Check your top links!

[moojamboo]

So I am doing some logging with my Norse winch. I start a pull on my log and after about 4 feet BAAM. I look back (was watching the log pull) and my top link came apart and my winch was laying flat on the ground, still spinning on a now extremely flexed pto shaft. I killed the engine quick as I could. My fault, I had the link set for my plow, and instead if adjusting the right way I just kept spinning more and more thread out. I guess she had been holding on by a thread (pun intended) for a while.

It was comical. Huge winch, flat on the ground. Took a while but got her back up, all hooked up and nothing broke, but could have been deadly if standing in wrong spot. Would have killed one of my dogs in an instant if I let them around while I worked.

So, check you top links, and equipment in general!

 

[stuckmotor]

I guess, a stop at the end of the threads has been tried. It probably presented other kinds of problems.

 

[mvwicker]

This happened to me, but the winch didn't fall all the way flat because its bottom jammed against a rear tire. The PTO was still attached, so I ran the cable over the ROPS to a tree in front of the tractor and "winched the winch" back to where I could reattach the top link.

Now there is a mark on the top link threads that means "go no farther." A safety chain is another solution.

 

[moojamboo]

I ended up having to use my hydraulic floor jack and blocks of wood to angle it up high enough so I could push it back up. I thought of tying a chain around the top of it and laying across rops and then hooking to loader and lowering lower to pull it up, but thankfully I didn't need to mess with that!

 

[Kubotafan]

I thought this might have been a wardrobe malfunction!

 

[Gary Fowler]

I had a malfunction with my boxblade once due to just the opposite. I had shortened the top link as much as it would go so the scarifiers would dig in more. I was moving along digging up some deep rocks with the scarifiers and suddenly the boxblade flipped over with the top link hanging down by the drawbar and it was riding on my back tires. I didn't think that you could shorten a top link too much but this one did and I was lucky the boxblade didn't damage a tire or climb up into the cab with me.

 

[dave1949]

I had a malfunction with my boxblade once due to just the opposite. I had shortened the top link as much as it would go so the scarifiers would dig in more. I was moving along digging up some deep rocks with the scarifiers and suddenly the boxblade flipped over with the top link hanging down by the drawbar and it was riding on my back tires. I didn't think that you could shorten a top link too much but this one did and I was lucky the boxblade didn't damage a tire or climb up into the cab with me.

I sure wouldn't have seen that coming. Who knew? But, it does make sense.

 

[jimmysisson]

Gary, you mean the top attachment point on the BB went "over center" of the top link knuckle? That must be unusual!
Jim

 

[SPYDERLK]

The top link is not meant to withstand winch forces. If the link holds you will finally break the attachment point to the tractor. The pull point should be lower so that the lift links take a large %.
larry

 

[Bayouownbeer]

I have have same thing happen to me as Gary stated twice actually. Buy doing the same thing having the link drawn in all the way on a BB. The box blade inverts and contacts the tires and possibly the back of our finders. If this does happen the first thing you think to do is lower the BB. Well when it in inverted the controls are now inverted. When you lower it you actually are pushing it further toward your finders and tires. Not Fun!