Grapple Attachment

[bbill]

I have a New Holland L555 with a backhoe attachment. I would like to add a grapple attachment. My question is the hydraulics. There are two lines with quick disconnect fittings that run the backhoe. My thought is to mount a valve in the cab and copy the hydraulic circuit that is on a log splitter using the existing lines to power the grapple. I know enough about hydraulics to be dangerous at times, but this seems to be rather easy to do. Am I right? Any suggestions are appreciated. Thanks, Bill

 

[Hotrod1830]

You can always just add a "thumb" to it. It would allow you to pick stuff up with it, and would be simple and cheap.

 

[mmsllc]

You can always just add a "thumb" to it. It would allow you to pick stuff up with it, and would be simple and cheap.

I would suggest adding a simple thumb instead of a grapple. You can get a thumb for as low as $400. Then, just have a welder put it on for you. Keep it simple.

 

[bbill]

I would suggest adding a simple thumb instead of a grapple. You can get a thumb for as low as $400. Then, just have a welder put it on for you. Keep it simple.

I did not consider a thumb, but it looks interesting. If I understand the thumb attachment, I would still need to plumb in additional hydraulics to run the thumb cylinder. Also, after I posted the grapple question I was looking around the internet for ideas where to buy a grapple and came across an attachment that is a grapple rock bucket made by Tomahawk. I have been thinking about getting a rock bucket but can't find an excuse to buy one. The grapple rock bucket looks like I can kill two birds with one stone(less money). I am guessing this attachment is not as strong and rugged as a commercial grade piece of equipment, and equipment built for a single purpose generally outperform those that are multifunction. Since I am just a homeowner with a couple of acres of woods, something like this looks like it might work for me. Any comments or suggestions are greatly appreciated. Maybe I'll end up getting both the grapple and a thumb. I'm always looking for a reason to buy more attachments. Thanks, Bill

 

[Hotrod1830]

I did not consider a thumb, but it looks interesting. If I understand the thumb attachment, I would still need to plumb in additional hydraulics to run the thumb cylinder. Also, after I posted the grapple question I was looking around the internet for ideas where to buy a grapple and came across an attachment that is a grapple rock bucket made by Tomahawk. I have been thinking about getting a rock bucket but can't find an excuse to buy one. The grapple rock bucket looks like I can kill two birds with one stone(less money). I am guessing this attachment is not as strong and rugged as a commercial grade piece of equipment, and equipment built for a single purpose generally outperform those that are multifunction. Since I am just a homeowner with a couple of acres of woods, something like this looks like it might work for me. Any comments or suggestions are greatly appreciated. Maybe I'll end up getting both the grapple and a thumb. I'm always looking for a reason to buy more attachments. Thanks, Bill

A mechanical thumb has no hydraulics to it. It is just a "thumb" mounted(often bolted) to the Arm of the backhoe. You use the backhoe bucket to force whatever you are trying to pick-up against it. Acts same as a grapple, just with no moving parts to add.

 

[Hotrod1830]

A mechanical thumb has no hydraulics to it. It is just a "thumb" mounted(often bolted) to the Arm of the backhoe. You use the backhoe bucket to force whatever you are trying to pick-up against it. Acts same as a grapple, just with no moving parts to add.

The grapple buckets are really handy for picking up logs and brush. If you removed the backhoe attatchment, it will free up your auxillary hydraulics to run the grapple bucket. The thumbs are nice to have on a backhoe if you need to move something while digging. Other than that, a grapple bucket is much better for lifting stuff other than dirt and gravel.

 

[mmsllc]

The grapple buckets are really handy for picking up logs and brush. If you removed the backhoe attatchment, it will free up your auxillary hydraulics to run the grapple bucket. The thumbs are nice to have on a backhoe if you need to move something while digging. Other than that, a grapple bucket is much better for lifting stuff other than dirt and gravel.

I applaud your creativity & spirit towards adding a hydraulic thumb on a backhoe, but I think you are going to end up finding out that it is SO much more complicated than it is worth. YEAH, it would be COOL, but it will ("most likely") also be expensive. So, past the concept idea of it having to be hydraulic, why would a simple / manually adjustable thumb not work just the same, or far, far better? I would urge you to save your money for an excavator (328, 331, 431) with a hyd. thumb. They can dig far better than any backhoe attachment that I have ever seen in comparison.