Where to connect a chain to pull trees/brush

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The larger the diameter rear tire , the more chance you have of flipping. It is a leverage thing. It also happens in an instant with large rears. As fast as someone throwing a punch at you. My tires are 42" in diameter, coupled with a short tractor with a long wheelbase for its length. it has a fel. when I pick up tree stems with the 3 pt, the entire tractor gets weighted for the reasons above and of course more in the back. I have lifted the fronts twice in 20 years and no more than 6 inches. The tires slip before I get that much traction. These are my circumstances contributing to a more safe haul as opposed to an old Massey Ferguson tricycle with no fel and 66" tires. I would never hitch to the 3 pt with that kind of tractor and I mean never. This is a discussion that's happened before on TBN. Although bad things happen to good people, most of the time bad things have happened because people have been stupid or ignorant about something. Whether you think motorcycle riding is stupid or not depends on whether you are desiring a feeling or an emergency room nurse. Everyone is looking at it from different angles depending on their experiences. Just try not to be stupid about your circumstances, realize there are no guarantees and live your life. I've seen reckless people live and die, I've seen careful people do the same thing, Just use your head and get knowledge about what you are about to get into as you are doing.

 

[3RRL]

What is the best way to connect a chain to the tractor to pull out downed trees and brush?

I was thinking of buying a draw bar and a tow chain or heavy duty tow strap and just looping the strap around the draw bar and then the other end around the think I want to pull...am I on the right track?

Thanks.

I wouldn't use a tow strap because they tend to tighten up pretty good and are hard to get off sometimes. I'd go with the chain set up. You want to keep the front of the log up in the air if possible to keep it from getting caught on anything. Aside from a real log skidding winch, the suggestions of using the stationary towbar down low is your best bet for safety.
I use a large clevis down low.



Photos of some log skidding winches.



Or pulling with the front (in reverse) will keep you from flipping over like Dave said. The suggestion of a winch is also a good one. This one also has a grab hook for chains on the bottom of the winch mount. Use the winch only to winch out the log till you can chain it, and use the grab hook and chains to drag it to your bucking spot. Don't use the winch for that.



Bucket hooks also work.
As always, keep it low and slow and pick your skidding route carefully.

 

[pat32rf]

I pull from my 3pth, especially when I have the winch on because I feel safer standing clear of the rear wheels and dropping a chain onto my pulling point, instead of crawling under to reach the draw bar BUT when I pull, the 3pth is still below my rear axle. Not a garrantee, I know, but everything is done real slow and the tractor is seldom on good footing so I am ALWAYS watching for unexpected movement. I'd rather lift and ease the butt end of a log over a root or rock than try to jerk it. Most of the logs I haul are under 14" but they might be 30' long and I don't "bite off more than I can chew".
On my terrain, I am far more likely to roll than flip, unless it is an uphill pull...
On clevises-while a 3/8 or 1/2" might have a suitable SWL, I find that a 2" or larger is a lot easier to handle.

 

[MossRoad]

What is the best way to connect a chain to the tractor to pull out downed trees and brush?

I was thinking of buying a draw bar and a tow chain or heavy duty tow strap and just looping the strap around the draw bar and then the other end around the think I want to pull...am I on the right track?

Thanks.

You know there are a few types of drawbars. There is the swinging drawbar (or fixed) that is under the PTO. As one of the pictures above shows, you can put a clevis there and that is the safest place to pull from. That is the same drawbar that you would tow a trailer or wagon from. It is below the centerline of the rear axle and works against the forces that want to tip a tractor backwards.

A drawabar that goes between the 3PT hitch lift arms is not a good place to pull from. As someone suggested, go to the Safety Forum and look up the videos for tractor rollovers. It takes about a second to go up and over backwards.

 

[turnkey4099]

In addition to _where_ to attach, be sure the chain/strap/cable, whatever is long enough. Yes it happens, did to me as a kid.

Keep in mind that my old man did not put up with "lip" from us kids. "lip" in his vernacular was 'advice'.

He grabbed me once to go with him to yank brush out of fence rows. I was the 'hook it up guy'. Hit the first bunch, he backs up, I hook it up knowing it won't work and watch him pull off and promptly wind up with his head sticking out of the brush. Yeah, I probably would have said something had it been anything heavier than the light 'whips' he was hooked to.

Harry K

 

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Moss Road

For the reasons stated in my above post and for my tractor, I have found the 3 pt drawbar hitch a good way to drag stems. I start off in 3rd gear, there isn't enough tractive force or gearing for the size of the tire to manhandle the tractor and I watch the amount of load I pick up. The stems are only a couple of three inches off the ground in front and if I feel I need to, I certainly can lower the drawbar for a more direct pull. His B7800 is a similar tractor so he should also be able to pull from the 3 pt. as well. "Reasonable" is the key word here. That is different for everyone. In the end, he can make up his own mind but I do not think it fair necessarily to come out with a blanket statement of what is good or not good without looking at the variables. There are tractors that I wouldn't dream of pulling from the 3 pt unless it were below the axle. In my work choices, I had the unfortunate experience of witnessing a man killed in just such a fashion. His tractor had no ropes, it was an old Allis Chalmers 45 that could drag out two 18 inch complete oaks at once and easily enough power to flip itself it had so much tractive force. There are other tractors that easily allow this type of pull above the axle with nowhere near the danger. Small cuts with shorter tires with fels for instance. Currently he is getting advice with different flavors which is perfectly ok. As with most stuff, a blanket statement can cover much but not all. If the devil can be in the details, so can the angels.

 

[tony123]

So what are the 3pt drawbars made for? what are some safe uses of them?

I've pulled logs with it before, but nothing close to approaching the tractors limits. Stuff in the 8" by 10' range.

 

[frank_f15]

You know there are a few types of drawbars. There is the swinging drawbar (or fixed) that is under the PTO. As one of the pictures above shows, you can put a clevis there and that is the safest place to pull from. That is the same drawbar that you would tow a trailer or wagon from. It is below the centerline of the rear axle and works against the forces that want to tip a tractor backwards.

A drawabar that goes between the 3PT hitch lift arms is not a good place to pull from. As someone suggested, go to the Safety Forum and look up the videos for tractor rollovers. It takes about a second to go up and over backwards.

I agree with MOSS on the few occasions i need to skid a tree i use a heay tow strap hooked to the draw bar and i also have an old plastic garbage can (round) that i slip over the end of the log helps to prevent it digging in to the ground

 

[Sniggle]

All, Thanks for the great info. I do have a draw bar under the rear PTO, so I will unscrew the ball and look for a suitable clevis and an appropriate hook and chain.

The stuff I would be pulling would be small trees, brush, an occasional chainsawed cedar tree.

It also sounds like a tactic of trying to yank out a small tree or brush by getting a small running start is ill advised, eh?

 

[David Cockey]

I can't see any difference between pulling hooked to a the low, fixed hitch, and pulling hooked to drawbar between the lower arms of a 3PH IF the 3PH drawbar is at the same height as the fixed hitch. I'm assuming the pull is horizontal. Pulling from the upper link is very different situation.

I also did a quick analysis. With sufficient traction a tractor can be flipped even with the pull below the axle center if the load and torque to the rear axle is large enough. In reality if the pull is low enough there generally won't be sufficient traction, the tires will slip.