That is correct, the wood sticks slip both from the grapple and also from the top of the truck when in movement. In overall the design is poor and the grapple has very limited movement needing to have the woods stick very close and aligned by the truck. The price is not justified unless you want to use it as a decorative piece.

I don't know, it's still a plastic toy, but using real wood solves part of the problem of adhesion