When choosing a grapple there are some important things to consider.
Steel Quality
Steel quality is a crucial factor in deciding which company to purchase a grapple from. You should be able to use a grapple and not worry about it bending or breaking, and a large part of that is the quality of steel used. Many companies will advertise their products as “heavy-duty” or “commercial” when they are made from inferior materials. Many companies also make their products from cheap metals so they have to make the metals much thicker to make up for the quality difference. So just because a product looks tough and well-built does not necessarily mean it is! Companies can reduce the weight by using a higher grade/strength of steel which makes for a much stronger and lighter implement. By reducing weight, it leaves you with more lift capacity. Heavier does not always mean better or stronger. Low-grade steel means heavier, whereas high-grade steel means lighter but stronger. Look for a company that manufactures their products with at least grade 100 or higher. Here at ANBO Manufacturing, we use AR400F which is much lighter as well as stronger than most steels so you can have the strength without compromising lift capacity.
Machine Horsepower
Another thing to consider is the horsepower of your machine compared to the horsepower rating on the grapple or product you will be choosing. Even when a product is built incredibly strong and durable it just may not be meant for a machine with the capability of such force.
Weight of Grapple vs Lift Capacity
When choosing between products always make sure to compare the weight of the different products. Some companies will have to build their products with super thick metal to make up for a low-grade steel which makes the product so heavy it compromises the lift capacity. We manufacture our grapples with a much stronger and lighter steel and sometimes people will say that the metal is either too thin or too light for it to be durable when in reality ours is a stronger steel than our competitors.
Width of Grapple vs Machine Width
Another thing you will need to decide is what width of grapple you would like. Most customers choose a grapple that is the same width as their machine. But it depends on what you will be using the grapple for, if you are in a feel moving large slash piles and want to pick up as much as possible than one wider then your machine will be just fine. If you want to reach between trees etc. then one smaller than your machine would be preferable.