The Hustler bucket challenge on ‘Our Wyoming Life’ is out! #hustlershowdown
‘Our Wyoming Life‘ is back with episode 3 of the Hustler Showdown! If you missed the previous episodes, you can watch them here and there.
Today, Mike is going to put three brand-new Hustler grabs/buckets to the test.
- the Hustler GrabMax LX240 bale and silage grabs
- the Hustler DynoMax LM240 bucket grapples
- and an experimental bucket, not released on the market yet, exclusively tested by ‘Our Wyoming Life’! This bucket is a beast, it can also be used for grabbing logs thanks to its removable sides.
These grabs/buckets are going to be tested with bales only as this is the way Mike would use them on the ranch. However, these buckets could be used in multiple different ways, including general farm tasks such as handling silage, and carrying big bags or gravel loads.
So do the Hustler buckets earn their keep on the ranch? Watch the video to find out!
The plan
Mike is testing the ability of the buckets to grab bales with a tractor. This is going to be tested on single bales and on double bales.
For this test, Mike is going to use two similar tractor, a John Deere 6420 and a John Deere 6410 with the same lifting capacity (about 4,000 lb maximum).
The Hustler grabs/buckets will be compared to the John Deere 640 bucket Mike has always been using on the ranch.
The test
Each bale weighs about 1,400 lb.
Mike started with the experimental bucket. The comparison with the John Deere 640 looks quite similar with one bale, the Hustler seemed to be opening a little bit wider than its counterpart. On the double bale test again, the result was very similar with no trouble, the higher profile of the Hustler offers more gap though according to Mike.
Then, the GrabMax (that is “made only of teeth”, Mike noted). The GrabMax holds onto the double bales “very very nicely”, securing the load. The single bale seems not to be able to be easily grabbed by the side and offer a better hook through the top or bottom of the bale. According to Mike, the GrabMax is definitely more suitable for double bales handling.
Finally, the DynoGrab is put to the test with the double bales. “The DynoGrab is doing his job beautifully. However, if you are looking for a heavy-duty bucket, this bucket is a beast! The problem is that with the weight of the bucket and the weight of the bales, it’s about all the tractor can do – lifting the bales off the ground” Mike explained. With the single bale, the DynoGrab has no problem at all but the John Deere has a bit more of a grab on a single bale.
The results
“When it comes down to it, my general result with the entire thing would be it depends on what you’re using it for. If you’re grabbing two bales, if you’re grabbing from the ends, if you’re grabbing from the sides… all of these are different variables they’re going to make a huge difference in the way that these buckets work. So, honestly, for the first time and this is our third Hustler Showdown episode, I’m going to have to say that I don’t really have an answer because there are so many other things you can do with these buckets besides just grabbing bales” Mike said.
Mike is going to continue to use these buckets on the ranch for other general tasks. Follow ‘Our Wyoming Life’ YouTube channel to see more of them sometime soon!
And stay tuned for the next episodes of the Hustler Showdown on ‘Our Wyoming Life‘ – make sure to subscribe to get notified!
