Logging rollover safety

[shooterdon]

12v recovery winches will not last in your application and tractor batteries/generators are not rated for the electrical load you will need. I looked at doing something like this and gave up on the concept. Not what you want to hear but reality.

BTW, I was near a tow truck when a cable pulling out a dually pickup truck out of a snow bankj snapped. Luckily no one got hurt but the operator got the crap scared out of him. be safe regardless of what you decide to do. Logging alone can be dangerous.

 

[Deere Dude]

What type of winch are you planning to use? If a 12V bumper mount winch for trucks/UTVs, it's not going to work very well so you might want to think otherwise. They are not rated for repeated continuous duty and are too slow. People have tried them for skidding and failed miserably, so hopefully this advice will save you some $$ and effort.

In lieu of a proper logging winch, a good way to skid logs out is to set up a pulley block in a tree (a "fairlead") and then run a bull rope through it. One end to the log (use a choker chain to avoid wear on the rope) and the other end to the tractor's drawbar pull point (which is below the axle and safe to pull from, unlike the 3-pt hitch). I have moved logs hundreds of feet this way. It's especially useful in rugged terrain and lets you keep the tractor in a safe place.

A good 5/8-3/4" bull rope will set you back a couple hundred dollars but has many uses. My 200' rope is almost 10 years old and I use it for many things, including pulling trees over, directing falls, etc. Other than the time I accidentally cut off 25' with a chainsaw while bucking a log, it has taken a lot of abuse and keeps going.

I agree with your thought mostly but I would get rid of the box blade and use a ballast box for compactness around trees. I would also add 4" of extensions to both sides of tractor at least, on just rear wheels.

I use a 5/16" steel cable and pulley system for pulling trees up hills and on angles where a tractor cannot pull straight in order to keep the tractor on the path. I have a hundred ' cable and two 50 footers and plenty of chain lengths for hooking pulley block to trees.

I bought a 10k winch for my truck but it was so slow I gave up on it. It is so easy to bind the cable up in the winch itself unless the winch stays extremely tight to spool correctly. When logs are up to the trail just pallet fork the 10' logs to the trailer or trailhead.