Berlon Skeleton Rock Grapple 84-Inch: A Heavy-Duty Attachment Built to Work Hard

Introduction

Quality equipment matters most when a job pushes your machine to its limits. That is exactly the category the Berlon Skeleton Rock Grapple 84-inch belongs to: an overbuilt, well-designed heavy-duty attachment made in the USA, and made in Wisconsin specifically. At 84 inches wide, this model weighs right around 1,300 pounds, and Berlon also offers the same design in 76-inch and 72-inch versions for smaller machines or tighter work.

This review walks through the grapple from top to bottom, covering the hydraulics, the welded rib construction, and how the design behaves in real land-clearing and habitat work.

Who This Grapple Is For

This grapple suits property owners and operators who dig deep, grab loads larger than they probably should, and need equipment that keeps working safely under pressure. It is aimed at people doing serious outdoor work: planting trees, managing wildlife habitat, moving rock, and clearing land. Anyone who values made-in-USA equipment with quality construction will find a lot to like here.

For habitat work specifically, the grapple has been used to create rabbit habitats, place brush for small animals, and shape the land so larger animals like deer move around more comfortably. That kind of mixed material handling, where one pass might involve rock on one side and brush or small trees on the other, is exactly what the design is built for.

Hydraulics and Independent Clams

Every Berlon Skeleton Rock Grapple, in all sizes, uses two hydraulic cylinders that work independently. Each cylinder is rated at 3,000 pounds with a 2.5-inch bore. Because the clams move separately, they can come down and grab objects of different sizes at the same time: a rock on one side, a larger tree on the other, or smaller trees and brush, with tension applied on each side independently. That is a genuinely important capability when the material you are picking up is never uniform.

Each grapple also comes with a hose saver, which allows the hoses to move around without damage, and a needle valve you can adjust so the clams open quickly or slow down to your liking. Both features are often optional extras on competing attachments, but they are included here.

Build Quality and Design Details

The construction is heavy throughout. Each of the ribs running through the grapple is made of 3/8-inch-thick metal, and two rods, each 1.25 inches in diameter, run through the structure. Everything is fully welded, which keeps the tine spacing at exactly 3 inches even when the attachment is being beaten hard on the job.

The front leading edge is completely welded, so you can backdrag with this grapple. It does a great job in gravel and works in sand or dirt as well. You can also pick things up and shake them, letting debris smaller than 3 inches fall through, which works well with brush.

Two design touches help with carrying loads. The back of the grapple has a deep well that keeps material in place during transport, and the front tines have a small lip so that anything trying to slide out forward stops against it. The grapple also has a large opening that lets logs and big rocks get inside and be held securely.

The finish deserves a mention too. The grey powder coating looks excellent when the grapple is new, and while any attachment like this will get beaten up in the dirt, the coating is designed to last and keep looking good over the years. Compared with a factory John Deere grapple, this one comes across as better built than most, simply beefy all the way around.

Things to Consider Before Buying

The main trade-off is brush. Because of the skeleton design with 3-inch spacing, grabbing large amounts of loose brush is harder than it should be: you often have to push the brush into the grapple rather than cleanly clamp it. For property cleanup that is mostly brush, a dedicated brush grapple would be more applicable than this skeleton style.

It is also worth noting the size. At 84 inches and around 1,300 pounds, this is a substantial attachment, though the 76-inch and 72-inch versions exist if you need something narrower.

Buying Advice

If your work mixes rock, logs, and occasional brush, and you want an attachment that includes features other manufacturers charge extra for, this grapple makes a strong case. The hose saver and needle valve come standard, the welding and powder coating are excellent, and the independent cylinder design handles uneven loads gracefully.

Berlon makes a wide range of attachments in Wisconsin, including pallet forks and tree pullers, so if this skeleton rock grapple fits your machine and your workload, it is worth looking at what else the company builds. For habitat restoration, land clearing, and general heavy-duty material handling, this is equipment that feels built to outlast the jobs you throw at it.

Conclusion

The Berlon Skeleton Rock Grapple 84-inch is a heavy-duty, fully welded, made-in-USA attachment with independent 3,000 lb hydraulic cylinders, a backdrag-capable leading edge, and thoughtful touches like a hose saver and adjustable needle valve included as standard. Its only real limitation is loose brush, where a dedicated brush grapple handles better. For rock, logs, and serious land work, it is an easy recommendation.