Winches Skidding with my Bolens G174

Rod in Forfar · Nov 7, 2010

I had to try it. When the mower came off the Bolens I backed it up to the mid-sized Wallenstein skidder (8800 lb) and discovered that if I adjusted the top link correctly, it could pick it up.

Off to the woods where three years ago an improvement cut had left a lot of small timber lying where it fell. Anything too far from a road had not been collected.

I didn't expect the Bolens to be able to lift and drag logs, but if it could get them to within the reach of the loader of a larger tractor, it could help.

The winch's blade and weight were enough to anchor it. I used 2nd gear on the PTO for a few small walnut logs. A 12" beech took low gear on the PTO, but pulled uphill for 160' through brush and debris. Once a snag stalled the Bolens, but for the most part the winch ran well. I suspect the PTO shaft (sized for a Massey Ferguson 35) is a little long for the Bolens, but it works.

The big advantage? The Bolens blows its exhaust forward and away; the Massey 35 traps a cloud of fumes between the back wheels and the winch. The two 35 hp tractors have loaders, and are unwieldy in tight spaces.

mangus580 · Nov 14, 2010

Rod, any pics of this 'skidder' attachment?

Thanks
Mike

Rod in Forfar · Nov 17, 2010

mangus580 said:
Rod, any pics of this 'skidder' attachment?

Thanks
Mike

Mike:

It was raining, so I didn't hook the cable to a large block and pull it off the pile to cut up, but that's one of the rig's uses. On the weekend I had a young guy on the cable end, dragging it through the woodlot after ironwood in 4 to 6' lengths still on the ground after an improvement cut a few years ago. The stuff burns very well, but it's at times 150' from the nearest road. The Bolens turns sideways on a narrow trail and allows me to engage the winch to get the stuff out where I can cut it up and load it onto a trailer.

An attempt to climb a steep hill with the winch attached showed the value of the blade at the back as a safety bar against wheelies <grin>. There's no way to use this thing to skid logs, except by cable. The other tractors can handle that job easily with the winch, though.

For prolonged light use on the winch, the Bolens is way better than the old Massey Ferguson 35 (Perkins) because its toxic exhaust forms a pool under the back wheels of the tractor and makes for unpleasant breathing in the area. The Bolens has a forward-facing exhaust. Clever, those Japanese.

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