Powerhand EX28 grapple saw

Where the EX28 grapple saw sits in the range

The EX28 is the middle model of Powerhand’s rigid forestry excavator grapple saw range, between the EX25 for 8 to 12 tonne carriers and the EX36 for 16 to 25 tonne machines. Its 12 to 25 tonne carrier band is the widest in the rigid range, and it overlaps the excavators most civil and vegetation contractors already own, which is why it is the model most often specified as a first grapple saw for a mixed fleet.

For handling without cutting, the EX28 forestry grapple carries the same 0.28 m² capacity and 1,632 mm opening at 617 kg with rotator. The grapple saw buying guide sets out the rigid, tiltrotator and tree-care architectures, and the EX25 vs EX28 vs EX36 vs EX40 comparison lines the sizes up.

What the published figures mean on site

The 0.28 m² grapple capacity is the volume the closed tines contain, the measure that matters for bundling brash and feeding a chipper. The 1,632 mm maximum opening is what the tines will reach around before closing, and it is marginally less than the EX25’s despite the larger capacity, because the EX28 geometry is deeper rather than wider. For most cutting work the difference is immaterial; for wrapping very large standing trunks it is worth noting.

The 900 mm bar and 600 mm maximum cut are the same as the EX25. What the EX28 adds is the option of multiple saw motor displacements and a choice of 0.404 inch or 3/4 inch chain, which is where it separates from the smaller model on hard timber. The 986 kg attachment weight is roughly half as much again as the EX25, and it is the figure to deduct in every lift check. Confirm whether it includes the Indexator rotator and coupler in your ordered configuration.

Carrier matching and the suspended-load rule

The 600 mm cut is a saw figure, not a lifting figure. After the cut the carrier is holding attachment, rotator, coupler and timber together, at the radius the boom is actually extended to, and the lift chart at that radius governs.

The spread inside the 12 to 25 tonne band is the point here. Illustratively, a 20 tonne excavator rated 3,000 kg at the working radius keeps about 1,800 kg for the piece after the 986 kg head and an assumed 200 kg coupler, which at roughly 310 kg per metre for a 600 mm green eucalypt section allows a piece under 6 m, and prudent practice with dynamic loading takes it shorter. A 13 tonne machine rated, again illustratively, 1,600 kg at the same radius is left with a few hundred kilograms, which is why the low end of the band needs a lift chart rather than an assumption. The lift capacity calculator and the lift chart and attachment mass guide cover the method and the density assumption behind that per-metre figure.

Typical work and production considerations

The EX28 is at home in road corridor clearing and rail corridor vegetation, where possession windows and traffic control mean the machine must fell, section and stack in one cycle without a ground crew under the load. It also suits subdivision and civil clearing where the carrier is already on site for earthworks and a saw head avoids mobilising a separate crane.

Plan pieces around chipper feed opening and stack layout rather than the maximum cut. The largest section is rarely the fastest, because placement time and carrier stability dominate the cycle. Australian hardwood density shortens safe sections compared with pine, and the Australian hardwood guide explains the adjustment.

Limitations and when to step up or down a size

If the work is consistently at 600 mm and above in hardwood, or the carrier sits at 20 tonnes plus with margin to spare, the EX36 buys a longer 1,000 mm bar, a 650 mm cut and a 1,928 mm opening for another 190 kg. If the carrier is 12 or 13 tonnes and the timber is urban and modest, the EX25 preserves 335 kg of lift for very little lost capability. Where felling is repetitive small-stem work, a tree shear cycles faster with fewer consumables.

Options and configuration to settle at quotation

These figures describe the rigid excavator EX28; the same head is also built on a tiltrotator and in a tree-care worm-drive configuration, so the architecture must be written on every quotation, as the EX25 page explains. The decision unique to this model is the chain pitch, because it is the first EX offered with both: 0.404 inch as the lighter general-purpose system, 3/4 inch for large-diameter high-load cutting. Choose it with the saw motor displacement, matched to the carrier’s measured auxiliary flow rather than the largest motor listed; the hydraulic matching guide explains the trade-offs.

Wear parts and support

Chains, bars, sprockets, saw motor service and chain oil are the recurring cost, and the 3/4 inch option changes all of them, so get both systems priced before the pitch is chosen rather than after.

Confirm before ordering

• Mounting architecture stated in writing: rigid excavator grapple saw
• Delivered weight including Indexator rotator, coupler and hoses
• Lift chart checked at the actual working radius for the specific carrier, not the 12 to 25 tonne band
• Saw motor displacement matched to measured auxiliary flow and pressure
• Chain pitch chosen (0.404 inch or 3/4 inch) with bar, sprocket and chain pricing for that pitch
• Automatic tension and chain lubrication reservoir specified
• Transport stand, tie-down points and Australian parts location confirmed

Frequently asked questions