The short answer
If your work is feeding a chipper, building log decks and cleaning up after someone else has cut, buy the grab — it is the highest-utilisation attachment most contractors own. Add the saw only when you are regularly cutting material that is still standing or still attached.
Grapple saw
Cuts and holds in one tool, from the ground
Choose it when
- You are removing standing or attached material yourself
- Sections must be cut and lowered in a controlled sequence
- You want a single machine to fell, section and stack
- The carrier already has, or can be fitted with, a dual circuit
Log or forestry grab
Moves timber, brash and biomass — nothing else
Choose it when
- Someone else has already done the cutting
- The job is chipper feeding, log decks and site clean-up
- You want the highest running hours per dollar of any attachment
- Simplicity and uptime matter more than versatility
Side by side
| Criterion | Grapple saw | Log or forestry grab |
|---|---|---|
| Can it cut? | Yes | No — handling only |
| Circuit | Dual circuit, saw plus grapple and rotation | Double-acting plus rotation |
| Purchase cost | Higher — you are buying a saw unit too | Lower |
| Consumables | Chains and bars on top of normal wear | Tines and rotator service only |
| Typical utilisation | Job-specific | Very high — it is useful on almost every site |
| Retention on brash | Moderate — arms are shaped around the saw | Strong — more tines, better grip on irregular material |
| Carrier range | 3–30 t | 13–25 t typical |
| Downtime risk | More systems, more to go wrong | Fewer moving parts |
Shaded cell is the stronger side on that criterion
What they cost to own and run
| Cost driver | Grapple saw | Log or forestry grab |
|---|---|---|
| Purchase | Higher. You are buying a saw unit, its guarding and its circuit | Lower. Fewer systems, simpler head |
| Consumables | Chains and bars on top of normal wear | Tine wear and rotator service only |
| Circuit cost on the carrier | Dual circuit — a real workshop job if you do not have one | Double-acting plus rotation, commonly already fitted |
| Utilisation | Job-specific. It earns when there are removals to do | Very high. Almost every site has material to move |
| Downtime exposure | More systems, more to go wrong | Fewer moving parts, higher availability |
No purchase prices appear here, because attachment pricing moves with the exchange rate, the model inside a range, rotation options and the carrier bracket. What moves the number is covered on the attachment costs page, and the utilisation question that decides whether to own either tool is on hire versus buy.
Three situations, three answers
Growing past two-man crews, work is currently a mix of removals and clean-ups.
Grab first. It works on almost every site, so it starts earning immediately, and it is the highest-utilisation attachment most contractors own. Add the grapple saw once removals become a bigger share of the book than clean-ups.
Feeding a chipper, building log decks, cleaning up after other crews have cut.
Grab, and the saw would be dead weight. Someone else has done the cutting. What you need is retention on irregular material, which is a tine-count argument: five tines hold brash that four-tine grapples spill.
Reactive call-outs, mixed standing and fallen material, often near infrastructure.
Grapple saw. In storm work the material is frequently still attached or still standing, and a grab cannot cut. The ability to arrive with one tool that cuts, holds and lowers is worth the extra circuit and the extra consumables.
When the answer is both
Arborists scaling up usually buy the grab first because it works every day, then add the grapple saw once removals become a bigger share of the book than clean-ups.
How buyers get this choice wrong
Planning to retrofit a saw to a grab later
Not possible as a retrofit. The saw unit, its guarding and the second circuit are designed into the head, which is why these are separate categories rather than an option box.
Buying four tines to save money
More tines give better retention on irregular and bulky material. Four-tine grapples spill brash and biomass, and the lost cycles cost more than the tines saved.
Skipping the rotator on a grab
For forestry work continuous 360 degree rotation is most of the productivity difference. Without it the operator repositions the machine for every log.
Buying the saw for utilisation it will not get
A grapple saw is job-specific. If removals are a small share of your work, the grab earns more hours and the saw sits on the rack.
Before you decide
Decision checklist
- Share of your work that involves cutting standing or attached material
- Annual hours each tool would realistically run
- Carrier auxiliary flow and available circuits
- Cost of adding a dual circuit if the saw is the answer
- Tine count and tine material on the grab
- Which rotator is specified, rigid or swinging
- Chain and bar pricing and lead time if buying the saw
- What parts are held in Australia for either tool
Questions that follow
01Which one earns more hours a year?
The grab, comfortably, for most contractors. Moving timber, brash and biomass is work that exists on almost every site, whereas a grapple saw earns only when there is standing or attached material to cut. That utilisation gap is the strongest argument for buying the grab first.
02What carrier size suits each?
Grapple saws span roughly 3 to 30 tonnes. Forestry grabs are typically specified for 13 to 25 tonne carriers, so a mini excavator can take a grapple saw but not a full-size forestry grab. Check the published range for the specific model rather than the series.
03Is a grab useful without a rotator?
Much less so. For forestry work continuous 360 degree rotation is what lets an operator align to a log without repositioning the machine, and it accounts for most of the productivity difference. Specify the rotator type deliberately: rigid for fixed installations, swinging where the head hangs.
04Can I fit a saw to a grab I already own?
Not as a retrofit. The saw unit, its guarding and the second circuit are designed into the head, which is why grapple saws are a separate category rather than an option box.
05How many tines should a forestry grapple have?
More tines give better retention on irregular and bulky material. Five solid Hardox tines suit brash and biomass work, where four-tine grapples tend to spill material.
06Does a grab need a rotator?
For forestry work, effectively yes. Continuous 360° rotation is what lets an operator align to a log without repositioning the machine, and it is most of the productivity difference.