A day with my new winch

[Adiredneck]

Finally picked up a logging winch yesterday. I have wanted one for as long as I have owned my tractor. We uncrated it this morning and cut the PTO shaft down. I have owned my tractor for 46 months now, and I just took the plastic cover off the PTO shaft for the 1st time... Up until today I have never had a PTO implement.

 

[Adiredneck]

We got everything ready at about 11:30 and headed up the mountain to skid some longs. After trying the winch out for the 1st time, it wouldn't pull. I had to run back to the garage to grab some tools to adjust the clutch a bit. Turns out I adjusted it a little too tight. The cable wouldn't pull out very easy. After I backed off the clutch a little, it works great.

I did have one problem though. I was making a pull with a lot of resistance, and the engine bogged down far enough that it started running backwards. I was a little worried at first. I shut it down immediately because of the sound the engine was making and my dad yelled over "it's running backwards, just start it back up, it will be fine".

So I run it with a little bit of throttle now so it doesn't happen again.

 

[kebo]

Finally picked up a logging winch yesterday. I have wanted one for as long as I have owned my tractor. We uncrated it this morning and cut the PTO shaft down. I have owned my tractor for 46 months now, and I just took the plastic cover off the PTO shaft for the 1st time... Up until today I have never had a PTO implement.

Not using the PTO on a new tractor for 46 mnths has to be a record!!! I liken that to getting a new car and not using reverse for a couple years.

Congrats on the winch, looks like you're getting good use out of it already.

 

[groundcover]

Your going to wonder how you ever lived without it ! I saw a Kubota run backwards once,it was doing the exact same thing with a winch,pretty darn exciting !

 

[beenthere]

Don't see hard hats on anyone (but maybe this was just a photo op). Lots of junk can fall out of trees when dragging them through the woods. And it can hang on for some time before it suddenly falls.
Be safe, especially for the youngster in the photo op. Looks like some great help coming along.
Nice rig, and appears you managed to drag out a lot of firewood.

 

[Adiredneck]

My father and I both wear the Husqvarna helmets like the on one my son in my avatar. I got my helmet for my birthday about 5 years ago. I wouldn't go without it now.

It was so icy on the road, and there was a small incline. I had to winch the logs out onto the road, drop them and then go up to the pile of logs and winch again. On the 2nd pull, I had to use a an old frozen rut to set the winch blade in so it wouldn't pull me backwards.

 

[Thomas]

You'll have your next year..fuel..wood haul out/buck up in no time now.

 

[arrow]

Every time I see a guy with a new logging winch I'm happy for them and then kick myself for not having gotten one 25 years ago when they were about $1300. It would have paid for itself long ago. Are you or have you done anything to the front of your L3400 to protect it from bending those tierods that are in harms way?

 

[Dusty1]

Wow, that thing is massive, very nice. Hey, nice tire chains too, where did you pick those up?

 

[Adiredneck]

Every time I see a guy with a new logging winch I'm happy for them and then kick myself for not having gotten one 25 years ago when they were about $1300. It would have paid for itself long ago. Are you or have you done anything to the front of your L3400 to protect it from bending those tierods that are in harms way?

I have never had a problem with the tie rods. My property is on the side of a mountain. About 50 % of the 135 acres is "kinda" flat. When we first bought it, there were old logging ruts that the skidders left from the early 90's. I rented a nice JD650 dozer and my dad and I smoothed most of them out and made a bunch of dead-end roads everywhere to use for gathering firewood.

For the most part, I don't stray off the trails and now that I have the winch, I will venture off the roads a lot less.

I've been pretty careful with my baby. I do have a crack in one of the headlights, but it's when my dad was driving. Considering the fact that he has a spider crack in the windshield of his tractor from MY pellet gun when I was 13, I let it go.

 

[Adiredneck]

Wow, that thing is massive, very nice. Hey, nice tire chains too, where did you pick those up?

An aquaintance bought those double-ring chains for his L3400 and then realized that he couldn't really justify owning a tractor. He sold me the chains and a home-made meyer q/a snowplow for $350.

 

[GE222]

Nice setup!

I would like to see some more pictures of the winch in use.