mounting a winch on front of Kubota

[ANiforos]

Hello to all who replied. First I'd like to apologize for taking a couple of days to reply to your responses to my post, especially to everyone who replied so quickly.

I'll try to answer several questions with this post. I didn't cut up the tree. It was on a neighbors land which is next to my driveway and he had it cut down. Seemed like easy pickins at first, but like lots of projects, it got a little more involved as I began. Its an area that is really not very accessible on a tractor. There is a bit of a grade going down to the cut logs and there are too many other trees of varying sizes in the area which prevents me from just driving up to them. I kind of have to work with how the tree cutters left everything. I thought the fifty dollar 2500 # Harbor Freight winch sounded like a good idea, but the more I learn about electric winches the more I believe I'll keep using the chains to drag out the cut logs. Its not like there will be lots of other trees I will need to get, when this tree is gathered up the log gathering in that area will be done.

 

[ANiforos]

I forgot to mention that taking the splitter to the log site wont work either, as the ground is not level enough.

 

[PatMcD]

Hello all,

I have a Kubota B2630 with a FEL. I live on six acres, with most of it wooded. Basically I use the tractor with a couple of different road smoothing implements to keep my thousand foot driveway and two thousand foot private road in good order.

Recently, I have used several chains and dragging tongs from Northern to get some logs out of my neighbors woods. I heat with wood most of the winter. What I have done is to use the tongs along with two to three 15 foot chains to get these logs out of the woods. After using this method several times, I thought, why not get a winch and mount it on the front of the tractor so I don't have to haul those heavy chains by hand. So I have started looking at Harbor Freight winches.....I know, don't laugh please, everything at Harbor Freight is not junk.

Harbor Freight has a 2500 lb winch regular price 150.00 on sale with a coupon for about $50.00.

They also have a 3500 lb winch on sale for $149.00.

They also have a 5000 lb winch on sale for 200.00

Those prices will be lowered with the 20% off coupon.

So I am asking for advice here. Will the smaller, 2500 winch be strong enough to drag out logs that are around two feet in diameter and 24 to 30 inches long? I have no idea how much these logs weigh.

Any input would be appreciated.

To make a long story short, no, the small winches are definitely not up to the task. You will easily break it. I broke one on a ATV while trying to undo a snarl on the drum by hitching it to a tree and backing up.

I think you'd want to be in the 10,000 lb range of winch, and even then I know it'd be a pain it the ***.
A logging winch is what you want, but they are in the $4000 range.

Get as close as you can with the tractor and drag with chains. HF has decent deals on towing chains.

 

[Walkin Horse]

I really don't want to start Another Winch Thread and sorry if I'm hijacking the ops. So here's my questions. I have a 850 cca battery in my tractor. The book says it has a 55 amp alternator. What does that mean and how does it relate to battery draw down by the winch.

Has anyone looked at the Viper truck recovery winch. I saw it here first by a sponsor, Motoalliance. The price that's listed is very competitive with Northern TSC and HF. They come listed with so many accessories it's unreal. It lists coming with a cover a damper blanket a remote control plus the wired one and the snatch block. eBay lists it for $321 for a 13000# pull. Yes 000. The specs say it takes a 650cca battery and draws 390 amps. Has any body had any experience with these.


How do these figures relate with an 850 amp battery and a 55 amp alternator.

I figure if I used it on my truck only,at that price it would be a good deal. I don't have a lot of continuous use for it. I have some junk left by the PO down over a hill I would like to get out. Some trees that have grown up at the head of my pond that need to be dropped toward and in the pond. I don't have enough runway to drag them out. So check these winches out and tell me what you think.

 

[94BULLITT]

Instead of using heavy chains you could use a strap or synthetic rope like masterly blue. Tie two half hitches on the log.

Round Turn and Two Half Hitches | How to tie a Round Turn and Two Half Hitches | Boating Knots

 

[ANiforos]

I've been thinking about this winch thing for a while and I think I may have come up with a solution to my problem. What if I attach the winch to my tractor and then reel out however much cable I need to hook it to the log I want to pull. Then pull the log out of the woods using the tractor only, not the motor on the winch. Then when I get the log to where I want it and can get to it with FEL, I move the tractor a little closer to the log I've just pulled, then wind up several feet of the cable with no pull or resistance on the cable, then move the tractor again several feet closer to the log, then wind up more of the cable......keep doing this until I have it all wound up. That way I would not be using the winch motor and not have to worry about my battery and electrical system or duty cycle of the winch. Sound too easy a fix for what I want to do. Any thoughts on why it might not be a good idea or why it will not work.

 

[Walkin Horse]

I can tell you from the inexperience I have had with winches that would be for all the wrong reasons. If you pull with a winch the way your thinking it will pull the guts out of the winch. You want resistance on the cable when winding it up. If you roll it up slack you will have the biggest mess and a screwed up cable in no time.

 

[Dave M7040]

I can tell you the smaller winches are advertised way beyond what they will deliver.
I bought one for my 250 cc ATV and it would not even lift the front wheels off the ground when hooked to an overhead tree branch.
It came with a circuit breaker ( now I am guessing at these numbers) rated at 75 amps whereas the manufacturers specs gave it the advertised 2,000# line pull at say 150 amps.
This was a prominent name brand so imagine what the non name ones will do.
Really they are toys and you are wanting to do real work.
If you spend some serious money then you can get reasonable performance but don't destroy your electrical system. Provide the winch with its own deep discharge battery and recharge it in the shop when it is low. Talk to the tow truck guys who have the flat bed trucks about the brand and model they use to pull cars onto the flat bed.
Dave M7040

Dave M7040

 

[bcp]

Electrical system upgrade + capable electric winch = $$$ to retrieve $50 worth of log.

For something between an electric winch and a 3pt PTO logging winch system, you should check out a hydraulic winch.

Bruce

 

[Jim Timber]

Hydraulic winch is going to be pretty close to a PTO winch in price once you get fittings and cable.

Pulling synthetic rope over the ground wrapped around a turn is a great way to shorten your rope. Use a chain on the log, hook the rope to the chain - pull the rope. If you don't want to do that, use a cable choker like most loggers use. They don't last as long, but they're easier to handle. Cable is a consumable in logging. It will break with use, and you need to wear gloves because of the little strands that snap and end up gashing you. Chain is much more durable and user friendly, but heavier and takes more effort to man-handle.

To the OP, if you're going to use the winch as a very expensive and slow cable reel, I'd suggest not buying the winch at all. What you described would be handled well with a $150 hank of high grade rope and it would serve you better, not require wiring or install, and could be used on multiple other pieces of gear (like your atv or truck). You'd also get more rope for your purchase than an atv winch is going to carry. They generally only have about 60' of cable in them.