Looking for a winch for my tractor

[TractorGuy]

ALL of my winching was with the 4WD club in Anchorage. Looking back, many of the "stuck situations" were the result of stupidity, bravado and macho. Most were situations that the normal person would not attempt. Get in a group of young fellows with the "I'll do it - go anywhere" attitude and the trip can become a real bore. Several times, I simply turned around and went home in utter disgust. 4 wheeling can be a great adventure - it doesn't have to result in damage to vehicles.

Anyhow - what I really wanted to say - when winching it's a good idea to throw a blanket - old Army wool blanket - over the winch cable. Cables snap, anchor points can release instantly. The cable can snap back with great force. I've seen it take out a grill - go thru a windshield - and the most frightening - wrap around a spectator. The Army blanket will absorb all the recoil energy - the cable will recoil a foot or two, then fall limp on the ground.

I was at an autocross one day and saw a friend's wife sitting straddle a winch cable with remote in hand. They were only pulling a 1200-1500 lb car on but I had to ask if she would mind some constructive criticism. She didn't mind and when I explained how much force a cable hook can have if it comes loose or the cable breaks she made haste in getting behind the tool box.

 

[mopardude318]

I like and prefer a hydraulic winch. But I'm spoiled. I'm a tow driver nights and weekends. Many times I've used the company truck. LOL

 

[oosik]

JD855guy - an electric winch that would not function while under water would equal **** on bacon when you are out on a 4WD run. At lease, in AK. Granted, this type winch is not your "normal" winch. I had an 8000 pound electric WARN on the front of my Jeep while in AK. It would function while under water - IF I had performed the required routine maintenance. Use of a winch while submerged is a PITA. Cleaning, drying, lubricating, resealing an electric winch & all else involved, that has been submerged = PITA(squared).

Again - my thoughts, along this line. It is far better to anticipate & avoid rather than recover.

 

[ptsg]

I built this hydraulic winch for my tractor with 6000-ish lbs capacity. Mostly to pull the tractor out if it gets stuck and I also do some light tree pulling from time to time. It has 170 ft of cable and I built it so it can free spool.

It's always mounted on the tractor and I've used way more than I ever though I would.

 

[Redbug]

I carry a large come-a-long, and chain. It is always with the tractor.

 

[oosik]

Redbug - now THAT is a solution I have used and used with success. My first tractor - Ford 1700 4WD. Crossing my moat in the winter - front end broke thru the ice and dropped into 2 and a half feet of water. No real problem. Other than - in 4WD I just didn't have sufficient traction to back out. And I had yet to learn the "bucket technique".
So - bucket down - raise the tractor up until level. Sit there a moment and ponder my situation.

Walk back to my work shop - load my cable come-a-long and chain in the wheel barrow - back to the running tractor. Chain around LARGE Ponderosa pine - cable come-a-long from chain to tractor draw bar. It was SLOW but about 20 minuets of "ratcheting" and the tractor was free and clear. NO harm, NO foul.

And I learn a couple things - stay the H**L away from the moat in the winter - the cable come-a-long is a great tool and works well.

 

[Industrial Toys]

To me, any consumer electric winch sounds exactly like a rotiseri (sp?) motor on the upswing of the unbalanced meat. Like it's on it's last legs! Then, they totally mess up the cable.

 

[Jstpssng]

I've always wondered how one of these would work if tied into your tractor hydraulics. HYDRAULIC WINCHES BY MILE MARKER INDUSTRIES
They are designed to run off a power steering pump.

 

[Industrial Toys]

I would love a hydraulic winch that had enough power to drag foot thick pines out of the forest but do it quickly. Almost all used hydraulic winches seem to be quite pricey amd you can't really see them work before you buy them. I would remote control it using a DO3 or 5 valve so I could pull out the cable, hook up a tree and pull it out as a one man operation.

 

[timbatrader]

Before I built the bridge to my place I use to get vehicles and machinery stuck in the river crossing to my place every winter I have a hydraulic winch mounted on a 3 point hitch grader blade which can be hooked up to my tractor or baby bulldozer and a 12 volt winch on the landcruiser but what I find most effective is a long wire cable and four pully blocks pulling something out is all about the anchor points buried the bulldozer blade on hole use the pully blocks to give four to one ratio then use what ever vehicle available to pul it out I have pulled out stuck 10 ton 4x 4 trucks using this method (I think it was 8 to 1 ratio that time) my reconmemdation don't spend money on a winch spend it on a bucket full of pully blocks D shackles short strops and a couple of 100 foot long 3/8 dia wire rope