Powerhand EX28 forestry grapple

Where the EX28 sits in the range

The EX28 is the second of Powerhand’s four EX forestry grapples, between the EX25 for 8 to 12 tonne carriers and the EX36 for 16 to 25 tonne machines, with the EX40 above them. Its 12 to 25 tonne band is the widest in the family, spanning the excavators most civil and vegetation contractors already own, which makes it the crossover model for a fleet that wants one grab to move between machines. The forestry grabs buying guide covers the family and the EX25 vs EX28 vs EX36 vs EX40 comparison sets them side by side.

Where cutting is part of the cycle, the EX28 grapple saw puts a 600 mm saw on the same 0.28 m² head, at 986 kg against 617 kg with rotator here, which is a substantial share of a 12 tonne machine’s payload and barely noticed on a 25 tonne one.

What the published figures mean on site

The 0.28 m² grapple capacity is the volume the closed tines contain, and it is the figure that drives chipper feeding and biomass throughput. The 1,632 mm maximum opening is the width the tines will reach around before closing; it reads a few millimetres below the EX25 because the EX28 carries its extra capacity in a deeper jaw rather than a wider one, and in practice the difference is invisible.

Weight is published as 496 kg base and 617 kg with rotator. The base figure describes a bare grapple on a fixed mount; the rotator figure is the one for the lift calculation if rotation is specified, and the coupler goes on top. The EX28 is the first EX with 50 mm solid Hardox tines, which is where its durability advantage over the EX25 comes from and part of where the extra mass goes.

Carrier matching and the suspended-load rule

A grapple is rated by what it contains, not by what the machine can hold up. With the widest carrier band in the family that distinction does the most work here: the same 0.28 m² of capacity sits behind a very different payload on a 12 tonne machine and a 25 tonne one, and only the chart at the radius being worked settles it.

The 12 to 25 tonne band hides a wide spread of payload. A 16 tonne machine rated, illustratively, 2,200 kg at the working radius has roughly 1,380 kg left for material once 617 kg of grapple and an assumed 200 kg coupler come off, which is about a full head of 4 m hardwood logs and comfortable on brash. A 12 tonne machine rated, again illustratively, 1,500 kg at the same radius is left with under 700 kg and will rarely lift the head full of sawlogs. Work the real chart figures through the lift capacity calculator and the lift chart and attachment mass guide.

Typical work and production considerations

The EX28 fits subdivision and civil clearing, where the carrier is on site for earthworks and the grapple stacks and loads felled timber between other tasks, biomass and chipper operations feeding mid-sized chippers, and road corridor clearing where traffic control cost rewards fast, clean stacking. The inward-angled tine geometry wraps round timber as the jaws close, and the gripping structures under the headstock steady a large single log against the body, reducing re-grabs and slow careful travel.

A larger head does not help if the carrier reaches its lift limit before the head is full, and that is the specific risk of buying the EX28 for its carrier range rather than for one machine: the same grab that is well matched to a 20 tonne excavator is working half empty on a 12 tonne one. Australian hardwood density shortens safe log bundles further, as the Australian hardwood guide explains.

Limitations and when to step up or down a size

On a 20 to 25 tonne carrier handling heavy brash or large log bundles, the EX28’s 0.28 m² and 1,632 mm opening start to limit cycle size, and the EX36 adds 0.36 m² and a 1,928 mm opening for 220 kg more with rotator. On a 12 tonne carrier moving urban vegetation, the EX25 saves 217 kg for little practical loss. If the fleet only occasionally moves logs, a general sorting grab may be adequate; the forestry grapple vs sorting grab comparison sets out the trade.

Options and configuration to settle at quotation

Rigid and swing-link mountings and the rotator choice are common to the EX family and are set out on the EX25 page. What is specific to a grab bought for a mixed fleet is the coupler: if the head is to move between a 12 tonne and a 25 tonne machine it has to suit both hitches, and the adaptor weight differs on each. Settle that, the rotator model and torque, and the gripping pressure control at quotation; the hydraulic matching guide covers the rotator circuit.

Wear parts and support

Price pins, bushes, cylinder seals and rotator seals, and ask how tines are repaired and whether replacement tines are stocked in Australia. A head that moves between machines gets parked more often than one that lives on a single carrier, so a transport stand that supports it with the hoses protected is worth its cost in avoided rotator damage.

Confirm before ordering

• Weight in the ordered configuration: 496 kg base or 617 kg with rotator, plus coupler
• Lift chart checked at the actual working radius for the specific carrier, not the 12 to 25 tonne band
• Rigid or swing-link mounting chosen for the work, with rotator model and torque
• Gripping pressure control and rotator circuit flow confirmed
• Chipper feed opening and typical piece length checked against 0.28 m² capacity
• Pins, bushes, cylinder seals, rotator seals and tines priced with Australian stock location
• Transport stand and tie-down points included

Frequently asked questions