Tractor winch.....

[ODT]

I'll throw this to the wind and see what y'all have to say.

I've got a customer who recently bought a sizeable chunk of land that includes a bit of swamp/marsh.

He's got a TC40 w/16LA loader, and he's looking to add a winch to the front end 'cause he's afraid of getting stuck and unable to get out.

Best I can figure is to mount an electric winch to the frame, but to ensure the loader crosstube has adequate clearance the mounting will need to hang down nearly to axle level, so I'm at a bit of a loss.

What say ye? How big of a winch might he need (figure the tractor with filled tires at 5300 lbs)?

Does anyone have another solution for mounting?

 

[bigshovel]

Having hunted big game in very remote locations in the western states and Canada,a winch becomes part of daily life for me for about a month every year. I know this for sure: A winch needs to be capable of being easily moved fore and aft of said stuck machine, definately above said buried in mud axles. Capacity should be at least 50 percent greater than weight of vehicle single line pull and I prefer a very slow 256:1 ratio, less stuff breaks going slower in my opinion and less heat is generated on the winch. More than one occasion I had to winch from rear of vehicle and acknowledged that going forward was not in my best interest or personal safety. I use a warn multi mount on front of vehicle and something like this could be rigged for front mounted position on a tractor and then wired to front and rear of tractor. Rear could mounted on a three point reciever type arrangement.

Brad

 

[Treemonkey1000]

I have seen winches that mount on receiver hitches. Then make a receiver hitch or buy one that connects to your 3 point in the back of the tractor. You would have to run large battery cables back if you use electric. Or there are PTO winches as well that look pretty strong. If he drives in forward and gets stuck then having the winch on the back to pull himself backwards out of the hole seems like a good idea. Along with the FEL pushing you back out.

 

[barneyrb]

I've always wondered about using a hyd winch or using the PTO to drive a winch also. I too have hunted for 40 years and know that the strongest winch I ever had was a konig on a V-8 CJ-5. Has anyone ever done this?

 

[3RRL]

I don't have much winching experience, but I added a Mile Marker Hydraulic winch to my tractor. It's mounted to a platform that has a hitch welded to it, then I stick it into a receiver hitch. I have one on the front and rear so I can switch the winch pretty easily. It has hydraulic hoses which have quick connects that I can plug into my front or rear remotes.
Anyway, here's the thread with details in it if you're interested.
Mile Marker Hydraulic Winch

 

[Treemonkey1000]

Farmi Skidding Winch

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/build-yourself/86703-how-make-3-point-power.html

A couple of quick links. I even have thought about a gas powered winch so that I don't have to worry about running down the battery if the motor has stalled and mount it on a receiver hitch..

 

[ODT]

Thanks for the replies, folks.

Silly me not running a site search first--shoulda know there would already be threads on here addressing this.

I'll follow up with final resolution once the customer makes a desicion.

 

[studor]

You did say afraid of being stuck in a swamp right?
Having had to winch my way out of too many bog holes and loon crap fields to remember my advice would be to buy a gas powered winch and a big danfoss type anchor. The problem with both PTO winches and electrics is that both rely on the tractor being running. (Sure an electric will run off the battery for some time but not for long!) Unfortunately my typical experience when being well and truly stuck in a swamp is the first thing that happens is whatever you are driving or riding quits. At that point forget you receiver hitches front and back etc -- the best place for a winch at that point is on a vehicle that isn't stuck! With the gas powered winches you can usually get yourself to dry ground by attaching to trees (or the anchor), solve the running problem and carry on -- Just an opinion, I know someone will vouch for their ability to get their super elevated four wheel drive enviro wrecking vehicle out of places an snapping turtle doesn't go -- but -- any fool can be uncomfortable and wading in a swamp to put on winch cables ceased to be my idea of fun the first time I did it.
Probably the best advice however is if you can't walk it don't try driving it with the tractor!
Having said all that I do have a remote control electric winch mounted on a receiver plate with twelve volt plug-ins on my vehicles cause I find it usefull for a whole host of other reasons including recovery of other guys who seem to like to be uncomfortable!

 

[RobJ]

Studor makes some good points...

Both my truck and ATV's have a multi mount winch system that I made. Going forward is not always a good thing. However you can use a front winch and run the cable under and to the rear to winch out if needed. When I bought an 8000# truck winch I went with the Ramsey Permanant magnet model. This model has the same pull but only uses about 220amps. The Warn series wound motor says it better for longer pulls but uses about 450 amps. I don't mind going slower as long as I'm going.

You would also be surprised what a nice high lift jack (or tractor jack) will do for you in pull power. Or even a el cheapo come-along will save your butt.

But notice I didn't mention my tractor. I don't take the tractor anywhere close to where it will get stuck. I did get it stuck once when I went through a ditch and the BH hung me up and I got stuck. But after 1 wheel turn in the mud I went for the truck and pulled it out. No rocking it in the mud only burying it further. That BH was a 500# anchor on a 2000# tractor!!

Good Luck,
Rob

 

[RobJ]

Studor makes some good points...

Both my truck and ATV's have a multi mount winch system that I made. Going forward is not always a good thing. However you can use a front winch and run the cable under and to the rear to winch out if needed. When I bought an 8000# truck winch I went with the Ramsey Permanant magnet model. This model has the same pull but only uses about 220amps. The Warn series wound motor says it better for longer pulls but uses about 450 amps. I don't mind going slower as long as I'm going.

You would also be surprised what a nice high lift jack (or tractor jack) will do for you in pull power. Or even a el cheapo come-along will save your butt.

But notice I didn't mention my tractor. I don't take the tractor anywhere close to where it will get stuck. I did get it stuck once when I went through a ditch and the BH hung me up and I got stuck. But after 1 wheel turn in the mud I went for the truck and pulled it out. No rocking it in the mud only burying it further. That BH was a 500# anchor on a 2000# tractor!!

Good Luck,
Rob

 

[RollTideRam]

If you have the remotes front and rear, the hydraulic winch makes the most sense on a tractor. If you are smart enough to use it before you are too stuck to kill the engine. I almost stuck my 3320 last week trying to uproot a small tree on the far side of a ditch. The bottom seemed firm, but the more I moved around getting my grapple into the roots, the deeper my tires sunk. I found that a grapple does not work as well as a bucket when trying to push yourself out of a ditch. JC

 

[tessiers]

lewis winch. uses a 50cc to 80cc chainsaw motor. 8000lb pull. 150' cable. LEWIS  WINCH INC

 

[excelagator]

I do some moderate wheeling with some friends, but I am a far cry to the "watch this kind of guy". I personally think if you are going to mount it, mount it in the rear. If your stuck I am pretty sure a modest wheeler or sane tractor owner will go back. The best would be make it mountable front and rear.

I did pick-up a HF winch and made a mount fit my 3 point hitch. Pretty easy simple set-up.

 

[RobJ]

lewis winch. uses a 50cc to 80cc chainsaw motor. 8000lb pull. 150' cable. LEWIS* WINCH INC

Just to get technical, it's a 4000# winch, pulls 8000# with a snatch block.

I do like the idea though.

Rob

 

[daBear]

Kubota L2800 and winch photos.

I got tired of getting stuck and mounted a 2" receiver on the brushguard. Then I mounted a winch on a receiver plate and away I go. I also used 350 amp Anderson connectors commonly used on fork lifts to connect it directly to the tractor battery with a 300 amp fuse in line.

Works great and actually I have two winches set up this way. One is a 7500# for pulling trees over and the other is a small light weight 3700# Warn to pull me out of mud holes.

 

[RobJ]

Kubota L2800 and winch photos.

I got tired of getting stuck and mounted a 2" receiver on the brushguard. Then I mounted a winch on a receiver plate and away I go. I also used 350 amp Anderson connectors commonly used on fork lifts to connect it directly to the tractor battery with a 300 amp fuse in line.

Works great and actually I have two winches set up this way. One is a 7500# for pulling trees over and the other is a small light weight 3700# Warn to pull me out of mud holes.

Yours looks a lot like one of mine. I first built this one for my 1990 F-150. 100% custom mount I made fit behind the bumper, I had to remove the license plate to expost the 2" receiver. I couldn't make it that slick on the F250 SD, sort of a big thing I had to add on but the 18 yo Ramsey winch still does it's thing.

The small winches are the HF $49 version, they work ok. I had to get the contactor elsewhere to make the system work like I wanted. My BIL how is an upholster made the covers.

 

[patrick_g]

my advice would be to buy a gas powered winch and a big danfoss type anchor.

When it comes time to actually find the anchor, it is spelled Danforth.

The Danforth anchor has the best straight pull force for pounds of weight of all commonly available anchors and variants of it are sold for extreme off roading. It will dig in and hold with little effort setting it on dry land.

I concur that a danforth style anchor would make a convenient and effective easily ported deadman for winching purposes.

Warning, trivia content...The Danforth anchor, named for Robert Danforth Ogg, co-inventor of the Danforth anchor was designed in WW II to be deployed from a landing craft before it hit the beach. It was to be used to "kedge off" i.e. pull the craft back into sufficient water to float the boat and allow it to get back to sea.

Pat

 

[studor]

Patrick -- Thanks for correcting typo -- did not even notice and liked the trivia -- DANFORTH anchors do work! (Although they will pull down a fair distance in muck and retreiving them can be uncomfortable.)
I also agree with all those who commented on mounting it on the back in a receiver hitch (why would you want to go further into the swamp? -- you will just have to come out again ) The forklift electrical connectors are a great idea. I use heavy wiring to a seven pin trailer socket, the fuse after the connections I make from seven pin to winch, four pin trailer etc. I just found the trailer stuff easier to obtain and has at least some weatherproofing.

ODT -In my first reply I forgot to say that since the tractor has a loader, a few pointers on extricating yourself with it might gain you a fair amount of customer gratitude -- I know I am well and truly stuck when four wheel drive and the loader will not get me out I thought of this when I noticed that a lot of those who responded did not have loaders on their tractors in which case a winch would have been one of my first purchases too.
Love that chainsaw winch setup!

 

[Danno1]

.

If you tie a rope to the anchor at the pivot where the flukes meet the stock you can pull it out backwards fairly easily.

.

 

[patrick_g]

.

If you tie a rope to the anchor at the pivot where the flukes meet the stock you can pull it out backwards fairly easily.

.

Some of the danforth style anchors have an attachment point expressly for bending on a "trip line" but as Danno said, a line to the back of the anchor will, when pulled vertically, "upset" the anchor and release its grip making it way easier to retrieve to the surface.

If you are in a situation where you need to or are limited by line length to deploy the anchor relatively close to the tractor, a length of chain attached to the anchor and then the winch line connected to the chain will sometimes work much better than just the winch line. With the chain, the heavier the better as the catenary formed by the tensioned winch line will be kept to a lower angle and will allow the anchor to dig in better. Alternatively, place something heavy on top of the winch line near the middle to try to keep the winch line more horizontal. These measures, of course, need not be employed if you are getting satisfactory results but if the anchor isn't quire holding good enough try some of the above.

A safety issue: Do not stand in line or close to inline with the winch cable neither in front of or behind either end. Stand to one side. You need a decent length remote cable to operate the winch safely. In the event something gives way the tensioned cable can exceed the speed of sound and can whip out and get you before you can even blink.

Pat