3pt Log winch/grapple

   / 3pt Log winch/grapple
  • Thread Starter
#11  
Interesting... a couple posts I made earlier from my phone didn't show up here. Now to try to remember what I wrote :mur:

That $2200 Norse winch would be $3500 by the time I got it here. The cheapest winch I've found is $2900 with brand name ones starting at $3600. At this point, the grapple is the priority and the winch secondary. With using salvaged steel, I'll only be a few hundred into the grapple & frame including the hydraulics. While I want to plan for the winch, I'm not sure it will happen right now. I only cut enough to heat the house for the season right now and I can get the tractor to most of it.

I like the simplicity of just bolting on a hydraulic winch but the only one I've had any experience with was a MileMarker mounted on an F250 lowering my Toyota down a cliff. As ovrszd said, painfully slow. I figured the electronics of the Kubota wouldn't be up to the task of the Warn but it was worth asking since it's on my shelf. Love that thing, it's out-winched everything but an 8274. Considering my limited use of this, I don't see needing the production capability of 100-200 ft/min like most PTO skidding winches but I'm not willing to wait all day to pull one log either. That 60 ft/min of the 9500 seems about right but certainly not worth burning up an alternator or cooking a battery.
 
   / 3pt Log winch/grapple #12  
Here is where I would start designing a grapple if I didn't have one to copy.

Look on these Google links for a side view of a style you like, then add your scaled measurements. Then first build a two dimensional one of wood to check operation.

log grapple

logging grapple

bypass grapple

Bruce
 
   / 3pt Log winch/grapple
  • Thread Starter
#16  
Hydraulic winch would be my first choice if I could find one that was reasonably priced and had decent line speed with the hyd flow I have available (about 6 GPM and 2200 psi) So far, I've found nothing that fits even one of those criteria, let alone all 3
 
   / 3pt Log winch/grapple #17  
Hydraulic winch would be my first choice if I could find one that was reasonably priced and had decent line speed with the hyd flow I have available (about 6 GPM and 2200 psi) So far, I've found nothing that fits even one of those criteria, let alone all 3

I'll probably get pounced on,,,,, but,,,,, in my opinion a Milemarker hydraulic winch will never be fast in the "low" speed, regardless of how much flow you throw at it. It's simply not designed to be fast.

I always thought the 2 speed thing was kinda jacked up. Low needed to be a bit faster. High needed to be a bit slower. Then they both could be used. All high was good for was spooling in cable......
 
   / 3pt Log winch/grapple #18  
I'll probably get pounced on,,,,, but,,,,, in my opinion a Milemarker hydraulic winch will never be fast in the "low" speed,
I think you are right, it takes more than a bigger pump to get speed, you would need to upgrade all the fittings/hoses valves ect. to handle the added GPM's...

SR
 
   / 3pt Log winch/grapple
  • Thread Starter
#19  
You won't get pounced on by me, that's for sure. I think the exact same thing about MileMarkers....at least the ones I have experience with.

Rusty, is your Ramsay any better?
 
   / 3pt Log winch/grapple #20  
It's as fast as I need it to be, iirc it was around 60fpm at rated load, first wrap on drum. That's a foot a second and in my woods with all the stumps and rocks, plenty. I put it on today and noticed that I just let it work at idle speed (tractor throttle). I took some measurements and pics. I'll pm them to you. If your mostly cleaning up fence rows, I'd say skip the winch, but in the woods, esp "thinning" I find it invaluable. Maybe you could design it to take a winch later. That's pretty much what I did except the winch was first, but built to be able to add the grapple later on.
With the grapple, I'd highly recommend a hyd. toplink.
 

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