Product Overview
Think of a grapple bucket as two tools in one—a rugged digging bucket with a hydraulic claw mounted above it. That means you can scoop up soil or rock just like a regular bucket, then clamp down on the load with the grapple jaw to keep everything secure while you swing and dump. It saves you from having to swap between a bucket and a dedicated grapple on jobs that call for both digging and material handling. Whether you're cleaning up demolition waste, clearing overgrown lots, or sorting through recycling piles, this attachment handles the mix.
TGEC builds these with a heavy-duty bucket shell—reinforced along the cutting edge and side walls—paired with a robust grapple assembly that uses heavy-duty pivot pins and hydraulic cylinders for solid clamping power. The jaw opens wide enough to take in bulky, odd-shaped loads and closes firmly around brush, timber and soft debris for secure handling. Eight models give you jaw openings from 415 to 1640 mm, grapple widths from 180 to 1150 mm, and they fit bucket widths anywhere from 200 to 1500 mm. You might hear these called claw buckets in some markets. The grapple bucket combines digging and material-handling functions in one attachment.
Grapple Jaw Design and Material Handling
The grapple jaw is what makes this attachment so adaptable, and its design has a direct impact on what you can pick up and move. The jaw pivots on heavy-duty pins at the back of the bucket shell, driven by a hydraulic cylinder mounted between the jaw and the bucket body. It is built from steel plate with reinforcing ribs to resist bending under clamping loads. The contact edge may include serrations or replaceable wear plates on certain configurations to provide extra grip on slick materials like wet wood or muddy rubble.
In practice, you open the jaw wide, drive the bucket into the pile to fill it, then close the jaw to clamp the load firmly before you lift and swing over to the dump site. That clamping action keeps awkward items—tree limbs, chunks of concrete, random demolition debris—from shifting or falling out mid-swing, which helps keep irregular loads contained during lifting and swinging. The jaw can also be used to hold larger pieces while handling a mix of materials of different sizes, which is useful for recycling and sorting mixed construction debris.
Models & Specifications
Eight models offer jaw openings from 415 to 1640 mm. The recommended bucket width and compatible range show which excavator bucket sizes each grapple assembly will fit.
| Parameter | TG-GB400 | TG-GB550 | TG-GB830 | TG-GB900 | TG-GB980 | TG-GB1100 | TG-GB1240 | TG-GB1640 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Max Jaw Opening | 415 mm (16.3 in) | 550 mm (21.7 in) | 830 mm (32.7 in) | 900 mm (35.4 in) | 980 mm (38.6 in) | 1100 mm (43.3 in) | 1240 mm (48.8 in) | 1640 mm (64.6 in) |
| Grapple Width | 180 mm (7.1 in) | 300 mm (11.8 in) | 450 mm (17.7 in) | 500 mm (19.7 in) | 600 mm (23.6 in) | 700 mm (27.6 in) | 900 mm (35.4 in) | 1150 mm (45.3 in) |
| Recommended Bucket Width | 300 mm | 400 mm | 600 mm | 650 mm | 750 mm | 900 mm | 1050 mm | 1300 mm |
| Compatible Bucket Width Range | 200–450 mm | 350–500 mm | 500–700 mm | 550–750 mm | 630–850 mm | 750–1000 mm | 950–1200 mm | 1200–1500 mm |
Table data is for reference only. Actual specifications may vary based on the final configuration. Please contact the TianGe technical team for details.
Applications by Material Type
Demolition and Construction Debris
On demolition sites, this bucket shines when you're dealing with a jumble of concrete, wood, roofing, drywall, and metal studs. The grapple jaw locks onto the load so nothing slips out while you're carrying it to the dumpster or debris pile, and the bucket shell catches all the smaller bits. Since you can dig and load with the same attachment, you spend less time switching tools when you're moving between breaking concrete, scooping rubble, and cleaning up the site.
Land Clearing and Brush Removal
For clearing land, the grapple bucket is a natural fit for handling limbs, brush, stumps, and root balls. The wide jaw can accommodate bulky bundles of brush, and the clamping force squeezes everything together so you can haul more per trip to the burn pile or chipper. The bucket itself can dig out stumps and roots, then the grapple grabs them for removal. This combination can be used for lot clearing, right-of-way maintenance, and utility corridor vegetation management.
Recycling and Material Sorting
In recycling yards, these buckets can be used for handling and sorting mixed piles: you can clamp onto specific pieces and lift them out while letting finer material drop back down. The jaw can be used to hold larger items while handling the mix, a method that works well for topsoil handling, compost sorting, and sorting construction debris. It gives you control over what stays and what goes.
Hydraulic Requirements and Mounting
To operate the grapple cylinder, the excavator requires a double-acting auxiliary hydraulic circuit. Hydraulic flow and pressure requirements vary by model and excavator configuration. Confirm the required auxiliary flow and pressure with the TianGe technical team before ordering.
Mounting is the same pin-on or quick-coupler setup you're used to with a standard bucket. The bracket has to match your excavator's pin spacing, pin diameter, and linkage geometry exactly. When you order, just give us your excavator make, model, operating weight, pin dimensions, and coupler type. The hydraulic hoses connect to the auxiliary circuit at the stick, with routings that keep them clear of the boom and stick during operation. Installation is straightforward: mount the bucket, hook up the hoses, check the grapple operation, and inspect all hydraulic connections before starting work.
Operation Tips for Efficient Handling
To get the most out of a grapple bucket, match your jaw opening to the size of the material you're handling. For big, awkward items like tree trunks or concrete chunks, open the jaw all the way to take in the full load, then clamp down snugly. For finer stuff like soil or gravel, you can leave the jaw partially open or just use it as a light clamp to keep spillage down during long swings. Be mindful not to overload the bucket beyond your machine's lift capacity. The added weight of the grapple assembly affects the excavator's available lift capacity. Always verify the machine's lift capacity at the corresponding working reach.
When you're sorting mixed material, use the grapple to grab specific pieces and lift them out while letting smaller stuff fall back. The partial-close-and-shake method works great for separating soil from rocks or debris: close the jaw just enough to hold the bigger pieces, then give the stick a good shake to let the finer material separate through the bucket. For demolition debris, scoop from the bottom of the pile, then close the grapple to compress the load before you lift—that reduces the volume and lets you move more material per cycle.
Request a Quote — Grapple Bucket
Tell us your excavator make and model, operating weight, mounting or coupler type, pin spacing and pin diameter, preferred model (TG-GB400 through TG-GB1640), compatible bucket width, primary application (demolition / land clearing / recycling / general construction), typical material types, auxiliary hydraulic flow rate, and the quantity you need. Our team will confirm the right model and mounting bracket, verify the grapple width and jaw opening for your material, and send you a quote based on your specs and delivery terms. Dealers and OEMs are welcome for volume orders, custom jaw configurations and private-label options.
