Loading a large sweet gum tree trunk with a grapple boom arm Keywords: load loading tree trunk log firewood fire wood remove removal tree work grapple trailer boom arm dump trailer
Those ground guys would be fired if they worked for me , they should be raking not watching wood being loaded like 5 year old boys nice little loader though
I purchased this trailer from Tropic Trailer in Ft. Myers, Florida. They produced a batch of them (20 I believe) in 2004 for hurricane cleanup. When I bought mine in 2008 it was the last one of that batch. I don't know if they have made more or not.
The guy on the ground was the owner of the tree company. He hired me to haul off the wood for him, but I get your point. I purchased this trailer in the tip of Florida and use it in Tulsa, OK. Thanks for the comment.
The trailer is about 9 years old at this point and a special batch of them were made in Florida to help with debris cleanup. Now you would have to commission one to be built from a willing and knowledgeable trailer manufacturer. I have seen a few online, but I would not spend my money on them - the quality just isn't there. You would probably be looking in the 30-40 range having one built of commercial quality to handle the daily duty cycle.
As you near the maximum open width of the grapple its ability to apply the gripping force needed to hold on the logs is reduced. And as I grab onto logs which are odd shaped or simply larger than the grapple opening I needed something to provide grip. I had the grapple fingers modified and the plates you see fabricated to overcome these problems.
nice unit how well do the hydraulic lines at the grapple handle brush do you have many breakdowns.. knew a guy out west and it was a constant issue.... stay safe y'all
I replace a hydraulic line at the end of the boom probably at a rate of 1 every couple years. In my opinion being conscientious prevents a host of problems from ever developing. I think this setup is one of the smartest business decisions I have ever made. It is all steel with some hydraulic lines; not much to go wrong. I spend way more money on tire issues than I ever have on the arm and it's hydraulics. Last year I replaced the Honda engine and the hydraulic lines that run the length of the arm. Each lasted 10 years. Not bad in my book, especially when you consider the hours of use. The other major expense I had was 4-5 years ago when I changed axles so I could implement hydraulic disc brakes. An absolutely awesome decision. The manufacturer installed electric brakes, which are a joke for a trailer of this weight (7000 lbs empty). Feel free to ask any other questions.
very nice operation I can appreciate your respect for your equipment... take care of it and it takes care of you.... I've been modifying a dump truck so we can skid and load slightly different principal but I enjoy observing various set ups stay safe and if you are ever in Western NC give me a shout.... may you have a safe and profitable new year
+sokguru 7x14 ? I bought a bri- mar HD 7x12 yesterday for 8500 cash price.the 7x14 was only 300 bucks more..I found a place that sales trailer grapples with 3k rating for 3000 bucks..I'm thinking about ordering one
I'm from Nicks tree service, you hauled off the pecan logs a few weeks ago, we had the crane in the driveway. I was really impressed with your trailer, where do you think I could look for something like what you have, I have done s little research but I'm not finding what I'm looking for.
