Powerhand EX40 grapple saw (tiltrotator and tree-care)

Where the EX40 grapple saw sits in the range

The EX40 is the largest grapple saw head Powerhand makes, but it is not part of the rigid forestry excavator range. That range stops at the EX36. The EX40 appears in two other architectures: the tiltrotator grapple saw, for which the figures on this page are published, and the tree-care grapple saw with worm-drive positioning, which is heavier because of that positioning system. The EX28 and EX25 also exist in all three architectures, and the grapple saw buying guide explains how to keep them apart.

The one message to take from this page is that “EX40” on its own is not a specification. Any quotation, tender or float booking must say which architecture is meant, because weight, hydraulic demand, control integration and price all move with it. For handling only, the EX40 forestry grapple shares the 0.40 m² capacity and 2,137 mm opening without a saw.

What the published figures mean on site

The 0.40 m² capacity is the volume the closed tines contain and the 2,137 mm maximum opening is the width they will reach around. That opening is what allows the EX40 to wrap trunks that a 1,641 mm or 1,928 mm head cannot get behind, which matters more in dismantling than in cross-cutting.

The bar is 1,000 mm, the same as the EX36, but the maximum cut rises to 700 mm. Bar length is what the saw box carries; the cut is what the head passes through in one plunge with the timber gripped, and 700 mm in green eucalypt is a heavy cut that should be treated as the ceiling rather than the plan. The attachment weight is approximately 1,180 kg in the tiltrotator configuration. Confirm what that figure includes, because on a tiltrotator build the rotating and tilting unit may or may not be counted within it, and the tree-care version carries an additional, unpublished, increment for the worm-drive positioner.

Carrier matching and the suspended-load rule

A 700 mm saw capacity is not a 700 mm safe piece capacity. The carrier holds the head, the tiltrotator or positioner, the coupler and the timber together at the actual radius, and only the lift chart at that radius decides what is acceptable.

Illustratively, a 25 tonne excavator rated 4,000 kg at the working radius keeps about 2,570 kg for the timber after the 1,180 kg head and an assumed 250 kg for coupler and hoses; at roughly 420 kg per metre for a 700 mm green eucalypt section (assuming near 1,100 kg per cubic metre) that is about 6 m before any allowance for swing, slope or the extra mass of a tree-care build. On a 20 tonne machine rated perhaps 2,500 kg at the same radius, sections shorten to around 2 m. Because the weight of the exact architecture is the one figure that is not fixed here, get it in writing and run it through the lift capacity calculator with the lift chart and attachment mass guide.

Typical work and production considerations

The EX40 is bought for control rather than volume. In storm damage and dangerous trees and council parks and urban vegetation, the tiltrotator or worm-drive positioning lets the operator hold the head at a chosen angle, cut a section and lower it away from a fence, road or structure. In powerline and transmission easements the same control keeps the severed piece where the plan said it would go.

Piece planning is the whole job here. Estimate length, diameter, density and centre of gravity, then take the section the chart supports with margin, not the largest the saw will pass. Australian hardwood density makes safe sections shorter than the diameter suggests, as the Australian hardwood guide explains.

Limitations and when to step up or down a size

The EX40 carries more than a tonne before the timber, and on a 20 tonne carrier much of the 700 mm cut is theoretical at reach. If the work is clearance and cross-cutting rather than controlled dismantling, the rigid EX36 gives a 650 mm cut with a simpler hydraulic and control package. If controlled positioning is the requirement but the carrier is under 20 tonnes, the EX36 or EX28 in tiltrotator or tree-care form is the right conversation. There is no larger Powerhand saw head to step up to.

Options and configuration to settle at quotation

Start by choosing between the tiltrotator build and the tree-care worm-drive build, since they differ in weight, in how the head is held at an angle, and in what the carrier’s control system must provide. A tiltrotator gives continuous rotation and tilt on a unit the carrier may also use with other tools; the worm-drive positioner mechanically holds a selected orientation for dismantling. Then confirm the saw motor displacement against the carrier’s measured auxiliary flow, the chain pitch and bar, automatic chain tensioning and the lubrication reservoir. The hydraulic matching guide covers the flow question, and the quick couplers and attachment changeover guide is relevant if the tiltrotator will also carry buckets.

Wear parts and support

Saw consumables (chains, bars, sprockets, saw motor service and chain oil) are the recurring cost, and the positioning system adds its own service items: rotator seals and, on the tree-care build, the worm drive. Price pins, bushes and cylinder seals on the grapple. A transport stand is essential for a head of this mass and geometry, and the bar and hoses need protection in transit. Machinery Specialist is the Australian distributor; the wear parts guide provides a pricing checklist.

Confirm before ordering

• Architecture written on the quotation: tiltrotator grapple saw or tree-care worm-drive grapple saw
• Delivered weight of that exact architecture, stating what the figure includes
• Lift chart checked at the actual working radius with that weight deducted
• Carrier control system integration for tiltrotator or worm-drive positioning
• Saw motor displacement matched to measured auxiliary flow and pressure
• Chain pitch, bar, automatic tension and lubrication reservoir specified
• Transport stand, tie-down points and float arrangement for a head over one tonne
• Australian parts location for chains, bars, seals and positioner components

Frequently asked questions