Back in December I spent some time online looking for a new grapple for my L3901, my requirements were to buy a "compact" grapple for use in a woodland setting, twin lid, not too heavy and not too expensive. I already own a large heavy grapple that I use on my MX5800 and Kubota track loader. at nearly 700lbs and nearly 3' depth it is quite a beast. It is very useful in open areas and for loading large diameter logs.
My new grapple is for use in getting into tight woodland spots for clear up work and to be able to load a recently purchased 5' x 8' farm dump trailer. I did a lot of research and came to realize that many sellers are using the same grapples, they just add their own name to the units. I threw out any requirements for certain metal types, my grapple just needed to function well and survive the demanding and punishing use it was going to get.
The current L series (L2501 / L3301 / L3901) all use the LA525 front end loader, my goal was to find a grapple that would be no more than 400 lbs, my L3901 has the SSQA and was already fitted with a 3rd function hydraulic kit from when I purchased it.
After much searching I came across a design that met all of my needs, it is known as a compact vertical grapple, the total depth was only 21" which gave the front tines about 14" of length, the maximum opening was 35", it was twin lid with 2 hydraulic cylinders which were well protected behind the rear frame. The grapple is from MTL Attachments and was a very reasonable $999 including delivery to my door. I placed an order but unfortunately they were out of stock, I did not need it for some months so told the seller that I'd wait until fresh stock came in, 9 weeks later my grapple was shipped.
This is a 60" wide grapple, it would not be possible to make it any narrower as the width of the SSQA mount plate plus the 2 rear mounted cylinders added up to 60". The seller states a weight of 390 lbs but the grapple had a tag stating the weight as 360 lbs, there are grease fittings on the pivot points.
I put it to use this weekend on woodland clean up work, the grapple is great and just the right size, the twin lid was very important as I'm usually transporting uneven loads like piles of roots. The weight was a good balance on the tractor and left me lots of capacity for lifting. Overall very happy with this unit and at $999 delivered that is a lot of value. MTL Attachments has a large range of grapples on their website, like many things today supply may be intermittent, I suggest that you text them if you want to order a model that is out of stock. I have a lot of cleanup to do!
My new grapple is for use in getting into tight woodland spots for clear up work and to be able to load a recently purchased 5' x 8' farm dump trailer. I did a lot of research and came to realize that many sellers are using the same grapples, they just add their own name to the units. I threw out any requirements for certain metal types, my grapple just needed to function well and survive the demanding and punishing use it was going to get.
The current L series (L2501 / L3301 / L3901) all use the LA525 front end loader, my goal was to find a grapple that would be no more than 400 lbs, my L3901 has the SSQA and was already fitted with a 3rd function hydraulic kit from when I purchased it.
After much searching I came across a design that met all of my needs, it is known as a compact vertical grapple, the total depth was only 21" which gave the front tines about 14" of length, the maximum opening was 35", it was twin lid with 2 hydraulic cylinders which were well protected behind the rear frame. The grapple is from MTL Attachments and was a very reasonable $999 including delivery to my door. I placed an order but unfortunately they were out of stock, I did not need it for some months so told the seller that I'd wait until fresh stock came in, 9 weeks later my grapple was shipped.
This is a 60" wide grapple, it would not be possible to make it any narrower as the width of the SSQA mount plate plus the 2 rear mounted cylinders added up to 60". The seller states a weight of 390 lbs but the grapple had a tag stating the weight as 360 lbs, there are grease fittings on the pivot points.
I put it to use this weekend on woodland clean up work, the grapple is great and just the right size, the twin lid was very important as I'm usually transporting uneven loads like piles of roots. The weight was a good balance on the tractor and left me lots of capacity for lifting. Overall very happy with this unit and at $999 delivered that is a lot of value. MTL Attachments has a large range of grapples on their website, like many things today supply may be intermittent, I suggest that you text them if you want to order a model that is out of stock. I have a lot of cleanup to do!
Attachments
Last edited:
. I just preferred the bigger (non-Rake) basket, is all. I’m not having any trouble lifting up the trunk sizes I intended, thank goodness. I’ve even put it into float and run it along the ground (carefully) when making some of my food plots a little bigger.