Half of the versatility of skid steer loaders and compact tractors comes not from the machines themselves but from the hydraulic attachments with which they are compatible.
There are a wide range of manufacturers that produce grapple and buckets for skid steers, mini skid steers and compact tractors – but there is also great variety in the types of grapple and bucket attachments themselves.
These are among the most popular, along with some of their uses.
Grapple Buckets for Skid Steers
Grapple buckets for skid steer loaders typically have a solid bottom and one or two hydraulic tines that can be used to “grapple” with large, unwieldy debris. They combine some of the functionality of regular bucket attachments with the dexterity of a grapple and can be used for demolition debris removal, consolidating burn piles, and manipulating other debris.
Grapple Rakes
Grapple rakes lack the bucket of a bucket-style grapple, instead consisting of more or less open tines with hydraulic jaws. They can be used for most of the same applications that grapple buckets can be used for, but are not effective for digging.
Fork Grapples
Fork grapples lack a bucket base and instead have a set of fork tines, with one or two hydraulic tines overhead. This enables them to wrangle large palletized or flat loads fairly efficiently.
Tooth Buckets
Bucket attachments with teeth, also called “tooth buckets,” which lack the hydraulic tines of grapple attachments, are not as dextrous as grapples but are more efficient for digging or moving large volumes of loose material. When equipped with tooth bars and cutting edges, they are even more effective for digging.
Snow Buckets
Snow buckets are larger and wider than excavation buckets but they are usually less robustly reinforced. This makes them suitable for pushing or moving large volumes of snow easily and efficiently.
Log Grapples
Log grapples are a special type of grapple attachment consisting of hydraulic jaws that oppose each other. They can be used to lift, load, and remove large cylindrical loads, like logs, pipes, or conduits.
Brush (or Root) Grapples
Root grapples are like skid steer grapple buckets but in a root grapple configuration, the bottom of the bucket usually consists of open tines. This allows loose material like sand, gravel, water or fine debris to filter through the bottom of the bucket, making this configuration superior for disaster cleanup in flooded areas or for removing boulders. Sometimes the tines along the bottom are reinforced with a steel “cross member.”
Stump Grapples and Buckets
Stump grapples (which contain hydraulic tines) and stump buckets are two classes of narrower bucket-style attachments that are used primarily to uproot and carry away stumps. They can also be used to dig up stubborn posts or boulders, or for transporting trees, shrubs, and decorative stones.
Spartan Equipment: Skid Steer Attachments That Will Never Surrender
Looking for the industry’s toughest grapples and buckets for skid steers? You’ll find them online at SpartanEquipment.com. They manufacture these and a wide range of other skid steer attachments, all made in the United States with American steel. No matter the odds, Spartan Equipment attachments will Never Surrender.
