Electric Winch for pulling logs/river debris after floods

[stuckmotor]

Recovery hydraulic (power steering) winches are the most expensive winch option out there.... I explored that when wanting a recovery winch for my Jeep....

For small operation's (mini ranch), the capstan either independent (self) power or tractor hydraulics (PB) seem most practical and cost effective.... Another idea may a PTO capstan winch (no not logging winch)...

If you don't have PB then there is cost of add hydraulics, that was a show stopper for me.... And a full logging winch is huge investment for small operation.... And electrical is basically not practical and tractor electrical system simply can not keep up with winch demands for extended use...

MY jeep has 100amp alternator and a 950 CCA AGM battery and on extended pull I can draw down system to about 8.5 volts and computer shuts down, and I have to wait for battery will recover enough to start If I don't have jump capabilities with me out in field ....This is just a example of what to expect from electric winch...

Ones needs to analyze the intended use to determine actual needs... In the end I opted for long chain and get as close to logs as possible and just drag them out and and gave up winch idea on tractor completely... Keep Jeep and winch as backup if I get tractor "stuck"...

Dale

Dale,
Your reply is runs along the lines of what I've read. For years I've noticed that AC hoists are much less powerful and more expensive than D C winches. Just the other day my eyes focused on the duity cycle of the DC winches. That must account for the price difference.

The hydraulic projects I'm dreaming about are a tiny trencher with interchangeable gasoline and AC motors (don't want to dig out my crawl space while breathing fumes) a hydraullic press, and a winch.

Dreams are cheap,
Stuck

 

[lennyzx11]

This is a topic I’ve been researching for a while.
I have a receiver hitch welded on the front of my dump trailer for pulling logs (and stuff like tractors) up into it by myself. Currently a 4000 lb warn winch stays there.
It’s slow and hard on the battery for repeated pulls.

One of my ideas was to convert to a gasoline engine powered hydraulic pump and a mile marker hydraulic winch but am now exploring something like this.

Forestry Suppliers, Inc.

Forestry Suppliers, Inc.

www.forestry-suppliers.com

I would like to move it from tractor to trailer to even the pickup if needed.
I used a cathead(capstan) for a few years when building cell towers and really like their usefulness and fine degree of control they are capable of.

 

[John_Mc]

consider a chainsaw driven winch too, such as Lewis Winch. 900 bux on their site, claims to pull 4000lb w/o pulley
there is a similar Simpson capstan winch, only 1000 bucks (about 1/3 less expensive than Canadian product above, but looks to have similar performance, and also a Honda engine)

I had trouble getting the Simpson company's website to load, until I realized that google was finding the wrong link (started with an http://, but really needed an https:// to work) Finally thought to try the secure web site prefix, and it worked: Simpson Winch

The Simpson SP/CW winch is powered by a smaller engine (Honda GX35) than the Portable Winch Company's PCW5000 (Honda GX50), so to get similar pulling power (2000# at 22 FPM for the Simpson vs 2200# for the PCW5000 2200# at 40 FPM), the Simpson unit is geared for lower speeds. (They also make a chainsaw powered winch.)

The Portable Winch company also makes the smaller PCW3000 winch which is also powered by a Honda GX35 engine. It sells for a similar price as the Simpson unit. The PCW3000 is rated for 1600# @ 33 FPM. The Simpson is rated for more pull, but at a slower speed: 2000# @22 FPM (at 1500#, it will do 25 FPM).

The Lewis Winch 400 MK2 is powered by your chainsaw. It runs 60-80 FPM (depending on how much cable you have on the drum. Pulling power is dependent on the size of your chainsaw, but it's rated for up to 4000# single line pull. I have heard mixed reviews on these. Some people love them, some can't stand them. Rather than a rope, it winds steel cable onto a drum. It comes with 150' or 3/16" cable. Many people end up cutting the cable shorter, since it can be a pain to get it all back on to the drum.

Which way you go is a matter of personal preference. I think any of them are a better longer-term solution for pulling logs out of the woods than using a 12V electric winch:

• I have seen the PCW5000 in action, and have had a chance to use it a couple of times. I was impressed. If I did not own or could not justify a logging winch on my tractor (or did not have a trctor suitable for mounting a logging winch), I would own one of these.
• I've never seen a Simpson winch or the PCW3000. The light weight would be tempting: 18-20#, but I think I would lean toward the higher pulling power and faster speed of the PCW5000.
• The Lewis Winch sounds tempting with its higher pulling specs. I've only seen one used once. I'm not sure I'd want to mess with the cable on a portable unit. I also would not want to tie up a chainsaw mounting the winch on it. However, some people absolutely love it.

 

[WranglerX]

Not sure I would want a cable winch in woods (for small non "logging" operation) .... Think a rope capstan is more practical and easier to manipulate.... Safer too... A rope is not going to break with the whipsaw action a cable can...

Dale

 

[ptsg]

I built a front hydraulic winch for my tractor sometime ago. I built it for a general purpose use.

I've pulling non running vehicles, stumps, trees, etc. The list goes on and on on how versatile this thing is.

Is it fast? No, but I also don't care. I did built it in a way that is slightly faster that the regular recovery winch, but on the other hand I don't really pull or skid logs, so speed is not really an issue.
It's very handy to pull trees when I'm cutting them and it might damage something if it falls to the wrong side.

Another positive thing is that the winch is always on the tractor and always ready to use. Simply move the lever to free spool, pull the cable, attach it, lock the spool and pull.

Keep in mind that my tractor had a subframe from factory tying the front of the tractor (engine, front weight bracket, axle, etc) to the bellhousing. Then when I built the loader, the subframe of the loader tie this factory subframe all the way to the rear axle. So it would need a lot of pulling power to break the tractor in half.

If I remember correctly from the numbers someone on the TBN so kindly ran for me, it had somewhere around 6000 lbs of pulling force, but being that I used an used hydraulic motor, I'm sure it's down to less than 5000 lbs which is still plenty to me.

Here is the link for the build thread: Hydraulic winch

 

[Komrade]

Well, ordered the winch on Wed (from Sportsman's Guide), got the winch on Sun
Unpacked it, started it up and pulled a small log..
Hope to play with it a lot more this weekend.

 

[civilian]

Well, ordered the winch on Wed (from Sportsman's Guide), got the winch on Sun
Unpacked it, started it up and pulled a small log..
Hope to play with it a lot more this weekend.

I ordered the same one through Amazon along with a 328ft 1/2" pulling rope.. Ordered on last Thursday and supposed to be delivered today. Looking forward to setting it up and trying it out. I already have some pulleys, straps, and a pulling chain. I have a bunch of dead fallen ash to bring in for fire wood, and don't want to cut trails to get it. Three point winch is out of my budget and may not allow me to get to those downed trees. With the portable winch, I am thinking I might be able to use other trees to pull from to get the logs out. Will be interesting. Thanks OP for bringing your situation to the TBN. Helped me spend money. Thanks. Jon

 

[Komrade]

Helped me spend money. Thanks. Jon

Hopefully spend less money than originally intended, on a tool that will actually get the job done.

I never even heard about capstan or gas powered winches until I came to TBN with my problem, so I did not consider them.

I've also learned of other potential solutions (Tractor Capstan winches, chainsaw winches, etc)

Very good learning experience.. Forum helped me find a potentially (right tool) for the job at a reasonable cost.

Thanks forum.

 

[PILOON]

I like the capstan idea.
Might just be my next DIY project.

Have most basics to make one in my stash.
-90 deg gear box, (60/1 ratio)
-spare PTO shaft with various ends c/w U joints
-nice chunk of 4" aluminum round (for drum) (might need more like 6" however)
-tools needed for such a fabrication.

Big question is, do I need one?
I already have a HD electric winch* all rigged to go and have used it a few times with success.

*mounted on a plate with 2 x 2 inch HD tube that inserts into my 3 PT ballast receiver + cables to reach my Anderson aux plug. (and it works well for limited usage)

 

[Smokeydog]

Have a milemarker two speed winch on my truck. Uses the power steering pump. Has inline filter cooler. Scary strong for a truck. Use mostly for felling trees leaning the wrong way. Has to have a good anchor. Much better than any electric winches I have used.

Had a skidsteer Smart logging grapple that had a 12k warn hydraulic winch. Modified to also fit cat2 3pt hitch. Sold it to a local tree outfit. They brag good and how much they use it. They use it to feed the chipper. Save manpower, quicker and safer. Sadly Smart grapple went out of business.

Always wanted a to try a tractor logging winch. If I wanted to utilize my forest to the maximum it would be the way to go.