EA vs Homestead

[lakehouse_dreaming]

I am in the market to buy a grapple for my L3901 and I am down to two different ones, the EA wicked 55" root grapple and the Homestead Independence Series. Both seem like they would be great for what I am going to do which is clearing out some privot and other brush as well as handling downed trees to cut for firewood.

Lets hear pros and cons for each.

 

[Daferris]

I chose the EA one because of the serrations on both the bottom and the lid. However I ordered it Sept 17 and last time I checked it's expected to ship in February...

 

[MapleLeafFarmer]

I own the same EA grapple for almost 10 years and it has been bullet proof with exception of hydraulic hose from lid cyl. rubs on frame and by time I noticed rubber was already being roughed off. I covered with a sleeve and zip tied it to the side and original still working fine. I have no regrets and works as expected. Still looks like new after a lot of use.

I have no experience with the Homestead brand.

 

[OntheRidge]

I have the Homestead 55" Pinnacle series root grapple. I felt it was worth the extra $$ for a heavier duty piece of equipment. It is a very well made item, in my opinion. It did take 15 weeks from order date to delivery, I feel it was well worth the wait. I have used it on my L2501 to move rocks and logs with no issues. I also have a Homestead box blade, equally well made. And they offer 10% military discount, if that applies. Good Luck with whichever you choose!

 

[GreensvilleJay]

won't comment on which is 'better' but big issue is probably DELIVERY time. Maybe YOU can wait 12 weeks ( 3 MONTHS) for it ? That'd be early April..best case, 20 weeks ...mid June ??

Also look at weight..That has to be subtracted from the loader 'capacity' to get the real 'payload' value.

 

[mcmxi]

I am in the market to buy a grapple for my L3901 and I am down to two different ones, the EA wicked 55" root grapple and the Homestead Independence Series. Both seem like they would be great for what I am going to do which is clearing out some privot and other brush as well as handling downed trees to cut for firewood.

Lets hear pros and cons for each.

Homestead doesn't appear to know what their grapple weighs. They state 190lb and 240lb on the same page. The EA is quite a bit more expensive and the lid opens wider i.e. 36" compared to 29". The EA will most likely have a longer lead time. If you buy the Homestead it's unlikely that you'll report back and say that you should have bought the EA. And the same goes if you buy the EA. I certainly would buy the EA Wicked 60 again but my only other point of comparison is the Land Pride grapple I had on the BX25D so apples to oranges.

 

[minthral]

I'm also in the market for a grapple for my L3301.

The pinnacle series is a better comparison. 375 LB 60 inch AR450 steel grapple. Looks good actually. Lead time of 6-8 weeks...

I just called today about EA grapple. Lead time is 6-9 months atm. They recently increased prices by as about 10%. Their 55 inch 200 LB grapple too light duty for L series (IMO). Their 60 inch beefed up version is good and $3300 is reasonable for 400 LB AR450 grapple. They seem to be primarily targeting Land Pride as primary competitor and trying to 'best' their products.

So I live in NC and about 2 hrs from EA. I totally think it's cool what they are doing. They also pick up their phone and are reasonably friendly. End of the day, I think they got a bit of 'marketing momentum' going that is adding bias. There's plenty of content out there showing their 'wicked grapple,' but on seeing the actual thing build quality and in use, I can't actually say its any better than anyone else. In fact, I'd go as far as to say despite EA trying and the aggressive marketing, I find the Land Pride grapple seems like a better designed product (simple thing about hoses rubbing still not fixed). If you have the opportunity, ignore the BS EA 'sales pitch' why theirs's is better and compare the two visually and in use.

Land Pride grapples are in stock at number of dealers in NC and only a few hundred more than the equivalent EA grapple. You can also 0% 24 month finance them (+some fees).

In summary, IMO 'how great EA wicked grapple' is way overblown and it seems people are drinking the cool aid. Look into other brands... don't think you'll be disappointed.

EDIT: Did a thorough comparison of EA and homestead grapple and honestly struggling to find where EA is better (aside from marketing).

 

[lakehouse_dreaming]

I chose the EA one because of the serrations on both the bottom and the lid. However I ordered it Sept 17 and last time I checked it's expected to ship in February...

The Homestead has serrations on the bottom and the lid as well. What I like about it is the way it has a flat bottom so it is free standing when not connected to the tractor.

 

[SDT]

won't comment on which is 'better' but big issue is probably DELIVERY time. Maybe YOU can wait 12 weeks ( 3 MONTHS) for it ? That'd be early April..best case, 20 weeks ...mid June ??

Also look at weight..That has to be subtracted from the loader 'capacity' to get the real 'payload' value.

Bingo.

Weight is a double-edged sword.

SDT

 

[lakehouse_dreaming]

won't comment on which is 'better' but big issue is probably DELIVERY time. Maybe YOU can wait 12 weeks ( 3 MONTHS) for it ? That'd be early April..best case, 20 weeks ...mid June ??

Also look at weight..That has to be subtracted from the loader 'capacity' to get the real 'payload' value.

The EA weighs 239lbs, the Homestead Independence weighs 190 lbs, the Homestead Pinnacle weighs 302lbs. The EA and Independence have 1/4" teeth and the Pinnacle has 5/16" teeth.

 

[lakehouse_dreaming]

Homestead doesn't appear to know what their grapple weighs. They state 190lb and 240lb on the same page. The EA is quite a bit more expensive and the lid opens wider i.e. 36" compared to 29". The EA will most likely have a longer lead time. If you buy the Homestead it's unlikely that you'll report back and say that you should have bought the EA. And the same goes if you buy the EA. I certainly would buy the EA Wicked 60 again but my only other point of comparison is the Land Pride grapple I had on the BX25D so apples to oranges.

I asked Homestead about the different weights on the website. The 240lbs is the shipping weight and the grapple itself weighs 190lbs.

 

[fried1765]

I asked Homestead about the different weights on the website. The 240lbs is the shipping weight and the grapple itself weighs 190lbs.

Interesting!
My Mid-State Equipment (Denton, NC.) 60" grapple actually weighs 500 lbs.
Loader capacity is 3,000 lbs. so grapple weight is not really an issue for me.

 

[mcmxi]

Interesting!
My Mid-State Equipment (Denton, NC.) 60" grapple actually weighs 500 lbs.
Loader capacity is 3,000 lbs. so grapple weight is not really an issue for me.

I chose the Wicked 60 rather than the 66 because it's 400lb vs. 660lb. That's considerably more weight and cost for minimal performance upgrade ... in my opinion.

 

[mcmxi]

I asked Homestead about the different weights on the website. The 240lbs is the shipping weight and the grapple itself weighs 190lbs.

Thanks for the clarification. The Homestead grapples look to be great alternatives to EA. Lots of choices these days.

 

[mcmxi]

In fact, I'd go as far as to say despite EA trying and the aggressive marketing, I find the Land Pride grapple seems like a better designed product (simple thing about hoses rubbing still not fixed).

To be fair, owners of EA grapples haven't reported hoses failing due to contact between the hose and grapple, but EA did in fact make a change to the routing of the hoses a few months ago. Look at the post and photos that @Matt Ellerbee showed in the EA thread. I corrected the issue on my grapple because I'm picky and sleeved the hoses for good measure but that "problem" has been addressed.

As for cool aid and hype ... if you say so.

 

[fried1765]

I chose the Wicked 60 rather than the 66 because it's 400lb vs. 660lb. That's considerably more weight and cost for minimal performance upgrade ... in my opinion.

I choose the 60" Mid-State Equipment grapple for three very specific reasons.
It has a tine design that I felt would work best for ripping out vines.
It has a full coverage steel back plate (adds a lot to the weight, but gives tractor total protection from sticks).
It was 1/2 the cost of the EA grapple.

I LIKE EA equipment!

 

[mcmxi]

I choose the 60" Mid-State Equipment grapple for three very specific reasons.
It has a tine design that I felt would work best for ripping out vines.
It has a full width steel back plate (adds a lot to the weight, but gives tractor total protection from sticks).
It was 1/2 the cost of the then EA price.

I LIKE EA equipment!

Lot's of good choices these days so it's hard to go wrong. I like EA equipment too but I look at other brands as well when figuring out what best serves my needs. The search is half the fun!

 

[fried1765]

Lot's of good choices these days so it's hard to go wrong. I like EA equipment too but I look at other brands as well when figuring out what best serves my needs. The search is half the fun!

Absolutely agree!

 

[GreensvilleJay]

I ripped out 1000' of wild grape with just my pallet forks, ok took a little longer but, hey, it's trac5or seat time !
bigger isn't always better and you don't need extra heavy duty implements for a lot of jobs.
the idea is to use NOT abuse all equipment, that way your grankids will have fun using them when you're gone...

 

[Advil]

The reason everyone orders the EA grapple is because they are up front about the weight and the materials used. The hardox and 450 steel is simply top shelf steel. And they laser cut the holes in it for weight. It's pretty much the strongest grapple you can get in the 200-something pound class. There's plenty of videos of people plucking logs by the end (which you should always be careful doing to avoid bending the tines) but no one has ever shown a Wicked grapple actually tweaked from doing this. And then there are the factory videos of them abusing the heck out of it and the tractor and it not bending. It's kind of hard to argue with that.

You can find quite a few examples of the Land Pride grapple getting tweaked and bent.

I'm sure you CAN hurt the Wicked grapple, but it looks like it would take some serious doing. So I'm about a month in on the (at the time) 5-6 month wait to get one. I want the strongest AND the lightest possible. Unless another company starts showing exactly what they are building their grapples and other implements out of and how, they won't make a dent in EA's reputation even if they have a great product.

Minthral, EA just told you 6 to 9 months now? Holy cow. That really is out there.