Article on Grapples and Shears for land-clearing, Grading & Excavation Contractor magazine, by Don Talend, brand storytelling, content management and demand generation expert. Construction industry

1. Attachments • Excavators • Safety
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2. wise be delegated elsewhere, can allow
the grading and excavation contractor
to earn more revenue on a project and
keep expensive equipment operating for
longer periods. Two attachments that
facilitate entry into the site-preparation
realm are shears and grapples.
Shears are scissor-like tools that
cut through wood, steel, or concrete.
Grapples are more versatile, because
not only can they rip out many of
these materials that are embedded in
dirt, but they also handle debris and
allow the operator to relocate and
even stack it in some cases. Often,
grapples will be used to complete
work that has been done with
shears, or grapples are used for both
tear-out and relocation. The han-
dling ability of grapples also enables
separation of mixed material—something
that buckets cannot achieve.
Blue Diamond Attachments, in
Knoxville, TN, provides insight into
the versatility of grapples. Grapples for
such equipment as skid-steers, compact
wheel loaders, and crawler loaders can
tear roots out, shake the dirt out of the
roots, and gather them into bundles.
The ability to shake the dirt out is criti-
cal, the company maintains, because
clean roots can then be placed into a
tub grinder or burn pile. Besides han-
dling roots, grapples suit the collection
of limbs and logs, and they are even
used to lay pipe. Grapples have become
almost a necessity for contractors who
own skid-steers, according to Blue
Diamond.
When deciding on models of grap-
ples and shears to purchase, contrac-
tors should realize that some design
variations exist. Geometry is very
important in a grapple, according to
Blue Diamond. Grapples that are very
upright can be difficult to push into the
ground given the angle at which they
are deployed. Independent top clamps,
which are available on Blue Diamond
grapples, provide an advantage over
one-piece grapples because uniformly
shaped loads are rare and loads with
A
s any grading and exca-
vation contractor who’s
ever operated an excava-
tor or skid-steer knows,
more than just dirt often
needs to be displaced. Typically, trees,
roots, rocks, concrete, or steel—or all
of the above—must be cleared to make
way for a hole or subgrade. These
additional materials present an oppor-
tunity for greater profitability.
Site preparation, which might other-
Business
Diversification Tools
Grapples and shears allow
contractors to enter the
business of site preparation
and increase machine
utilization.
By Don Talend
AlliedConstruction
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3. Circle #50 on Reader Service Card
uneven shapes have been known to
rotate within one-piece grapples. For
shears, strength is critical. Wood shears
should be designed with a component
that holds the wood so as to prevent the
scissor mechanism from kicking
backward.
Several manufacturers offer grapples
and shears that give the grading and
excavation contractor the capability of
moving more than just dirt.
The patented MT Series Multi-Tool
from Allied-Gator Inc. comes in 11
sizes ranging from 800–52,000 pounds
and reportedly can accommodate any
size carrier from skid-steers and com-
pacts to mass excavators for use in
structural steel and concrete demoli-
tion applications. Patented Allied-Gator
Quick-Change Jaw Sets are designed to
facilitate easy transitions from structural
steel processing to concrete reduction.
Switching in the field is said to be pos-
sible in 15 minutes, enabling a single
machine to perform all shearing, crack-
ing, and crushing applications with
maximum effectiveness.
The manufacturer constructed the
main shaft area of the MT Shear Jaw
Set to not overheat and to remain ambi-
ent, even with extended use. It is also
designed to reduce friction and heat
buildup to all components to minimize
overall maintenance and tool wear while
maximizing blade life. It is configured
to flatten scrap and leave open ends
on pipes, resulting in a higher quality
of prepared material. The cylinder is
completely enclosed within the tool’s
main body at all times for protection.
According to the company, the tool
never requires shaft removal or hub
adjustments and features a durable four-
or eight-way indexable cutter and wear
blades. The tool’s sculpted shape and
fixed centerline closure are intended to
improve operator visibility and accuracy.
Each replaceable tip is an independent
component of the tool and provides
users with the ability to change between
disposable tips (sizes MT 15–MT 180)
and solid tips (available for all
MT sizes).
The patented Power-Link and
GuideSystem links the tool’s fully
enclosed cylinder to a pair of levers,
efficiently powering the tool and deliver-
ing a continual power gain throughout
jaw closure, according to the company.
Other work-tool features include unre-
stricted 360-degree rotation, fixed
centerline closure, and patented Speed-
Circuit Technology.
The MT Cracker/Crusher Jaw Set
has a variety of bolt-on tooth segments
that reportedly interchange in less than
five minutes. It has a 90-degree jaw
opening its crusher tooth de-rods and
pulverizes concrete in one bite, allow-
ing contractors to demolish structures
and process materials simultaneously.
The tool also can be used to gather,
separate, and sort onsite materials. The
finish tooth is designed to send a clean,
flat, controlled crack through concrete.
A cracker tooth enables maximum pen-
etration to solid and heavily reinforced
concrete and dense rock.
According to Allied Construction
Products, its Contractor’s Mechanical
Grapple is mounted in place of the
excavator bucket and operates off the
bucket cylinder with no additional
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4. hydraulic requirements. The company
says the tool allows the operator to
rip and tear down structures in a con-
trolled environment, pick and place
materials precisely, sort and separate
materials, and load bulky materials fast
and efficiently.
The attachment is constructed with
a design strength intended to withstand
the full breakout force of an excavator
on a single tine. Design features that
have been incorporated to provide high
strength include thicker exterior plates;
thicker, stronger lugs on both the upper
and lower jaws; uniformly sized tips
made with tempered steel; complete
internal reinforcement; a high-strength
connection between the stiff arm and
lower jaw; a heavy-duty mounting pad
design; and a specially designed stiff
arm cut from solid plate steel.
Pin-and-boss kits, which are config-
ured to provide greater interchange-
ability from machine to machine in the
same weight class, are available for all
common carriers. Mechanical Grapples
are available for excavators ranging
from 30,000 to 140,000 pounds. The
attachment is constructed for denser
loading capabilities. The wear tips
of the fully closed grapple create a
large, flat surface that is intended for
improved compaction of loaded
material.
Applications include residential,
commercial, and industrial demolition;
quick extraction of tree stumps and
land clearing; quick loading of crushers
or shredders; and precise pickup and
placement of riprap and shot rock with-
out damage to haul trucks.
The extreme-duty root grapple from
Blue Diamond Attachments is a highly
rugged tool. The tool is engineered with
geometry, half-inch steel, and robotic
welding designed for strength and
effective use on the largest skid-steers.
The pivot pins are 1.25-inch steel in
bushings with grease fittings and the
heavy-duty cylinders are enclosed in
steel boxes for protection. All hoses are
run internally on the grapple and pro-
tected in an abrasion sleeve where they
exit the grapple. Flat-face couplers are
included.
The Tree Shear from Blue Diamond
Attachments uses a 5-by-12-inch cylin-
der to produce 29 tons of cutting force
at 2,500 psi and cut up to 12 inches in
diameter. The cutting head rotates 90
degrees to allow both horizontal and
vertical cutting. The blade has a 1-inch-
thick T1 steel cutting edge, and the tool
is designed to provide high
visibility.
Bobcat Co. manufactures differ-
ent kinds of clamps and grapples for
compact excavators and loaders. On
excavators, hydraulic clamps (thumbs)
can be used with a three-tine grapple.
According to the company, using a
clamp on a compact excavator can
allow operators to reach areas other
machines either cannot access or have
difficulty accessing. The reach of the
excavator’s boom and arm provides it
access to areas that other equipment
cannot access and allows the excava-
tor to be more selective in picking the
objects that are moved. Additionally,
debris and material can also be moved
without moving the machine, notes the
manufacturer. The company also offers
a rotating grapple for excavators. This
work tool has 360-degree rotation and
is best suited for contractors who not
only need to move material but also
need to place it in a specific position.
The manufacturer also has several
types of grapple attachments for com-
pact loaders. The most common type
is an industrial grapple. These can be
used for such applications as clearing
brush, clearing broken concrete, or
moving scrap metal and other waste
materials. The company’s industrial
grapples range in size from 48 to 80
inches. Root grapples are another type
of grapple that grading and excava-
tion contractors may find suitable for
site preparation. A root grapple is a
heavy-duty attachment that clears roots,
rocks, and debris from the ground. The
curved, skeletal teeth pick up material
without driving into the ground, allow-
ing dirt to fall between the teeth and
stay in place if necessary. The manu-
facturer’s root grapples are available in
sizes from 48 to 82 inches.
The multipurpose grab for exca-
vators from 18- to 27-ton operating
weights can move and position natural
rocks and handle filling material, says
Kinshofer. The company adds that the
tool expedites loading, sorting, digging,
A Bobcat S185 skid-steer applies its attachment to a pile of construction-and-demolition debris.
Bobcat
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5. and demolition and eliminates the need
for separate attachments for these vari-
ous tasks. The grab is designed with a
fully integrated rotator protected from
external forces and hydraulic hoses and
cylinders.
The rotator is fixed at four points
to withstand external forces and a
pressure-relief valve is included to
ensure overload protection, with con-
necting hoses located inside the hub.
Rigid mounting at the tilting joint of
the bucket cylinder of the excava-
tor is intended for precise positioning
and working. Bolt-on teeth are also
exchangeable onsite. The use of 500
HB steel in the construction of cutting
edges is incorporated for long life.
Kinshofer’s Heavy Duty (HD)
Demolition and Sorting Grab is
designed for excavators from 15-to
24-ton operating weights that are
used in heavy demolition. This tool is
designed for demolition and segmenta-
tion of various building materials, as
well as separation of building debris
and similar material and large scrap.
Circle #28 on Reader Service Card
The extreme-duty root grapple from Blue Diamond Attachments is an exceptionally rugged tool.
AtcoEquipment
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6. The fully integrated rotator and the
connections are located within the hub
for optimal protection against external
forces and optimized transmission of
force. A second heavy-duty motor is
optional. The robust Delta-Box frame
with dust-proof axle bearing points is
included to provide additional stabil-
ity and long life. Two strong hydraulic
cylinders manipulate robust shells. The
tool’s bearings are designed for secure
transmission of high closing forces and
hydraulically cushioned cylinders are
incorporated to provide a smooth
opening.
HD D Series multipurpose grabs
with perforated shells are also avail-
able for excavators from 15- to 70-ton
operating weights. These models feature
durable and reversible cutting edges
made of Cracox Plus 450 that can
be used to pick up different materials
with their tips. The cutting edges on
D19 and higher models can be turned
three ways, a design intended to reduce
replacement costs.
The company’s Dedicated Shear XS
7000 is constructed with high strength
for scrapping. Depending on the mount-
ing, it can be used on excavators with
42- to 60-ton (boom) or 60- to 80-ton
(dipper) operating weights. The tool is
designed for cutting concrete or steel
easily. The housing is designed to be
extremely robust, using wear-resistant,
fine-grained steel.
The Dedicated Shear is equipped
with 360-degree endless rotation, and
dimensioned bearings reduce wear at
the bushings. The main cutting blades
can be turned four times for cost
efficiency. A greaseable pivot point is
designed to compensate against distor-
tion forces. The cylinder is mounted
upside down for better protection of the
piston rod within the housing.
The manufacturer’s XS Series
Dedicated Shears with 360-degree rota-
tion are designed to be the most agile
in its line of dedicated shears. They
are equipped with 360-degree rotation
and suitable for excavators from 10 to
90 tons, depending on boom or dip-
per mounting style. Large, heavy-duty
bearings reduce bushing wear, and the
housing is made of wear-resistant, fine-
grained steel. The main cutting blades
are reversible.
Spencer, NY–based Northeast
Implement, a large dealer of work tools
for construction and forestry equip-
ment, offers Valby grapples for mini-
excavators. These tools have quick
couplers that allow mini-excavators to
be easily converted into machines that
perform log loading, landscaping, and
land-clearing tasks.
Northeast Implement also has Valby
Unigrab Grapples, which have a two-
prong jaw on one side and a single-
prong jaw in the other. When open,
the jaw’s shape allows it to penetrate
well into piles of brush, scrap material,
pulpwood, and construction debris. The
tools, which open to 36 and 52 inches,
also suit log handling.
The heavy-duty Box-Design
Demolition Grapple from Werk-Brau
Co. is specifically designed to handle
various objects of different sizes of
debris, including brush and rocks. A
single grapple can be used with a buck-
et, and dual grapples are also available.
Although it is not recommended for
digging or prying, the tool is construct-
ed of high-strength steel throughout the
weldment.
The coupler is available for all
makes and models of hydraulic
excavators and most models of mini-
excavators, according to the manufac-
turer. Various widths and models are
available, and the attachment also can
be designed to adapt to a Werk-Brau
mechanical or hydraulic coupler.
Writer Don Talend of Write Results spe-
cializes in technology and innovation.
The Dedicated Shear from Kinshofer North America features 360-degree rotation.
KinshoferNorthAmerica
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Allied-Gator’s MT Series Multi-Tool includes an MT shear jaw set and a cracker-crusher jaw set.
Allied-Gator
Buyers Guide 2010 Grading & Excavation Contractor I 29
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