Skidding winch

[WranglerX]

Seems to me on the small scale of low end of need and desire to make own , the PTO/belt driven winch with manual belt tensioner (idler) is about as simple as it gets and ideal for low production work ...Only thing I can see that would be improvement to belt drive style is a positive drive power release (push idler pulley away from belts) as clamp or some sort of "block" on cable snugs up tight to guide pulley to leverage power removal from winch drum..

Dale

 

[WranglerX]

Something like that. It would reduce the torque on the belts.

How about using a gear arrangement and spool from a failed electric winch (motor failure) and put PTO power into winch drive mechanism and all one would need to add is some sort of clutch (belts and idler tensioner) ...

Dale

 

[Stomper]

Definitely would reduce tension on the belts. Belts could also go from pto shaft up to a secondary shaft with a sprocket on the other end and chain from there up to the cable drum. Gears and chain would replace the gear box. Would be a lot cheaper than a gear box.
What kind of mechanical advantage do the commercial built winches have in the gearing of the sprockets

 

[4570Man]

Definitely would reduce tension on the belts. Belts could also go from pto shaft up to a secondary shaft with a sprocket on the other end and chain from there up to the cable drum. Gears and chain would replace the gear box. Would be a lot cheaper than a gear box.
What kind of mechanical advantage do the commercial built winches have in the gearing of the sprockets

It wouldn’t be that hard to figure out. You can determine the drum rpm if you know the diameter and the line speed. You’re right about the chains and sprockets being cheaper than a gear box. And you want your pulleys on the belt as large as space constraints allow. The bigger pulley has more surface area and takes more force to slip. Another way to gain performance aside from the obvious of adding more belts would be to increase the force on the tensioner. It really needs a compound lever like a pair of vice grips.

 

[Stomper]

Seems to me on the small scale of low end of need and desire to make own , the PTO/belt driven winch with manual belt tensioner (idler) is about as simple as it gets and ideal for low production work ...Only thing I can see that would be improvement to belt drive style is a positive drive power release (push idler pulley away from belts) as clamp or some sort of "block" on cable snugs up tight to guide pulley to leverage power removal from winch drum..

Dale

Would definitely be low production work for some guys but it would spee things up for me. Right now Its either dragging trees out with the quad to an area where I can block them up or just simply blocking them up where they lay and hauling them out in the quad trailer.

Are you saying instead of mechanically or physically engaging the idler pulley to create the winching, have tension on the belts all the time and have something to mechanically disengage the winching. If so the problem I could see in that would be if the disengaging mechanism failed there would be no way of stopping the winch in an emergency except to disengage the tractor pto.
Unless I am misunderstanding you

 

[4570Man]

How about using a gear arrangement and spool from a failed electric winch (motor failure) and put PTO power into winch drive mechanism and all one would need to add is some sort of clutch (belts and idler tensioner) ...

Dale

It’s way too delicate and too small to hold enough cable for a skidding winch.

 

[Stomper]

Here's a different take in a small light duty skidding winch for compact tractors. Its actually kind of cool, but the frame looks pretty light weight. I have been searching capstan winches also wondering if they would be the way to go for my light duty logging adventures.

Hydraulic Log Skidding Winch for Tractors - SkidWinch by Norwood Sawmills - YouTube

 

[John_Mc]

Here's a different take in a small light duty skidding winch for compact tractors. Its actually kind of cool, but the frame looks pretty light weight. I have been searching capstan winches also wondering if they would be the way to go for my light duty logging adventures.

Hydraulic Log Skidding Winch for Tractors - SkidWinch by Norwood Sawmills - YouTube

I've often wondered how well those work. They don't provide any information, such as pull rating and speed, but I guess providing that is complicated by the fact that it runs off of the hydraulic rear remotes on a tractor, so speed and pull will vary with the tractor's flow and pressure ratings for the rear remotes. Still, some recommended flow rates & pressures with example speeds and pulling power, as well as the make rated pull the system can withstand would be helpful.

The speed looks reasonable in the video: not as fast as my logging winch, but certainly faster than an electric winch.

If a Farmi or similar logging winch is not in your budget, one of these gas engine powered portable capstan winches might be of interest. They also sell a forestry kit of helpful things to use with the winch.

I've seen one of these demonstrated in a "Game of Logging" Storm Damage Clean-up class I participated in years ago. It was quite handy in that. I could see it being useful for personal logging/firewood use. I would not give up my 3 PT hitch logging winch for one of these, but I could see it being very useful for someone with not as much volume to move who could not justify the cost of a 3 pt hitch winch - or who was logging/firewooding with an ATV and wanted to up their game (both in speed and in pulling distance) from an ATV's electric winch.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

A logging winch is an investment, if you decide to sell it, you get most of your money back!

I could have spent the time building something halfazzed too, but it's a no brainer to buy something that actually WORKS "efficiently" and has some RESALE when I'm done with it!

Once you have one and use it, you will wonder why you didn't buy it waaaaay sooner!

SR

 

[Stomper]

I have never seen one before but they do seem to be a very useful and universal winch. The capstan that you posted is the one I have been researching. Definitely not going to have the pulling power your farmi has but they say its rated for 2000 pounds on a single line. Would be easy to build one like in the video and run it off the pto instead of hydraulic but that is a huge safety concern. Spinning pto shafts and rope dont go together that well.