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How To Use a Mechanical Grapple

7/14/2022
Sydney Clifford

A mechanical grapple is an implement that can come in handy for many jobs. This useful tool is ideal for site cleanup and picking up debris or simply moving loose items around. The Frontier mechanical grapple is composed of bucket cylinders that open and close the top jaw while the bottom jaw swings freely, stopping against the loader boom. This ensures much debris-grabbing power at a lower cost. Frontier mechanical grapples are compatible with the 120R, 220R, and 300E loaders. You can hook up a mechanical grapple to your compact tractor and use it easily with a few simple steps. At Shoppa’s John Deere we are giving you the run-down on using your mechanical grapple so you can get to work.

Getting set up

The grapple has an essentially flat bottom, so it sits upright without the need for a parking stand. So to get set up, you first want to slide the loader carrier into the top hangers on the grapple. After this, lift and roll back the carrier so the mechanical grapple falls into place. Lower the grapple to the ground, turn off the engine, set the parking brake, insert the locking pins, and now you’re ready to get to work.

Using your grapples

There are two options for how you can grab materials with your mechanical grapples.

  1. By opening the top jaw using the loader’s bucket cylinders, and lowering the loader, you can then slide the lower jaw underneath the material you want to pick up.

OR

  1. You can raise the loader, open the upper jaw, lower the grapple over the top of a pile, and then close the upper jaw using the loader’s bucket cylinders again.

When you are ready to release your load, all you have to do is raise the loader, and again using the bucket cylinders, open the grapple by tilting the upper jaw back. No joystick necessary. If you are familiar with the technique of lifting, carrying and dumping from your loader bucket, operating the mechanical grapple should come as a breeze.

If you would like more information on our many Frontier implements don’t hesitate to contact us or visit your nearest Shoppa’s dealer