Best Gen Purpose Pulling Chain/Rope ?

[Gio]

Hi everyone.

I just bought my first tractor (MF GC2400) and I also just purchased my first rural property. My wife and I found a perfect spot about 40 minutes outside of town on 5 acres with a great old farmhouse.

Anyway...we have tons of work to do including pulling a bunch of big trees and Misc items from the property. What is my best option? Chain? Rope? Cable? Also, is there a vendor out there that makes something ready to go (Tractor supply? etc)

Thank you in advance for your help

Jason

 

[20 20]

Check out harbor freight they usually have sales on chain with hooks, I bought a couple of the 3/8's.

 

[Chilly807]

Your best bet is to get a couple different lengths (one 12 foot and one 20 foot for example) of grade 70 chain. With 22.5 hp, 1/4 inch grade 70 will handle most chores easily. 5/16 is stronger, but also heavier. I use 1/4 inch grade 70 with my L3400 Kubota for skidding chain, it's worked well so far. Put a slip hook on one end and a grab hook on the other and you're all set for most jobs that require chain.

Rope is prone to wear and breakage, and cable is a pain in the a** in general with broken strands and snarls/kinks.

There are charts available showing the working and breaking strength of chain,

Chain Grading

WLL for 1/4 inch Gr70 with appropriate hooks is 3150 lbs, breaking strength is 4 times that. Meaning you should be able to dangle 4 of your tractors if not more from one piece of chain before it breaks.

Sean

 

[MMagis]

Thought I’d add that if you need particularly long lengths, cable is much lighter to work with. Otherwise, I use chain.

 

[rjkobbeman]

Thought I壇 add that if you need particularly long lengths, cable is much lighter to work with. Otherwise, I use chain.

I prefer chain over cable and/or rope. They can be deadly.

 

[leonz]

OH BOY;


Let us solve this before you get your head torn off please:


There is no one best option which fits everything short of having the plot cleared with a wood shear mounted on a loader or crawler; lets just settle that issue.

The thing is you can not just start hacking and hauling with no pathways, escape paths or legitimate access with a larger vehicle.

1. terrain is the major issue, you cannot start yanking on things with the simple desire to get rid of them for numerous reasons including:
a. line of sight haulage.
b. traction available-dry ground is a must!!!!
c. terrain and sight lines for pathways.
d. ability to use sheave blocks safely for wire rope to remove difficult logs or
machinery.
e. tipping over past the point of recovery and death or injury.
f. the tractor may not be big enough anyway!!!

g. your possible lack of experience with regard to winch lines and sheave
block use in dense brush and high tree populations per acre.
h. whiplash from broken wire rope slings or slipping chains and undersize
chains or wire rope.

I. slippage/freeing of wire rope clamps and thimbles resulting in whiplash.

2. density of brush and dead material on the floor of the wood lot.
a. what is the density of stumpage on the property?

b. utilities-they love to bury things and not tell folks.

c. location of high voltage lines and the proximity of property and proper sight
lines.

d. abandoned dug or drilled wells with small covered roofs-steep pitched roof
covers over pump pits or dug wells.



3. reread number one.

4. inadequate drainage.

5. reread number 1, YOU must safe path of escape when dealing with dead down or standing trees or cutting stumpage.

6. you have to have a pathway for the wire rope and the ability to properly position and locate sheave blocks to obtain the mechanical advantage they offer but you must HAVE ROOM and help.

a. If the crap you are yanking out get stuck it takes a millisecond to stop your
tractor and you may not have time to react if it starts to tip back on you;
If the ground is wet the rops will simply be pushed into the ground if the
tractor has enough forward motion and traction, a lot of people died at tractor
pulls for the same reason before cages were required for the tractors.


leonz

 

[Hawghauler]

If you use a chain, buy one with a load rating capable of towing. Generally huge links. I had a a crew involved in an industrial accident trying to tow with a tie down chain and it ended up with a fatality. Not pretty. A piece of metal the size of a pea flew about 65 feet and dropped a guy who bled out. It was like getting shot. He was a spectator standing way back (in a safe area) in case the chain broke. Cable might be safer.

 

[rekees4300]

Hi everyone.

I just bought my first tractor (MF GC2400) and I also just purchased my first rural property. My wife and I found a perfect spot about 40 minutes outside of town on 5 acres with a great old farmhouse.

Anyway...we have tons of work to do including pulling a bunch of big trees and Misc items from the property. What is my best option? Chain? Rope? Cable? Also, is there a vendor out there that makes something ready to go (Tractor supply? etc)

Thank you in advance for your help

Jason

Be careful trying to pull big trees with a tractor that small. I recommend using a 3/8" and/or 5/16" chain from TSC. They will cut the chain to whatever length you wish and put hooks on it. Invest in a good chainsaw to cut the trees into manageable pieces.

 

[/pine]

There's nothing wrong with using nylon straps as long as you don't overload them for their ratings...I bought them at wally-world in a pinch one time and have used them to drag/move many large trees and logs since...

always remember to pull heavy or questionable loads from the drawbar UNDER the rear axle and NOT the 3ph...

I suggest getting a clevis or shackle with a throat larger than the thickness of the drawbar for hooking up pull chains or straps etc...

 

[MMagis]

I prefer chain over cable and/or rope. They can be deadly.

I simply don't like to handle 50+ feet of chain. If professional loggers use it, it should work. A weight hanging on the cable helps prevent it recoiling too far if it were to break. I'll mention that I've broken cable many times and have never had come even remotely close to me. Not saying it can't happen, just haven't seen it.