At Home In The Woods

   / At Home In The Woods #3,461  
Obed,

Two things I do when I am in an area like that. I make sure I have weight on the back and have my tire chains on. They help immensly. I agree with them about the ratchet come along. You are better off buying a towing cable and using a truck to pull you out if possible.
 
   / At Home In The Woods #3,462  
   / At Home In The Woods #3,463  
srs said:
Here is what I have, in addition to a cheapie one. Had it many many years, very well made. Can't recall what I paid of it though. I have the cable model and not the synthetic rope model.

The Wyeth-Scott Co. Established 1906
Click to expand...

Yours is a better idea especially from a strength/capacity standpoint, and the synthetic rope is the best solution since it does not hold any potential energy that would be released if it breaks. This is an area where overkill is warranted- the higher strength of the cable/synthetic rope; a function of diameter/# of strands and the overall capacity of the pulling device- 2, 3 tons, etc. makes for a better shot at accomplishing the particular task.
 
   / At Home In The Woods #3,464  
Obed--Greetings

I have that same type of cheap *** come along.....I find it give me a little peace of mind, although when I need it, it is for something much lighter than the tractor, although I would use it in a pinch...My problem is if the thing gets cranked enough the lever can really hurt you if the ratchet slips off---I mean painful--- probably break a wrist easily...Never the less it is handy to have around just in case....I`m leery of it, and eye it from a distance :) Tony ps the cable usually buries itself in the reel and is hard to get back out...It`l set you on your bottom quickly :)
 
   / At Home In The Woods #3,465  
I would never let my wife use a come-along to pull on a stuck tractor, even just as a stabilizer to prevent backsliding while I pushed myself out with the loader. I wouldn't even let a hired hand do that. It doesn't matter how good the come-along is -- even if it is made out of solid titanium and gold plated.

As mentioned, there are serious safety issues and she could be injured or killed.

Almost as good as a tow truck, and a lot less expensive, is a neighbor with a tractor and a chain. I have a good neighbor just down the road and we exchange favors all the time. When he needs a rock dug up, my backhoe does a much better job than his FEL. When I need to carry a bucket of redi-mix into the woods, his plain loader beats my 4-n-1.

It may be temporarily embarrassing to have to ask for help, especially when you know neighbor 1, will tell neighbor 2 about having to pull your tractor out of a swamp, gully, ravine, or whatever. But, this is the first stage of becoming part of the community.

Get to know the people around you. A few attentive neighbors are the best security system you can have. After a few years here, the folks in the community know what vehicles drive up to my house regularly, and if a strange one comes up the road they usually pay a little visit just to be sure everything is OK. I suppose if I ever get a new car/truck/vehicle of any sort, I will have to stop by most of their houses and tell them about it...
 
   / At Home In The Woods
  • Thread Starter
#3,466  
Hey guys, thanks for the comments regarding the come-along. Yes there are risks associated with these devices; I don't discount the comments and appreciate the sentiments. There can just be conditions that happen that are less than ideal. If we had to live in totally risk free environments, none of us would drive tractors.

I've known of people with Jeeps and other off-road vehicles to carry come-alongs with them in case they get into a bind. My bet is that if faced with the options of using a well made come-along or loosing your tractor down a steep ravine, assuming no other options could be provided in time to save the tractor, a lot of people would use the come-along.

The come-along I used the other day was a piece of junk we bought from Lowes when we were in a bind and couldn't get something better. Yes, it wasn't appropriate for pulling my tractor up the hill the other day; I will agree on that point.

Last night I ordered the 4 ton come-along that I mentioned in my earlier post. I plan to use it when I take down some trees near the house.

Obed
 
Last edited:
   / At Home In The Woods #3,467  
I am a firm believer the steel come alongs are junk!

I have used a Lugall's for over 20 years but they aren't cheap!

I keep a old army blanket over the cable it will help if it brakes
but the Lugall's handle should brake bend or the shear pin will let loose before the cable lets go.
smallframe_cablehoist.jpg


Cable Come-alongs – Medium Large Frame - LUG-ALL

the medium frame ones

The riggers at work all keep 3 or 4 on their trucks so that speaks alot for the quality!

Lug-All Cable Hoist / Comealong Ratchet Hoists


$214.70


 
   / At Home In The Woods #3,469  
Obed said:
Hey guys, thanks for the comments regarding the come-along. Yes there are risks associated with these devices; I don't discount the comments and appreciate the sentiments. There can just be conditions that happen that are less than ideal. If we had to live in totally risk free environments, none of us would drive tractors.

I've known of people with Jeeps and other off-road vehicles to carry come-alongs with them in case they get into a bind. My bet is that if faced with the options of using a well made come-along or loosing your tractor down a steep ravine, assuming no other options could be provided in time to save the tractor, a lot of people would use the come-along.

The come-along I used the other day was a piece of junk we bought from Lowes when we were in a bind and couldn't get something better. Yes, it wasn't appropriate for pulling my tractor up the hill the other day; I will agree on that point.

Last night I ordered the 4 ton come-along that I mentioned in my earlier post. I plan to use it when I take down some trees near the house.

Obed
Click to expand...

You posed a question about the come-along you were considering buying, as to whether to buy it or not.
People with real world knowledge about such things all told you to stay away from these tools due to potential risk to life or limb.
Now you tell us justifications and anecdotes about Jeeps and the possible loss of your tractor down a ravine, which just serve as denial about the risks inherent in this type of activity. And now, to top it all off you say you're going to up the ante and use a come-along to do tree removal. All I can say is WOW!? And I sure hope you have a good life insurance policy that is at least a few years old so the insurance co. won't deny the claim by your wife for accidental death.
Now I'm not blowing smoke out my hat when I tell you that for all intents and purposes you barely know how to use a chainsaw and now you want to cable trees and cut them down?! I'm speaking from PERSONAL experience as a tree expert that you don't want to even attempt this foolishness. I was a climber and ground crew for one of the largest independent tree and crane expert companies in northern New Jersey as a teenager and have been working with cables and cranes all my life. My knowledge saved at least one life when Texas Instruments ran a boat on the Hudson River and I told them unless they secured the eyehooks holding the trawling booms off their mast that it would end up killing someone. That very night on it's maiden voyage the boom came crashing onto the gunnel and came very close to killing a crew member. I was immediately moved from the lab to the boat- which is where I wanted to work, and they followed my advice on the eyehooks modifications.
Instead of screwing around with things that can and very likely might kill you try following the advice you solicit and hire a tree expert to take down the trees around your house. I'm in the same predicament; I have several Poplars near my kitchen that I have left for the local tree guy. I could take them down myself but I know the risks and won't take it. For a few hundred $ I can hire someone who can use the proper techniques and equipment and has insurance to cover himself, his business and my property. It's really a no- brainer.
Please take Curly Dave's and my advice- we're telling you what is prudent not to boss you around; instead to help you and your family stay alive. Think about it- is it really worth the risk if you could end up maimed or dead? What does your family do then? Count the several hundred $ you saved by doing it yourself? Reality check- not worth the risk.
 
   / At Home In The Woods #3,470  
Obed said:
I have run into the same reaction from other subs on the house building job when I measured the levelness of their work with my crude methods. For example, I had discovered that the main floor of our house was going to be 3/4" out of level by using a water level I made with a clear plastic hose and a water bucket. When I informed the original framer about the issue, he claimed that his laser level was more accurate and that my water level couldn't be trusted. It turned out that my water level measurements were right and I made the framer fix the leveling issues. The reality is, if you do things correctly and don't cause a vapor lock or undue water friction, water will always flow down hill and water bubbles will always move uphill. How do people think the NYC skyscrapers were built before lasers and electronics existed? However, it's a hopeless task to try to explain these things to some people.
Click to expand...

I recall two neighbors helping me make a pad on which to build a house for my mom. I used a long garden hose with clear plastic extensions on the ends to make a water level. They has a 2 ft spirit level and some string plus their eyeballs. They insisted on using the 2 ft level and string because they hadn't heard of or seen a water level before and no amount of science talk (no matter how low I set the common denominator on terminology) made sense to them. They got it close enough but with much more hassle checking level and checking grades than there would have been with the water level. IT was like trying to get a cow through a new gate.

What is it about water and gravity that is so difficult to understand. You'd think they were used to routinely seeing hills and valleys in calm water rather than a flat mirror surface.

Glad to see the progress you are making. Congratulations on being able to git 'er done irrespective of the good ole boys.

Patrick
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
 

Footer Links 1

Top