Snatch blocks

[Boondox]

Are all snatch blocks at a rated capacity the same, or are some junk and to be avoided for safety reasons?

Scenario: There are some trees at the higher elevations of my property I'd like to harvest for firewood. Because of interconnecting crowns I prefer to make a shallow backcut, then use the logging winch to pull them all the way down. But the logging road is the only part of that hillside I can take the tractor on, and if I drop the tree on the road I need to be downhill to hook up to the butt end. And that's why I'm thinking a snatchblock would come in handy.

Tractor near the tree but downhill. Winch cable goes up past the target tree to a snatchblock on another tree, then back to the one I want. I notch the tree. I backcut just before the point where things start moving. I then use the winch to make it fall uphill, then connect to the butt and drag it home down that narrow logging road.

But online I see snatchblocks rated at 12 tons running anywhere from $25 to $400. What's the difference and what do I look for?

Pete

 

[SnowRidge]

<font color="blue"> But online I see snatchblocks rated at 12 tons running anywhere from $25 to $400. What's the difference and what do I look for? </font>

This isn't a direct answer, but I think it is illustrative.

About 25 years ago I was visiting an old time style hardware store in Kansas City, where I found a huge come-along for sale. It had a massive main casting, a bronze pawl, and there wasn't a stamped part on it. It was rated for 2,000 lbs and priced at $90.

I asked the proprietor how such a large and obviously strong come-along could be rated at only 2,000 lbs when the inexpensive and light weight Taiwan built examples had the same rating and cost only 1/3 as much.

The old gentleman looked at me for a second, then said, "Son, when they make them in the United States, they use real pounds."

And yes, I bought it and still have it. /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

 

[Egon]

Pete:

With your tractor a $25 dollar snatch block may turn into a projectile.

Suggest you look at a logging type store or online site that has Quality products before you make a decision.

In your situation you are only changing the direction of pull. A chain around a tree might work as well as a snatch block.

Another alternative is to make your own. Should not be too difficult and a lot cheaper. Use a removable bolt instead of swinging side plate.

Ahh - just look at them and you will figure out how to make very sturdy Blocks.

Egon

 

[dsgsr]

Use the loader on the tractor to push the tree over. If you have to come off the hill to turn around and you have backed up the hill, raise the winch and back into the tree to push it over. Just remember to leave enough of a hinge on the cut so when you push it the butt doesn't slide in the direction of the fall.

David

 

[Deerlope]

Pete, Take a look here www.awdirect.com call them and ask ?'s.

 

[Boondox]

Not an option. The logging road is flanked by deep ditches and the slope of the hill is such that I'd be worried about a rollover even without a load.

 

[John_Mc]

Pete -

Is there no way to drop the tree up the hill without the help of a winch & snatchblock? I've put a few over with some substantial back lean using a felling wedge (or two). Unless it's hung up on other trees in the crown, it's surprising how much lean in the wrong direction you can overcome.

I picked up some good pointers on this at a few "Game of Logging" courses a couple of years ago. From reading your posts, you may already be well beyond what they cover. (on the other hand, we had a guy in one of my classes who had been a logger for 15 years, and he felt the course was worthwhile).

John Mc

 

[AndyMA]

I use a Farmi (Valby) snatch block and love it. It is ver eavy duty, set up with a nylon loop to go around a tree and it is self releasing, meaning that when the tree you are pulling hits the snatch block it releases the cable and you continue pulling the tree in directly. Light weight snatch blocks are a good way to get hurt. Farmi Snatch Block

Andy

 

[SkogenMe]

I have used a fairly cheap JET block similar to this snatch block for occasional use for ten years in the woods. I have had to rebuild it several times because the frame has been torqued...it is no twelve ton unit! but it has certainly saved the day numerous times /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

While the self-releasing feature isn't what you need for your scenario you might consider something like this: self releasing . My brother has one similar to this and it is very nice. Because it is built to be supported only on one side it is fairly rugged.

I am not quite sure I understand the shallow backcut reference....If the tree is big enough you should be able to do a regular notch and backcut....use plastic wedges to keep the kerf from closing. If you keep a standard size hinge you can pull even a tree thats headed in the wrong direction to where you want it...sounds easy sitting inside /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
Make sure the geometry of the tree/block/winch setup isn't such that the requried cable length increases when the tree is on its way to the ground...momentum is powerful thing!
good luck

 

[Boondox]

John -- You got it. The crowns are interlocked just enough to prevent that initial movement I need to get them going the way I want...and since this time of year we typically have a light breeze in the tree tops I like the extra safety factor of the winch.