Reviews of Igland winches

[Sawyer Rob]

My Wallenstein can be operated from the either side or from the tractor seat....and the brake only makes noise when the drum is turning and you are braking.

I can sit on the tractor and let the cable out, skid or brake as I want...

SR

 

[Sawyer Rob]

Comparison to Wallenstein by a Farmi dealer: New Page 3

Comparing to Fransgard: New Page 2

I just read that page 3, I can honestly say my winch does NOT have a cable that's hard to pull out. Many times my better half pulls it right out into the woods using one hand. It does have a grease zerk on the bottom bush and the "line in" pull, sure doesn't take 150 pounds of pull for skidding.

That article doesn't even sound anything like my winch.... I'm not sure what's up with that, unless they tested a very old winch that now Wallenstein has upgraded to what they sell today?? I'm no pro logger, but I have used my winch quite a bit and it still is tight and works perfectly...

I'm scratching my head on this one??

SR

 

[LouieJunior]

Can you drop the load to ground and let the cable play out from the driver's seat, or do you have to get off?

In the video at Labonville.com, the operator drops the load to the ground, tractors up the hill and winches the trees up the hill -- all from the tractor seat.

I notice they don't have the 450 listed on-line. How much is that $ize?

 

[Hermio]

Hermio,

I can't speak for all winches but the one I had with a ratchet brake could not be released from the seat (as built from the factory). I did not like this kind of brake so I sold that winch and bought one with a band brake. I am not sure which winches have ratchet brakes and which ones have band brakes but I do know that band brake winches seem to be easier to retrofit a remote control system to.

On the winch I had the clanking noise did not have to be heard the entire time of a pull. All I had to do was pull the brake rope right before I let off the clutch rope to avoid the noise.

BWSwede

I instinctively would prefer the band brake. The Norse and Wallenstein, I believe, have a ratchet brake. But the Norse is the cheapest unit on the market for its capacity, as far as I know. I don't have the funds now, but if I did, it would probably be a choice between a new Norse 450 or a used Tajfun EGC 45, if it is still available, for a bit more than the Norse. I do not desire to pay $5000 plus for a Farmi or a Uniforest, as I just have an 80 acre woodlot, and I will not be harvesting timber logs myself, just firewood for myself and a few others.

 

[CobyRupert]

That article doesn't even sound anything like my winch.... I'm not sure what's up with that, unless they tested a very old winch that now Wallenstein has upgraded to what they sell today?? I'm no pro logger, but I have used my winch quite a bit and it still is tight and works perfectly...

I'm scratching my head on this one??

SR

Their line of: "Visibility toward the load was diminished because the winch had a screen obstructing a clear view." says all I needed to read about their opinion.
Takes 150 lbs of pull force on the string too!
Funny that the clutch is (adjusted!!) so weak it slips at 1000 lbs of pull less than the rated pull, yet it is so tight it that it takes two men to pull the cable out!
- guess I must have super human strength (in addition to being handsome) as I've never really had a problem.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

Their line of: "Visibility toward the load was diminished because the winch had a screen obstructing a clear view." says all I needed to read about their opinion.
Takes 150 lbs of pull force on the string too!
Funny that the clutch is (adjusted!!) so weak it slips at 1000 lbs of pull less than the rated pull, yet it is so tight it that it takes two men to pull the cable out!
- guess I must have super human strength (in addition to being handsome) as I've never really had a problem.

It's definitely an odd report!

My better half sometimes pulls the cable and she also has done some winching without any problem at all... She's not one of those heavy weight muscle women either, so I'm REALLY lost with their review. lol

As for ratchet brake or band brake. personally I'd take the positive lock of the ratchet... It's just so positive and allows me to easily skid big loads without any slipping/adjusting or wearing out of the brake. It's a well designed brake that works perfectly...

Maybe a pro logger would want something different, but for my use, my winch set up, works exceptionally well...

SR

 

[Hermio]

In the video at Labonville.com, the operator drops the load to the ground, tractors up the hill and winches the trees up the hill -- all from the tractor seat.

I notice they don't have the 450 listed on-line. How much is that $ize?

Oddly, you have to find the price of the 450 on Labonville's home page, rather than the winch page:Welcome to Labonville Inc. (tm) -
As you can see, it is $2995.

 

[Coyote machine]

I have an Igland 4001 winch, and an Igland GR-20 log grapple. Both are excellent products for reasonable price paid. I've had no problems with either item, and the winch easily doubles capacity with a clamshell snatch block, to 8000#s.
I've had both units for a number of years, and use them to maximum capacity as needed. I'm not easy on my equipment and am totally satisfied with what I can get done on my 25 acres of mostly woods and rocks in New England. I have a lot of attachments, and try to buy the best bang for buck; see my attachment list...

 

[Agvg]

Don't they sell Norse in US with automatic brake? Igland who makes Norse have had it as an option since the early eighties.

 

[Hermio]

Don't they sell Norse in US with automatic brake? Igland who makes Norse have had it as an option since the early eighties.

I don't think the US models have an automatic brake. I note that the larger Igland models don't, either. Only the 4201 and smaller do.