Tree removal used to mean at least three things happening at once: a climber up in the canopy, a ground crew managing ropes and rigging, and an operator waiting on standby to haul debris away. That’s a lot of people, a lot of coordination, and a lot that can go wrong.
RSBM Grapple Saw collapses all three into one machine and one operator.
Mount this attachment on your excavator arm, position the jaws around a limb or log, activate the saw, and the hydraulic chain cuts cleanly through while the grapple holds the section in place. The operator lifts it, swings it, and places it exactly where it needs to go — without a single person standing below the load.
That’s not a minor efficiency gain. That’s a fundamentally different way of doing the work.、
What Is a Grapple Saw?
A grapple saw combines two tools into one attachment: a hydraulic-powered chainsaw bar and a mechanical grapple. The grapple clamps onto the target material — a tree limb, a log, a wooden beam — and holds it firmly while the saw cuts through. The operator controls both functions from the cab, which means the entire sequence of grip, cut, and place happens without anyone on the ground touching the material.
Traditional tree felling and limb removal requires workers to get close to unstable structures. A grapple saw removes that risk entirely. The excavator’s reach puts the saw and grapple exactly where they need to be, and the operator manages everything remotely.
RSBM builds grapple saws for excavators across multiple weight classes, with configurations designed for forestry, land clearing, urban tree work, utility right-of-way maintenance, and selective demolition of timber-framed structures.
How the RSBM Grapple Saw Works
The operating sequence is straightforward once you understand how the two systems — grapple and saw — work together.
Step 1 — Position and grip. The operator positions the open grapple jaws around the target limb or log. Hydraulic cylinders in the grapple close the jaws and clamp firmly onto the material. The grip holds constant while the saw engages.
Step 2 — Cut. The operator activates the saw. Hydraulic pressure drives the chainsaw motor, spinning the chain at high speed across the bar. The chain cuts through the wood while the grapple maintains its hold on both sides of the cut.
Step 3 — Lift and place. With the section severed and still clamped, the operator swings the boom and places the cut material directly on the ground, into a collection pile, or onto a truck. The grapple releases on command. The cycle repeats.
The entire sequence — grip, cut, place — runs faster than any manual process involving climbers and rigging, and it never requires a person to stand beneath a suspended load.
Where the RSBM Grapple Saw Delivers
Forestry and Timber Operations
Felling and bucking trees in production forestry involves repetitive, high-volume cutting. A grapple saw on a 15–25 ton excavator handles trunks and large limbs at a rate that hand-chainsaw crews simply can’t match. The attachment grips the log before the cut, which means the severed section stays under control during the entire lift, not just after it hits the ground.
RSBM grapple saws handle large-diameter timber with a bar length and motor power sized to the target material, so operators don’t fight the saw through wood it wasn’t built to cut.
Land Clearing for Development
Site preparation for residential, commercial, and industrial development means clearing trees, brush, and stumps from large areas quickly. A grapple saw attachment on a mid-size excavator works through saplings and established trees without changing attachments, cutting each tree and immediately placing it into a debris pile or onto a processing truck.
This eliminates the separate pass typically needed to load material that ground crews have already felled, saving significant time across large clearing projects.
Urban Tree Removal
City crews remove trees in tight, high-stakes environments: canopies hanging over streets, limbs threatening utility lines, root systems undermining footpaths and walls. A grapple saw gives the operator complete control over where each section goes after the cut. The grapple holds the limb, the saw cuts it free, and the operator lowers it precisely — no drop zone surprises, no risk of a limb falling across a parked car or a power line.
This level of control lets one crew do safely in hours what used to require road closures, climbing crews, and multiple days of coordinated work.
Utility Right-of-Way Maintenance
Power line corridors and pipeline rights-of-way need regular vegetation management to keep trees and brush from encroaching on infrastructure. A grapple saw on an excavator works through overgrown sections efficiently, cutting trees to length and placing them out of the corridor without requiring workers to enter the active work zone. The excavator’s reach handles material at heights and distances that ground crews can’t access safely without their own equipment.
Storm Damage Cleanup
After severe weather events, fallen trees and broken limbs block roads, crush structures, and tangle with utility lines in unstable configurations. These conditions make manual chainsaw work particularly hazardous — limbs under tension, root balls that shift unpredictably, and debris piles that conceal additional hazards underfoot.
A grapple saw works through these conditions from the excavator cab. The operator grabs unstable sections, cuts them into manageable pieces, and moves them to a clear zone before moving to the next section. This keeps ground personnel out of the immediate danger zone throughout the cleanup process.
Demolition of Timber-Framed Structures
Selective demolition of barns, sheds, residential structures, and timber-framed commercial buildings benefits from the precise cut-and-hold capability of a grapple saw. The attachment grabs roof rafters, wall studs, and floor beams, cuts them cleanly at connection points, and places them directly into a disposal pile or sorting area. This controlled teardown produces cleaner debris for recycling and reduces the risk of uncontrolled structural collapse during the process.
What Sets the RSBM Grapple Saw Apart
Heavy-Duty Grapple Jaw Construction
The grapple portion of the attachment takes full log weight and impact loads throughout every operating cycle. RSBM builds grapple jaws from high-tensile steel with reinforced pivot points and hardened wear inserts at the contact zones. The cylinders that drive the jaw closure generate consistent clamping force throughout the full opening range, so the attachment grips large-diameter material just as firmly as small limbs.
High-Performance Hydraulic Saw System
The saw motor runs directly off the excavator’s auxiliary hydraulic circuit. RSBM engineers each configuration to the hydraulic flow and pressure specifications of the target machine class, ensuring the chain runs at optimal speed without starving the hydraulic system or triggering pressure relief valves at critical moments.
Automatic chain tensioning keeps the saw running correctly without requiring the operator to climb down and adjust the bar manually between cycles. This feature alone significantly reduces downtime on high-production clearing jobs.
360° Rotation Option
RSBM offers grapple saw configurations with an integrated hydraulic rotator, giving the operator continuous 360° rotation of the entire attachment. This rotation capability lets the operator orient the saw at any angle — horizontal, vertical, or anywhere between — without repositioning the excavator. In confined spaces, around utility infrastructure, and in urban environments where machine movement is limited, this option turns otherwise difficult cuts into straightforward operations.
Automatic Chain Lubrication
Chain lubrication is critical to saw performance and bar life. Dry chains wear quickly, cut poorly, and generate heat that damages both the chain and the bar. RSBM integrates centralized lubrication into the grapple saw system, delivering oil to the bar at consistent intervals throughout the operating cycle. The operator doesn’t manage lubrication manually — the system handles it, which keeps the saw cutting efficiently and extends wear part life.
Precision Welding and Quality Control
Every RSBM grapple saw goes through a controlled welding process with inspection at critical joints before shipping. Hydraulic cylinders undergo leak testing at operating pressure. Mounting components receive dimensional verification to confirm correct fit for the target excavator class. This process ensures the attachment performs correctly from the first operating cycle rather than revealing fit or function issues after installation.
Choosing the Right RSBM Grapple Saw for Your Machine
Machine weight class first. A grapple saw adds significant attachment weight to the end of the arm, and the saw’s hydraulic demands put real load on the excavator’s auxiliary circuit. RSBM sizes each configuration to specific machine weight classes to keep the working front balanced and the hydraulics within operating range.
Bar length and cut diameter for your target material. Specify the largest diameter material you regularly cut. RSBM matches bar length and motor power to that specification, so the saw handles your typical workload without overloading the chain at maximum diameter.
Fixed or rotating? If your work involves overhead utility clearance, cutting at odd angles, or operating in tight urban spaces, the rotating configuration pays for itself quickly in reduced repositioning time. If you work primarily in open forestry conditions where machine repositioning is easy, a fixed configuration handles the job at lower cost.
Hydraulic flow compatibility. High-performance grapple saws require significant hydraulic flow — confirm your excavator’s auxiliary circuit output before specifying. RSBM’s technical team verifies this as part of the quote process.
Every RSBM grapple saw ships with full hydraulic specifications, installation documentation, and maintenance guidance. Our technical team handles compatibility verification before the order goes into production, so the attachment installs and operates correctly from day one.
RSBM backs grapple saw attachments with a one-year warranty and ongoing technical support, so your team has a direct line to the manufacturer if questions or issues arise in the field.
