I have a PC200-6 and I will either need a thumb or a grapple, it is my older machine and not worried about it getting a little beat up so it will be my primary demo machine. the question is. 1. Since I have always just used thumb and bucket is there anything I need to know about Grapples? 2. Where is the best place to buy one (pref. used) and what do they cost? 3. I have a pin grabber on the machine now and would like to trade it in on a grapple if any of you know someone that may want to do some trading please send them my way. Pj
I would check a few rental outfits to see if they had any grapples they were looking to sell. Company Wrench is one that tends to have a lot of attachments for sale. http://www.companywrench.com/ Be prepared to do some serious digging to find one, as most dont get rid of grapples. That tends to make them a little pricier. Expect to spend 10-20,000 on a good name brand grapple. In that aspect, I find that top of the line names are worth the cost. Labounty, and NYE both make good grapples. Things you need to know? They tines to wear out. Get ahold of specs for the tines, and see how worn they are. They are replaceable, but not like teeth. You will spend a lot of time welding. When I worked industrial demo, a welder would spend a 10 hour shift working on our 20 ton grapples to take care of the tines. This included new tips, adding wear plates where needed, and hard facing. Get yourself a good I beam to go with your grapple. Doing industrial demo, we always had our pick of good beams. I recommend you hit up the local scrap yard, get yourself a beam that is 10 feet long, heavy webbing, and 12-16 inches tall. You can use the beam for added reach, use it as a dozer blade for cleaning up, and hold on to it to top out a trailer and knock everything down in one pass.
i gotta get me one of those! Seriously, for a 25 tonne machine, is a 10' beam the right length?
Great post Turbo! i didnt expect $10-20k tho lol. asside from using the bucket and thumb like we have for years what is the main advantage of the grapple....basically why would a guy spend $20k on one instead of $4-5k for a stiff link thumb? Pj
Pj You can get a used one cheaper than that. Try here: http://www.delossmachinery.com/ If anyone has a deal, Ty will.
I find the price is worth it. It will hold up a lot better if you start doing heavy demolition. From my experience thumbs tend to twist if you get into situations where you need to grab and pull. You can also pick thru debris with a grapple like you are using a fine tooth comb. I spent many days picking out small phone line with a grapple. When doing heavy industrial demolition, my main task was preparing non ferrous metals. Not sure if you know what buss duct is, http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl...&start=18&hl=en&sa=N&gbv=2&ndsp=18&tbs=isch:1 But my main job was to remove the sheet iron casing off of it, remove the rubber coating, and load out clean copper. Most days I loaded anywhere from 20,000lbs -100,000lbs of clean copper. I also prepped stainless steel, and aluminum. This meant removing any little piece of ferrous metals, so it came right down to breaking bolts off of something. Bottom line, I have found a grapple to be more versatile than a thumb. They hold up a lot better. I find a grapple is purpose built for demolition, while a bucket/thumb is a go between, for the contractor who wants to dig, and be able to "wreck." You may very well be able to find a cheaper grapple out there, but I also wanted you to be aware that prices are pretty high on these. I stick to my statement that going with a top of the line will keep you in business for a long time to come, not only in quality, but also parts. As for beams watglen, I had a pretty good selection with me at all times. Anything from a 4ft long by 3ft tall chunk for packing trucks and dumpsters, to the 10 foot general duty beam i kept around, all the way up to the 20 ft long monster I kept for clean up of my prep area. Prepping non ferrous, we called the job the bull in the ring. You would attack a mixed pile of metal, sort it, and prepare it, then push your prepped material out of your way, to other parts of your ring.
When I bought my PC300 about 6 years ago it came with a brand new 2 over 3 tine grapple, NYE Brand. It cost just shy of $20,000. I have the quick coupler on it so the pins stay with the grapple, or other attachment. I would check Rock and Dirt in the attachment section for one. But spend the money on a grapple, because a thumb won't hold up in serious demo.
It's already been said but grapples more maintenance. -Shanks wear out and it's best to cut the whole frog out and weld a new one in. -More pins and bushings to wear - Rotecs to replace $$$ - Revolve motors wear out - Hoses blow You have a coulpe of choices- articulated and free swing. Swingers are more fun to run but they're slower. Articulated will reach much higher.
Don't get a hydraulic grapple, stick with a stationary one. A thumb will twist if you start doing heavy demo.
This is something I ran into when I was working out in Oregon. An attachment, unless it is a thumb/bucket, is useless unless it rotates. I could not sell a rather large demolition contractor on a stiff arm grapple, simply because it did not spin. I do not know what it is out there, must be something in the water :beatsme