Powerhand EX36 grapple saw

Where the EX36 grapple saw sits in the range

The EX36 is the largest of Powerhand’s rigid forestry excavator grapple saws, above the EX28 and EX25. There is no rigid EX40; the EX40 grapple saw exists only in tiltrotator and tree-care configurations, so for a buyer who wants a rigid head on a 16 to 25 tonne carrier, the EX36 is the top of the ladder.

Where the timber is already on the ground, the EX36 forestry grapple has the same 0.36 m² capacity and 1,928 mm opening at 837 kg with rotator. The grapple saw buying guide explains the three architectures Powerhand builds, and the EX25 vs EX28 vs EX36 vs EX40 comparison puts the family side by side.

What the published figures mean on site

The EX36 grows in every dimension at once. Grapple capacity rises to 0.36 m², the volume the closed tines contain, and the maximum opening to 1,928 mm, the width the tines will reach around before closing. That opening is what lets the head wrap a large standing trunk or a bundle of windblown stems rather than picking them singly.

The bar lengthens to 1,000 mm and the maximum cut to 650 mm, and the two remain different numbers: the bar is what the saw box carries, the cut is what the head will pass through in one plunge with the timber gripped. A 650 mm cut in green eucalypt is a serious load on chain, motor and carrier, so treat it as the ceiling rather than the plan. The 1,176 kg attachment weight is the price of all this, and it must be deducted in every lift calculation. Confirm whether it includes the Indexator rotator and coupler in your ordered build.

Carrier matching and the suspended-load rule

A 650 mm saw does not make a 650 mm section safe to hold. The carrier supports attachment, rotator, coupler and timber together at the actual radius, and only the lift chart at that radius decides the margin.

The 650 mm cut is realistic only at the top of the carrier band. Illustratively, a 22 tonne excavator rated 3,000 kg at the working radius keeps about 1,600 kg for the piece after the 1,176 kg head and an assumed 200 kg coupler; at roughly 365 kg per metre for a 650 mm green eucalypt section (assuming near 1,100 kg per cubic metre) that is a little over 4 m before any allowance for swing or uneven ground. On a 16 tonne machine rated perhaps 2,000 kg at the same radius the margin drops to a few hundred kilograms and the full cut is largely theoretical. Work your own carrier through the lift capacity calculator with the lift chart and attachment mass guide.

Typical work and production considerations

The EX36 suits subdivision and civil clearing where standing and leaning timber must be sectioned and sorted, storm damage and dangerous trees where windblown stems are under tension and need to be gripped before cutting, and biomass and chipper operations where the head both cross-cuts over-length pieces and feeds a large chipper. In a landing or clearance role its wide opening reduces re-grabs on tangled material.

Plan pieces around placement and stability, not the maximum cut. Australian hardwood density makes safe sections shorter than the diameter suggests, and the Australian hardwood guide sets out the adjustment. Where the chipper is the bottleneck, balance piece size to its feed opening so the saw is not doing a second cut on the ground.

Limitations and when to step up or down a size

On a 16 to 18 tonne machine the EX36 leaves little margin for hardwood, and the EX28 gives up only 50 mm of cut while saving 190 kg on the boom. If the work is dangerous-tree dismantling that needs the head held at a chosen angle, the EX40 in tree-care worm-drive form, or a tiltrotator build of the EX36 itself, is the direction, at the cost of more weight and hydraulic complexity. For repetitive small-stem felling a tree shear is faster and cheaper to run.

Options and configuration to settle at quotation

The figures here describe the rigid excavator EX36, and the architecture must be written on every quotation for the reasons set out on the EX25 page. On this head the specification that repays attention is the saw motor: a 1,000 mm bar cutting 650 mm hardwood is the one place in the rigid range where an under-flowed motor turns a plunge into a stall, so match displacement to the carrier’s measured auxiliary flow rather than to the largest motor listed, and pair it with 3/4 inch chain if the large-diameter work is sustained rather than occasional. The hydraulic matching guide covers the flow and pressure trade-offs.

Wear parts and support

At this size the saw consumables are a real line in the tender rate: chains, bars, sprockets, saw motor service and chain oil, all of which change with the chain pitch chosen. Price pins, bushes, cylinder seals and rotator seals for the grapple. A transport stand is not optional for a head of this mass on a float, and the bar needs protection in transit. Machinery Specialist is the Australian distributor; the wear parts guide gives a pricing checklist.

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, especially at the 16 tonne end
• Saw motor displacement matched to measured auxiliary flow and pressure
• Chain pitch chosen with bar, sprocket and chain pricing for that pitch
• Automatic tension and chain lubrication reservoir specified
• Transport stand, tie-down points and float arrangement confirmed
• Australian parts location and lead time for chains, bars and seals

Frequently asked questions