapple-rake attachment. Something like the one shown here …
/www.palletforks.com/84-extreme-hd-root-grapple-rake-skid-steer-attachment-clamshell.html?msclkid=594302dbbc5f1a98d4955e6b5e390d8c&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=PF%20-%20Product%20Listing%20Ads&utm_term
It was incredibly amazing how the machine ate mature (good size) OA like a kid munching on cookies; it was a larger Cat skid steer with Tracks (probably essential for bigger jobs/vegetation.