A grab turns an excavator into a sorting, loading and handling machine, but the right one depends on what you're moving and what hydraulics your machine has. Here's how selector grabs, timber grabs, folding grabs, manual grapples and excavator thumbs compare, and how to choose between them.
Excavator Grab Types at a Glance
| Grab type | Best for | Hydraulics needed | Sizes in our range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Selector grab | Demolition, waste, stone and scrap | Fixed: one double-acting circuit. Rotating: two | 1–36 tonnes |
| Timber grab | Logs, stumps and forestry | One double-acting circuit, two with a rotator | 1–22 tonnes |
| Folding grab | Logs, brash, stone and scrap | One double-acting circuit, two with a rotator | 2–16 tonnes |
| Manual grapple | Land clearance and skip sorting | None | 1–30 tonnes |
| Excavator thumb | Grabbing with your existing bucket | Manual: none. Hydraulic: one double-acting service | 1–25 tonnes |
Selector Grabs
A selector grab is a heavy-duty hydraulic sorting grab. Its legs close together under a cylinder, with reversible, bolt-on hardened cutting edges and toeplates that keep pinching together as they wear, so it can pick small pieces out of a mixed pile. That makes it the go-to grab for demolition, sorting waste, loading skips and handling stone or rock.
Fixed selector grabs run on one double-acting circuit. Rotating selector grabs add a 360° rotator for precise placement and need two. Browse our excavator selector grabs.
Timber Grabs
A timber grab is built for logs. Two interlocking arms with a continuous radius inside the legs roll logs into the centre of the grip, and the geometry holds even small limbs tight against the housing. Built to work under an excavator, it's far tougher than a free-hanging crane log grab, and it handles stumps and rocks too. See our excavator timber grabs.
Folding Grabs
A folding grab has 7 interlocking HB400 tines, 3 on one side and 4 on the other. It's fully hydraulic, like a selector grab, but its tines give more points of contact, so it holds logs, brash, stumps and irregular material tight against its body. It also handles stone and scrap. See our excavator folding grabs.
Manual Grapples
A manual grapple uses your dipper cylinder to open and close, so it needs no hydraulics at all. It's the most cost-effective way to start grabbing, with nothing hydraulic to fail, which makes it a popular first attachment after a bucket set. The trade-off is dexterity: its inner jaw is fixed, so it can't grip and release independently like a hydraulic grab. It's supplied as a kit with a 3-position pad to weld to your dipper arm. See our excavator manual grapples.
Excavator Thumbs
A thumb mounts on the dipper arm and works against your bucket, turning it into a grab. You can dig and grab without changing attachments, and the thumb tucks away against the dipper when you don't need it. A manual thumb locks into one of three positions with no hydraulics, while a hydraulic thumb opens and closes from the cab on one double-acting service. See our excavator thumbs.
Do You Need a Rotator?
A 360° rotator lets you turn the grab to match the material, so you can sort in tight spots, line up logs and place loads precisely without moving the machine. It's worth having if you handle material all day or work around obstacles. The catch is cost and hydraulics: a rotator needs a second double-acting circuit, so check your machine has one before you choose it.
Check Your Hydraulics
- No hydraulics: manual grapples and manual thumbs.
- One double-acting circuit: fixed selector grabs, timber grabs and folding grabs without a rotator, and hydraulic thumbs.
- Two double-acting circuits: rotating selector grabs, and timber or folding grabs with the rotator.
Your machine's manual or spec sheet will list its auxiliary circuits. If you're not sure, send us your machine details and we'll check.
Fitting: Headstock or Weld-On
Our selector, timber and folding grabs are supplied with a headstock to fit your machine, so they couple up like any other attachment. Manual grapples and thumbs work differently: they mount on pads welded to the dipper arm, so allow for a competent welder. Either way, send us your excavator make and model, hitch details and pin measurements. Our guide on how to measure an excavator for a new bucket shows how.
Which Grab for Which Job?
- Demolition and waste sorting: a selector grab, rotating if you're sorting all day.
- Forestry and log handling: a timber grab, paired with an excavator tree shear to cut the stems.
- Mixed brash, stumps and scrap: a folding grab.
- Land clearance on a budget: a manual grapple.
- Occasional grabbing between digging: an excavator thumb.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between a grab and a grapple?
Nothing, in practice. The two words are used interchangeably for the same kind of attachment, and you'll see selector grabs called selector grapples and timber grabs called log grapples.
Which grab is best for a mini digger?
If you want to keep costs down, a manual grapple or excavator thumb needs no extra hydraulics. For hydraulic grabbing, the 2–3.5 tonne selector grab, 1.8–3.5 tonne rotating selector grab, 2–3.5 tonne timber grab and 2–3.5 tonne folding grab all suit mini diggers. For micro diggers, there's a 1–2.2 tonne rotating selector grab and a 1–2 tonne timber grab.
Can I fit a grab to my quick hitch?
Yes. Our hydraulic grabs come with a headstock designed to fit your machine, and manual grapples connect to your machine or quick coupler once the pad is welded on.
Do I need a rotator on a timber grab?
Not usually. It helps you line up logs and stack neatly without moving the machine, but it adds cost and needs a second double-acting circuit.
Ready to choose? Browse all our excavator grabs and grapples, or send us your machine details and we'll recommend the right grab.
