Grapple trucks are commonly seen as part of a city’s Sanitation Department since they are often used for collecting refuse and litter. Although it is a common sight to see them in action handling such debris, they are designed to handle more than just garbage! They are built to handle all sorts of material from the most cumbersome and largest to the smallest of material. Equipped with the right type of attachment, this vehicle can get many different jobs done. Listed below are a few of the many potential industry applications for this functional vehicle.
- Construction – Construction companies can put this vehicle to good use. One of the crucial jobs performed in the construction industry is preparing the actual site for a building. This is to get rid of any debris that could hinder the construction. The grapple truck, with its refuse/ trash grapple, is particularly suitable for this task since it is perfect for scooping unwanted debris from the site, eliminating the need for workers to manually load or unload such material into a dump truck. Waste debris such as soil, wooden scaffoldings, rocks, and cement can also be removed from the construction site as needed during the building operation by using the polyp grab attachment that is specially designed for handling round objects.
- Logging – Another industry that benefits from these practical vehicles is the logging industry. Once the logs are cut down, they have to be transported down to a milling site for further processing. With its timber attachment, the grapple truck can serve as a loader and transporter all at the same time instead of requiring two separate machines to do the work.
- Landscaping – Landscaping can be described as an activity that modifies the features of an area. Repositioning trees, rocks, and altering the natural terrain by adding or reducing the amount of soil are some of the tasks involved in landscaping. Using the proper attachment, the grapple truck is a versatile design that can accomplish these entire tasks with ease.
- Forestry – The Forest Service also makes use of grapple trucks for maintaining the forest. Clamshell buckets installed on these vehicles are used for clearing waste off bodies of water, like streams and rivers, to improve water flow. It is also used for the removal of tree trimmings, dead tree branches, and more. The vehicle also comes in different configurations and with a wide variety of attachments. Although the standard design includes a grapple and a dump bed in one single frame, other designs are also available to suit various applications.
- Rear Steer System – In this design, the grapple with its control cab is mounted onto a short truck frame. Due to the lack of a dump bed, this setup has to work in tandem with a separate hauling vehicle.
- Roll Off System – The roll off system operates similarly to the standard model vehicle except it does not have a fixed dump bed. The truck is equipped with a detachable box sitting on top of a roll-off system. The box can be completely separated from the chassis to be transported to different staging areas.
- Trailer System – This design is similar to a rear steer system. The grapple is mounted on a short truck frame; however, it also has an attachment for a trailer. The detachable trailer is used for holding material. The advantage of this design is that is allows a quick swapping of the trailer instead of a lengthy unloading time.
Although it is common to see these trucks in use handling garbage, this versatile commercial vehicle is also capable of handling delicate tasks. Given the right type of attachment, as well as the proper configuration, there are many, many applications available for this truck and it will indeed handle more than garbage!
Christopher Hunter is an expert in commercial specialty trucks. If you are interested in learning more about Grapple Trucks, go to the main website of First Fleet as shown in the link below.
