how to make 3 point pto logging winch

   / how to make 3 point pto logging winch #1  

agh

Member
Joined
Aug 17, 2006
Messages
28
Location
mississippi
Tractor
case 485 kubota m9000
some one has likely made a 3 pt pto winch using a 8000lb or larger drum wrecker type winch. I saw just the winch for $660.00 on a wrecker web site. would require adapting tractor pto shaft to a one inch keyed shaft which drive the winch. I have a lot of hurricane hardwoods down which i want to pull up for bandsaw mill since can't get any interest in commercial sale. I would appreciate anyone thoughts on pro/cons of this type winch setup. The farmi and others are $3-4000. I believe a homemade winch could perform adequately for a small weekend project logging. thanks agh
 
   / how to make 3 point pto logging winch #2  
Is it worth the effort for a weekend logging project? How big is your tractor and how are you going to hold the tractor in place against the pull of the winch? You obviously need the engine running for the PTO so you can't leave it in gear. Most tractors I have dealt with over the years, didn't have that good a brakes to begin with. If it is 4X4, you probably don't have brakes on the front wheels so there goes a good precentage of your available traction force. Does your winch design include bars or framework that dig in to keep from dragging the tractor?

In my experience, the only times where a winch might be usefull is when I couldn't drive the tractor a reasonable distance to pull the log or other objects without having to re-rig the tow. In these instances I have always been able to rig a block to another tree to allow me to pull from a different angle than the log is being drug at. Also in my experience, winches are better at moveing the thing they are mounted on than the thing the cable is attached to unless there is a very definite weight/traction advantage.

With the cost of the winch you will probably be over $1K once you add in the price of the structure materials and tackle. There is of course the time to fabricate it and get the bugs worked out also. If you have room to move the tractor around, you might be money way ahead to just invest in some good tackle and use the tractor drawbar pulling ability to pull the logs, especially if this is only a one time affair. All I typically need is a long enough cable with good swaged eyes to reach from where I can drive to where the log is. I use that cable to drag the log in to where I can drive up on it for a short tow. A snatch block and chain for rigging is handy for where you have to rig angled pulls and some long chains for rigging the short pulls once you get the downed tree close enough to back up to. This is just based on my personal experience and I don't know your exact situation. I figure that if you have to drag a cable out to the log anyway, you could probably just as easilly pull the log with the tractor as you could with a winch. If you do go with the winch, just be sure that the cable pull point is below the rear axle(preferably down near the drawbar height) to eliminate the possibility of pulling the tractor over backwards.

Good Luck.
 
   / how to make 3 point pto logging winch
  • Thread Starter
#3  
ron, you make some good points. I have a case 485(50hp +/-) and using chains to pull logs to where my tongs on short boom pole can lift them for dragging. I have some steep hills with big trees down under, so having 100 feet of cable or so would allow me to salvage some of them. The snatch blocks and pullys might work but some of the places I don't have a lot of manuvering room to make a long pull. If I could make the 3 pt attached pto drum winch it would have to have a homemake bottom blade to dig into dirt to prevent tractor from being pulled backwards. I am hoping one of TBN'ers has made something like this and will share experiences. thanks for the input. agh
 
   / how to make 3 point pto logging winch #4  
Seems like you would be money ahead to get a 3 point reciever hitch mount
and one of the adapter plates to mount a winch to a reciever hitch.
Then just go buy a regular electric winch rated with a high pulling power.

If you go this route then you could also use the winch on any vehicle with a reciever hitch.
Mite even leave the tractor free to do other work while you winch logs.

Pooh Bear
 
   / how to make 3 point pto logging winch #6  
I'd rather use hydraulic myself.
But if you use hydraulic you can't move it to the reciever hitch on your truck.
Unless of course your truck has a hydrualic system.

Pooh Bear
 
   / how to make 3 point pto logging winch
  • Thread Starter
#7  
schmism said:
electric... bah humbug....

we have hydrolics!

milemarker has been makeing hydrolicly driven winches for like ... ever

Mile Marker - Abused Worldwide!! Hydrualic and Electric Winches

either use a power beyond with a valve... a rear remote, or get a PTO hydroilc pump to drive it!

Sorry I don't understand but could you or someone explain why it is not more simple to use pto shaft to direct drive the pto type winch. what is the advantage of using the hydraulics to power the winch, am i overlooking something. are there safety issues with the direct pto winch? can the hydraulic winch be activated some distance from the tractor maybe? agh
 
   / how to make 3 point pto logging winch
  • Thread Starter
#8  
schmism said:
electric... bah humbug....

we have hydrolics!

milemarker has been makeing hydrolicly driven winches for like ... ever

Mile Marker - Abused Worldwide!! Hydrualic and Electric Winches

either use a power beyond with a valve... a rear remote, or get a PTO hydroilc pump to drive it!

Sorry I don't understand but could you or someone explain why it is not more simple to use pto shaft to direct drive the pto type winch. what is the advantage of using the hydraulics to power the winch, am i overlooking something. are there safety issues with the direct pto winch? can the hydraulic winch be activated some distance from the tractor maybe? Electric winches heat up with pulling logs. my old warn 8000 on '77 bronco will do one or two logs short distances but i need a more rapid and dependable winch source. agh
 
   / how to make 3 point pto logging winch #9  
I have a winch like you're talking about. I built an arch of 4" schedule 80 pipe (cause it was free). It hinged off brackets under my loader frame at the rear axle. Lifted with the 3 pt hitch. The feet of the arch dug into the ground when lowered so it did not rely on tractor brakes when winching. The arch held a pulley 4' off the groung when winching. Used a low hitch & chains for dragging to minimize the load on the 3pt hitch. I'd send pictures but don't have a digital camera & it's 150 miles away.
 
   / how to make 3 point pto logging winch #10  
agh said:
Sorry I don't understand but could you or someone explain why it is not more simple to use pto shaft to direct drive the pto type winch. what is the advantage of using the hydraulics to power the winch

The hydraulics would allow more fine control of the winch. It would also allow you to control the winch from somewhere other than the seat of the tractor. It might also be easier to set up. Basically coupling a hydraulic motor shaft to the input shaft of the winch reduction gear. No hassels with shaft drive angles and a 90 degree intermediate gearbox(if the winch dosn't already do this for you) to get from the pto output to the winch input. Basically connect the motor to the winch, mount the winch on whatever frame you fabricate to mate it to the tractor then plumb in the motor supply and return hydraulic hoses from a control valve. If your tractor already has rear remotes, the plumbing is mostly done. You might also be able to start out with a off the shelf hydraulic winch then like an electric, all you have to do is mount it and plumb it. You can get an 8000LB hydraulic from surplus center for around $800-900.
Surplus Center
 
 
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