What is a hydraulic grapple exactly?
Think of it like a giant mechanical flower with multiple steel “petals” that open and close – 4 or 5 jaws that curl inward to grab material from every angle. That’s why it’s called an “orange peel” – it opens and closes like the skin of an orange.
It mounts on your excavator arm, connects to your auxiliary hydraulics, and gives you the ability to pick up, move, and sort loose, irregular, and bulky material. An excavator orange peel is the go-to attachment for scrap yards, demolition sites, and recycling operations.
One customer in Spain told us: “We used to load scrap metal with a standard bucket. Half of it would fall off. Now with the hydraulic orange peel grab, every load stays in. We’re loading trucks 40% faster.”
Who Buys An Orange Peel Grab?
From our real customer list:
- Scrap metal recyclers – loading shredded steel, mixed scrap, and demolition metal into trucks or containers.
- Demolition contractors – grabbing and moving mixed debris: concrete, rebar, wood, and steel all mixed together.
- Construction sites – handling loose material like rocks, boulders, and construction waste.
- Ports and shipping terminals – unloading bulk cargo from ships: scrap, aggregate, and loose materials.
- Waste processing and recycling plants – sorting and feeding mixed waste into processing lines.
- Foundries and steel mills – moving scrap metal and furnace feed.
One customer in the UK said: “I was using a standard bucket for scrap – it was slow and messy. My hydraulic grapple paid for itself in labour savings within three months.”
The Numbers You Actually Care About
Here are our five models. Two series: A series (standard height) and B series (taller – better for bulky material).
| Item/Model | Unit | YGO04A | YGO06A | YGO08A | YGO06B | YGO08B |
| No. of Jaw | piece | 4/5 | 4/5 | 4/5 | 4/5 | 4/5 |
| Suitable Excavator | ton | 6-9 | 10-17 | 18-25 | 10-17 | 18-25 |
| Weight | kg | 355/420 | 900/1000 | 1650/1900 | 850/1000 | 1700/1950 |
| Max Open Jaw | mm | 1200 | 1600 | 2050 | 1900 | 2500 |
| Height of Opened Grapple | mm | 1000 | 1500 | 1700 | 1550 | 2000 |
| Working Pressure | bar | 200 | 260 | 320 | 260 | 320 |
| Working Flow | lpm | 50-100 | 60-120 | 200-250 | 60-120 | 200-250 |
| Capacity | m3 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 1 |
How To Choose The Right Hydraulic Grapple?
- Match your excavator size – use the “Suitable Excavator” column.
- Consider your material – dense scrap metal → A series. Bulky, loose waste → B series.
- Jaw count – 4 jaws are simpler and lighter. 5 jaws grip better on irregular material. Most customers choose 5.
- Opening width – wider opening = grab bigger items. If you handle car bodies or large demolition debris, go wide.
- Hydraulic flow – check your excavator’s auxiliary flow. Must match the “Working Flow” column.
One Last Truth
A bucket spills. A grapple for excavator holds.
If you handle loose, irregular material, this is the tool that gets the job done faster.
👉 Email admin@chinayugongmachinery.com now. Tell me your excavator model and material type. I’ll recommend the right hydraulic grapple within 24 hours.
Grab more. Spill less. Move faster.
