Winch

[jake98]

I mounted up this Superwinch 8500 to help me drop some trees not on my shop.

If I can get about 6 down, with no 'collateral damage', it won't owe me nuthin.

[Buckgnarly]

How does your alt and battery do with it? I have a Warn X8000 I have thought about mounting, but not sure how the electrical would hold up to it on hard pulls.

[jake98]

I just got it installed tonight. The specs recommend a minimum of a 60 a. alternator, the Kioti has a 50 a., but I don't intend to use it anywhere near it's full potential, only need to get some trees leaning the right way.

[stingray1]

You might get lucky and not smoke something. GOOD LUCK

[hodge]

I have dropped a lot of trees, and I've been on the pulling end many times, too. I would be reluctant to use a winch, because they operate so slow. You can get tension on the tree, but once it starts to move, the object pulling has to move too, and keep the tree falling where you want it. Sometimes, the tree will go where you have directed it; sometimes, it needs continual direction. A winch can't deliver that. I'm not saying don't use what you have, and I may be wrong in how I think and approach the job. But, I would, if it were me, not rely soley on th winch. I would pull the line taunt, and once the tree starts to move, move the tractor back instead of reeling in the winch. The tractor will move fast enough to keep up with the fall of the tree.

[jake98]

My plan is to prop the bucket against another tree, and winch to a pulley on a third tree that's in the direction I want it to go. I don't care too much where they go, just where they don't go. Nothing's leaning too drastic, should only have to winch hard for a few feet.

[PILOON]

I have rear mounted a similar winch and have only 35 amp alternator and use it to retrieve felled trees.
The winch is not always drawing full amps and the battery has time to top up between pulls , in fact I don't think the battery and alternator suffer any less than the average cold weather starts.
Naturally full time heavy duty usage might have different results. My usage is a few trees now and then and only a couple of hours usage at that but it does the job for me.
Biggest concern is blocking the wheels and or chaining the front to another tree otherwise the tractor gets pulled backwards when a log gets snagged.
Just listening to the winch I can tell that it is not straining all that hard indicating the amperage drawn is not all that high.

[CobyRupert]

Hodge has a good point. A fixed tight cable on a tree is not good once you start making your backcut and the tree starts to pivot on the hinge, then the cable is no longer tight, and gravity takes over and the tree falls where it wants to, or (worst case) the tree falls away from the cable direction until the newfound slack then tightens again and results in the tree spinning and falling in yet a new direction. This makes running away in the right direction difficult.
The key is for the winch to apply constant force as you SLOWLY cut it, while the winch operator takes up the slack & maintains a constant force on the tree until it's at an angle where gravity will set it where you want.
However, be aware that, depending on the particular tree type, grain, etc... the possibility of creating a barberchair situation by applying too much winch force exists. That is, too much pulling force could cause the tree to split in half vertically right up the trunk from your backcut and break off 10' over your head instead of pivoting on the hinge. It usually doesn't take much force to pull a tree as most of the tree's weight is downward on the stump.

[Bob77064]

I mounted up this Superwinch 8500 to help me drop some trees not on my shop.

If I can get about 6 down, with no 'collateral damage', it won't owe me nuthin.

Good looking installation.

[Baby Grand]

Is it possible for the tree to start moving against your pull to the point that it starts dragging the tractor with it ... maybe not in a good way?
I'd want an overload clutch or some kind of quick release ability, or I'd avoid any kind of "dynamic" pull that I'm not 100% sure of.