Electric Winch for pulling logs/river debris after floods

[WranglerX]

All the above coments about, slow, duty cycle , heat, battery recharge time are valid....

If you are doing occasional pulls all the comments on using chains, or pull straps or cable are valid....

If its a absolute must you have a winch consider PTO drive winch (not exactly logging winch) or PTO drive capstan and something like Spectra rope or free standing small gas engine powered portable capstan...

Check out Youtube for using capstan drives to see if it fits your (percieved) needs..

Dale

 

[rademamj1]

What model Honda generator did you use? My complaint about charging with a portable generator is that all the ones I have seen only offer 8amp output to charge a 12v battery.

Don't use the dedicated 12V charge port on these gensets, because like you say it is limited to 8amps. Hookup two - 120V (15A) battery chargers to recharge batteries and make full use of the generators capacity.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

My Honda generator also charges a MAX of 8 amps, that's why I just plug a high output batt. charger into it when I want more output!

SR

 

[John_Mc]

The best tool for this is a 3 Pt hitch powered logging winch. However, since you said that is out of your price range, if I was not satisfied with chains hooked to my drawbar, I'd use a Portable Capstan Winch. It's powered by a small Honda gas engine. Single line pull is 2200# (use a snatch block to double that). Length of pull is limited only by the length of your rope. It runs at 40 FPM, significantly slower than a 3PH logging winch, but quite a bit faster than an electric winch. Cost is $1600.

 

[Komrade]

Thanks all. I am dropping the idea of a 12V winch, and yes it was discussed many times here.. I found plenty of threads. I am not yet ready for a logging winch, but I'll keen an eye out for a used one.. they don't seem to depreciate too much

I'd like to consider rope/cable and snatch blocks, and pulling with tractor.
I see bull ropes used by arborist with high ratings llike 40K lb
But snatch blocks seem to be geared towards steel cables, which seem to have lower rating.
Will try to figure out how to do it with a 3/4 bull rope, the 3/4 snatch blocks seem rather pricey thou.

Edit: looks like I was overthinking it, maybe a 1/4" wire rope will be sufficient.

 

[WranglerX]

Thanks all. I am dropping the idea of a 12V winch, and yes it was discussed many times here.. I found plenty of threads. I am not yet ready for a logging winch, but I'll keen an eye out for a used one.. they don't seem to depreciate too much

I'd like to consider rope/cable and snatch blocks, and pulling with tractor.
I see bull ropes used by arborist with high ratings llike 40K lb
But snatch blocks seem to be geared towards steel cables, which seem to have lower rating.
Will try to figure out how to do it with a 3/4 bull rope, the 3/4 snatch blocks seem rather pricey thou.

Edit: looks like I was overthinking it, maybe a 1/4" wire rope will be sufficient.

Look at "Spectra" ropes... Many are replacing steel winch cable with this synthetic type of rope...

Spectra 12-Strand Rope

Seriously double you will need anything bigger than 3/8, average tensile strength of 14,100 lbs...

The negative of steel cable is as surface strands break, and stick out, and unless you have gloves on, you get a lot of nasty puncture wounds...

Dale

 

[John_Mc]

Thanks all. I am dropping the idea of a 12V winch, and yes it was discussed many times here.. I found plenty of threads. I am not yet ready for a logging winch, but I'll keen an eye out for a used one.. they don't seem to depreciate too much

I'd like to consider rope/cable and snatch blocks, and pulling with tractor.
I see bull ropes used by arborist with high ratings llike 40K lb
But snatch blocks seem to be geared towards steel cables, which seem to have lower rating.
Will try to figure out how to do it with a 3/4 bull rope, the 3/4 snatch blocks seem rather pricey thou.

Edit: looks like I was overthinking it, maybe a 1/4" wire rope will be sufficient.

Steel cable has the advantage of being more abrasion resistant, but it does have its downsides: weight, if you are getting into any significant diameter, and jabs you get from broken strands once it starts to fray. Rope is lighter and stores more easily (no need to coil, just get a rope bag and stuff one end in the bag and keep stuffing until it's almost all in. Tie the end off outside the bag to a handle to keep it from getting lost/tangled in the bag. It puls right out without tangling when you are ready to use it.) If you are not using this heavily and regularly, I would not hesitate to consider the proper types of synthetic rope. Whether you go with Rope or cable, remember that it's not really breaking strength you should be considering, it's "Working Load Limit", which is usually a fraction of the breaking strength.

If you go with Rope, I'd consider 1/2" (approx 13MM) diameter. It's easy to handle, and easier to get a grip on than smaller diameters when you are handling by hand. A lot of the hardware out there is also designed for 1/2" diameter. (Including the portable winch I linked above, if you decide to go that way eventually.)

Remember that even bull ropes stretch, and that that stretch is dangerous if the rope or some hardware you are using with it breaks. It can come at you like a rocket.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

The negative of those ropes is, the sun degrades them, and dragging them over rocks, around tree's and through rough ground, is really hard on them, shortening their life.

SR

 

[Komrade]

thanks, I will plan on rope to be tied to a chain that's tied to a log I pull, minimizing rope damage. I have a number of chains, but pulleys are rope friendly and will allow me to pull the log into direction I want. I will avoid cable due to drawbacks outlined until I feel one is a must.

The ropes I looked at yesterday at 3/8 were all almost exclusively made for winches and maxing out at 100ft. I'll take a look at 1/2, if there are any specific ones anybody would recommend, I'd appreciate, I didn't realize it's such a specialty item (or I can't search)

btw, I liked the portable winch, but for a few hundred more one can find a used skidding PTO winch.

 

[newbury]

And if you even are seriously thinking about rope -
Sale - Rope Miscellaneous Sections | CMC PRO

ROPE, SHORT LENGTHS 1/2" $75 Over $700 CMC Lifeline, CMC Static Pro, KMIII 50 lbs 500720 ROPE, SHORT LENGTHS Misc $75 Over $500 CMC Lifeline, CMC Static Pro

I use it all over the place. I've bought 3 boxes. They sell a box (500720) that is SUPPOSED to be smaller diameter, with lots of it the size for throwlines etc. I've bought that two times and it's always been mostly 1/2 diameter and up, out of 2 boxes I think I got about 2 hanks of 7/16 and nothing smaller. 1/2" diameter rope is tight on a 1/2" pulley.
In all I've bought there have been very few pieces shorter than 30 feet.