Which 3pt log skidding winch?

[Sawyer Rob]

I think the 90 would work fine, except that the 90 is pretty heavy for a small tractor! Are you going to be able to lift it with a log attached? What about hills?? Will your tractor handle that load in off road conditions??

I'd check that out, before buying the 90...

SR

 

[Rustyiron]

I think you're correct. Check the weight difference, the bigger one might be too heavy or limit your dragging ability. I would think a hundred pounds or so (heavier) would not make that much difference in what you could skid. Other than that, under powering a bigger winch will not hurt the winch and you should be able to pull the equal amount of the smaller winch.

edit; the 3pt hitch "geometry" might be a big issue. You may not be able to lift it as high (off the ground) as it was intended on the larger model.

 

[MAN IN BLACK]

The FX65 is quite a machine in itself.
I run it with a MF 4608 , wich is 65+ pto hp. and never needed any bigger or stronger pull in the 3 years I've own it.
Go with the 65, you won't regret it !...6500 pounds is a very huge tree you know ?
For occasional use like most of us...it's more than adequate.
My :2cents:, now do as you please!

 

[Sawyer Rob]

It does take a big log to make 6500 pounds, but pulling bigger logs up hill, or getting a log broke loose that's been on the ground a while can take quite a bit of pulling. I've had bigger longer logs that maxed my 90 out more than a few times, just because of those conditions. Also, on loooong pulls, they can build up some dirt and/or brush ahead of them, making them much harder to skid...

If you pull on the level or always have small logs, then you really don't need a big winch.....but tough conditions will need more tractor and winch...

I've winched a couple trucks out with mine, on one I needed to "double line" to get enough pulling power to break it loose. The other was high centered with the wheels off the ground, but once I got my winch anchored I pulled it right out, and that was after a 75hp MFWD New Holland gave up trying to pull it out...

SR

 

[Baby Grand]

To ST98 - my $.02 would be to get the winch that's best sized for the tractor you now own, not the tractor that you think you may own in a few years. If you get that bigger tractor you can always sell the winch and get a bigger one - they seem to hold their value better than most attachments. In the meantime, you'll have the right winch for the tractor you're using.

If 6500# won't break the log loose, you can always double the pull by hitching a snatch block to the log and anchoring the free end to a tree along the line of pull. Now you have a half speed, 13,000# winch that is only putting a 6500# load on you tractor - the anchor tree takes the other 6500#. Once you break it loose, attach your line directly to the log and pull at full speed. If you find you're bogging down with debris in front of the log, you can try using a skidding cone.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

If 6500# won't break the log loose, you can always double the pull by hitching a snatch block to the log and anchoring the free end to a tree along the line of pull. Now you have a half speed, 13,000# winch that is only putting a 6500# load on you tractor - the anchor tree takes the other 6500#.

Actually there's NO load on the tractor, the load is on the skidding winch and none on the tractor, as the winch anchors itself into the ground...

You would have to have big logs or steep ground before the 65 wouldn't work for you...

SR

 

[Baby Grand]

Actually there's NO load on the tractor, the load is on the skidding winch and none on the tractor, as the winch anchors itself into the ground...

You would have to have big logs or steep ground before the 65 wouldn't work for you...

SR

Agree - the 65 should be able to handle a good sized log. And yes, the static structural load on the tractor is small, since the blade digs in and transfers load the ground, but since the pull is at higher a point than the blade edge, the pull is shifting weight off of the front axle thru the 3pt hitch. The tractor is also dynamically loaded by the engine, putting torque thru the PTO. My point was that the torque load on the PTO can be halved by using the snatch block, which matters when you've got around 30 PTO Hp to work with.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

With the blade in the ground "anchored"and the wire rope in the "lower" pulley, there's no way the tractor 3 point get's any amount of load at all. The load is so low when pulling, (at least it is on mine) the lower links are at "near" zero loading, as mostly it's just keeping the winch from tipping forward...

My tractor is plenty heavy enough in the front, that I can pull from the upper pulley if I want, and that's what I do, as it helps lift the load off the ground... Yes that = more 3 point loading...

SR

 

[Baby Grand]

That's a great looking rig, SR - bet you can move a mountain of wood in a day!

 

[Gordon Gould]

To ST98 - my $.02 would be to get the winch that's best sized for the tractor you now own, not the tractor that you think you may own in a few years. If you get that bigger tractor you can always sell the winch and get a bigger one - they seem to hold their value better than most attachments. In the meantime, you'll have the right winch for the tractor you're using.

If 6500# won't break the log loose, you can always double the pull by hitching a snatch block to the log and anchoring the free end to a tree along the line of pull. Now you have a half speed, 13,000# winch that is only putting a 6500# load on you tractor - the anchor tree takes the other 6500#. Once you break it loose, attach your line directly to the log and pull at full speed. If you find you're bogging down with debris in front of the log, you can try using a skidding cone.

^^ That is the advise I would give.

Forces on the tractor are very complicated to figure out. At least to me. But there are four main things that anchor the winch to the ground or hold it in place:
1 - the weight of the winch
2 - the weight of the tractor which develops the friction of the tractor tires with the brake set
3 - the blade digging deeper as the tractor is pulled backward (if the ground is not froze solid or the ground is not to loose to hold)
4 - The downward angle of the cable when using the top pulley drives the winch into the ground. This does not occur when using the bottom pulley unless the cable is at a down angle into a ravine. The only time the cable force creates more down pressure is when it leaves the winch at a downward angle.

Putting a strong winch on a lightish tractor seems like a waste of money to me. It will work and there may be a valid reason to do it but you don't get the performance..