9K lb winch mounted to 2 inch forklift receiver

[PowerTracManiac]

I have a 9k lb electric winch that is mounted on a 2 inch receiver mount that is rated for the winch. I plan on putting this winch setup into the 2 inch receiver which is on the forklift mount I had made up. I want to winch some logs out of tight areas and pull some trees over that are partially leaning over from a storm.
Any concerns or thoughts you all would share about doing this with my PT1460? Unusual stress on machine at loader points, articulating joint, holding brake, etc.?

 

[MossRoad]

One concern is that the winch will drain your battery QUICK and that your alternator will take a long time to recharge your battery. Also, electric winches are recovery winches for stuck vehicles. They don't have much of a duty cycle. So it will be slow as you'll have to winch, wait for winch to cool off, winch, wait, winch, wait, repeat.... for occasional use, it shouldn't be too much of a problem, but keep an eye on your battery, charging system, and winch heat.

I'd be concerned with side-load on the FEL arms, so be sure to pull at as much of a zero angle as possible. That is, face the winch towards the pull. If you can't do that, use a snatch block strapped to a tree to get a better angle and face the snatch block towards the winch. While the PT arms are pretty darn strong, you don't want to put too much of a side-load on them, especially with a winch like that.

 

[sea2summit]

In addition to the above duty cycle issue it's gonna take F O R E V E R to unspool, hook-up, recover. Much faster to just grab a 100' of cable with a snatch block (if you need to change directions) and yard them up that way to where you can bundle them for transport or process. Just my $0.02.

 

[4570Man]

The powertrac probably doesn’t have much for alternator and the battery will quickly be drained. Also the duty cycle on the electric winch is very short.

 

[agjones]

If you have a receiver in the rear frame, I'd use it instead of the arms. +1 on the battery drain.

 

[PowerTracManiac]

Good points all. Checked the alternator on the 4 cyl Duetz and its 60amps.
Duty cycle 45 seconds on/10 minutes off for the winch.
Looks like it is a solution for occasional use as mentioned above. Thnks!

 

[PILOON]

I also have used a rear receiver mounted winch on my cut a few times to retrieve some logs.
I was very pleased with the results but consider that this was occasional usage for a few trees from time to time.
A also left my engine running all the while so as to not deplete my battery.
OK, slow but sure and sure beat hand hauling heavy green wood from the forest.

 

[ponytug]

I tend to think of my PT as front centered; I do almost everything with the Q/A plate, but there is a hitch in back. I think that's what you want to use.

For skidding logs, I am with agjones and sea2summit that a likely more efficient solution is likely to be to use the rear hitch, a snatch block with a tree saver loop, and a cable.

Having looked into the whole winch on a PT idea awhile back, I came away with the opinion that it would only really be useful if I had gotten the tractor stuck, and that assumed I had the winch along for the ride.

All the best,

Peter

 

[m5040]

Best thing to look for is a hydraulic winch, then your duty cycle will be close to 100% (you could also install a circuit relief and limit the amount of pull). With all winch operations, you should always pull straight (forward or back) off the tractor. Not only can you bend the loader arms, but easy to tip over the tractor if something shifts unexpectedly if you pull to the side. Your choice, but I found it easier to winch from a high point to lift the log instead of bulldozing it flat and a high point would make the QA plate more flexible for each scenario as opposed to the low hitch point at the rear. The new PT tractors come with a 4-bolt on rear hitch so you can fabricate and bolt on other items.
As far as the brake, interestingly Terry told me that a customer would habitually switch the brake on before the tractor was stopped, and he wore out the brake disc. You wouldn't do that while winching unless you over powered the brake and the wheels started to turn. HOWEVER there might be some kind of a spline/fuse that could break, so I would ask Terry if it is ok to drag the tractor (which is what a good winch will do). Otherwise just use it like the front hoe and apply torque from the treddle to maintain your position. I would be afraid to hook the back half to a tree and then pull with the winch unlimited off the front.

 

[RegL]

Best thing to look for is a hydraulic winch, then your duty cycle will be close to 100% (you could also install a circuit relief and limit the amount of pull). With all winch operations, you should always pull straight (forward or back) off the tractor. Not only can you bend the loader arms, but easy to tip over the tractor if something shifts unexpectedly if you pull to the side. Your choice, but I found it easier to winch from a high point to lift the log instead of bulldozing it flat and a high point would make the QA plate more flexible for each scenario as opposed to the low hitch point at the rear. The new PT tractors come with a 4-bolt on rear hitch so you can fabricate and bolt on other items.
As far as the brake, interestingly Terry told me that a customer would habitually switch the brake on before the tractor was stopped, and he wore out the brake disc. You wouldn't do that while winching unless you over powered the brake and the wheels started to turn. HOWEVER there might be some kind of a spline/fuse that could break, so I would ask Terry if it is ok to drag the tractor (which is what a good winch will do). Otherwise just use it like the front hoe and apply torque from the treddle to maintain your position. I would be afraid to hook the back half to a tree and then pull with the winch unlimited off the front.

Especially an 18,000 lb winch.