# Skidding winch for the tractor



## morewood (Jan 28, 2016)

I have been searching off and on for something to help get the wood off the property I can cut on. I ran across an Elkem Formek model 4500 on Craigslist, listed in the northeast somewhere. The only thing I have found so far is that it is probably a Norse winch. It isn't represented as new or perfect, but I don't want to make an offer or buy it if I can't find parts. Does anybody have any information that could help me out. 

Shea


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## timbrjackrussel (Jan 28, 2016)

morewood said:


> I have been searching off and on for something to help get the wood off the property I can cut on. I ran across an Elkem Formek model 4500 on Craigslist, listed in the northeast somewhere. The only thing I have found so far is that it is probably a Norse winch. It isn't represented as new or perfect, but I don't want to make an offer or buy it if I can't find parts. Does anybody have any information that could help me out.
> 
> Shea


I have a Norse 400, great unit. As for parts there isn't a part on it that can't be sourced from another supplier or made.
If it is in good shape and good price get it quick as these winches don't show up used very often.


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## timbrjackrussel (Jan 28, 2016)

timbrjackrussel said:


> I have a Norse 400, great unit. As for parts there isn't a part on it that can't be sourced from another supplier or made.
> If it is in good shape and good price get it quick as these winches don't show up used very often.


http://www.labonville.com/assets/images/winches/Winch5500.pdf


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## morewood (Jan 28, 2016)

What areas should I look at as far as wear. Never having owned one, I don't have any idea of worth.
http://worcester.craigslist.org/grd/5372305934.html

This is it.

Shea

Thanks for the link, at least I know parts are available.


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## olympyk_999 (Jan 28, 2016)

youre going to come from NC for it? I work less than a mile from Ayer, in the next town over...


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## timbrjackrussel (Jan 28, 2016)

morewood said:


> What areas should I look at as far as wear. Never having owned one, I don't have any idea of worth.
> http://worcester.craigslist.org/grd/5372305934.html
> 
> This is it.
> ...


Check your PM


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## morewood (Jan 28, 2016)

olympyk_999 said:


> youre going to come from NC for it? I work less than a mile from Ayer, in the next town over...


 
Apparently these winches are scarce in any condition other than new. The drive doesn't bother me if the thing works and the value is there. You wouldn't have a history with the owner would you? 

Shea


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## olympyk_999 (Jan 28, 2016)

morewood said:


> You wouldn't have a history with the owner would you?


no...I live about 40 miles away...I just work close to there...


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## morewood (Jan 29, 2016)

olympyk_999 said:


> no...I live about 40 miles away...I just work close to there...



Just wondering if you had the inside track to getting a brother-in-law type of deal. How much of a snow pack do you guys have left after last weeks storm? See, another use. Assisting my truck out of the driveway ditch that has become a hazard with the snow we still have on the ground.

Shea


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## olympyk_999 (Jan 29, 2016)

morewood said:


> Just wondering if you had the inside track to getting a brother-in-law type of deal. How much of a snow pack do you guys have left after last weeks storm? See, another use. Assisting my truck out of the driveway ditch that has become a hazard with the snow we still have on the ground.
> 
> Shea


there aint no snow around here...I think Boston has/had a couple inches...the storm stayed to the south of MA for the most part, I live on the NH boarder, Ayer is also on the boarder...just further east then where I live...I didn't see a single snowflake from that blizzard


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## morewood (Jan 31, 2016)

We still have 4-6" in the yard......the downside to living on the north side of a mountain during the winter. I hope to get in touch with the owner this week and see if I can get more details and pictures. I might try to beg someone up there to put eyes on it if it gets that point.

Shea


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## agvg (Feb 1, 2016)

Check wear on sprocket wheels. If it's used hard check for cracks and deformations in the frame. If you buy it check the bearings holding the winch drum. And think how much a new on cost vs buying used and the wear there is on it.

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## morewood (Feb 1, 2016)

agvg said:


> Check wear on sprocket wheels. If it's used hard check for cracks and deformations in the frame. If you buy it check the bearings holding the winch drum. And think how much a new on cost vs buying used and the wear there is on it.
> 
> Sent fra min Nexus 5 via Tapatalk



Thanks for the tips. I've noticed some of your replies in other threads about logging winches. Do you know anything about the Elkem Formek winches and how they stack up compared to others. This one looks solid without any visible damage, but it looks like it sat outside it's whole life too. I can't find anything close in price to this one (asking $1600). I would hope that bearings and such wouldn't be prohibitively expensive.

Shea


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## agvg (Feb 1, 2016)

I have one, they started as Sandvik and then Elkem bought them and then Igland took over under the Igland/Norse brand.
Its a very solid product, the reason im talking about bearings are the fact that they are old and if they give up the wear will be on the main shaft.
Std metric bearings so they cost very little.

The construction will be very like this:
http://www.arboristsite.com/community/threads/my-logging-winch-repair-project.259403/

My Sandvik/Elkem/Norse 3081


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## agvg (Feb 1, 2016)

Manual
https://www.labonville.com/assets/images/winches/Winch4500.pdf

It looks very nice on the picture, and the price is good then you don't have much time to make a deal.


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## morewood (Feb 2, 2016)

Thanks for the information. It's nice that you saw the pictures, I wouldn't know if that looked decent or not, I don't have anything to reference it to. I appreciate the help a lot.

Shea

Because you have a good working knowledge, what is the smallest, power wise, tractor you could use this on?


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## agvg (Feb 2, 2016)

Think ground clerance are more an issue than hp on small tractors.

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## agvg (Feb 2, 2016)

It will pull has hard as it can with the hp that are available, how many hp have you?

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## morewood (Feb 2, 2016)

Approximately 35pto. It is 4wd with a fel and loaded tires. I don't need to pull monsters, but it would be easier to pull out of some of these deep gulleys loaded with great wood. Cutting the wood to a good size/weight wouldn't be an issue. If I can get some pictures of where I cut I'll post them this weekend.

Shea


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## Ferguson system (Feb 2, 2016)

35 hp will be enough for that winch. I'm using a tractor with 28-30 hp on a similar winch.
Watch the front end when winching, light tractors will do wheelies when pulling hard. For safety reasons, use a rope to engage the clutch and stand back.


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## morewood (Feb 2, 2016)

You Norwegians have provided lots of very good information. Heck, even one of my northern neighbors has sent me some words of advice. I am somewhat surprised these aren't any more plentiful than they are. Any way, I appreciate the help.

Shea


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## agvg (Feb 2, 2016)

Here in Norway, Sweden and Finland small scale logging was an important income for farmers, a lot of equipment was made to make the most of the tractor on the farm.

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## agvg (Feb 2, 2016)

One example

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## Ferguson system (Feb 2, 2016)

Nice pictures agvd. The grey fergie in the second picture, is that by any chance yours?


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## agvg (Feb 2, 2016)

No, had a lot of fergies but non with half tracks.

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## Ferguson system (Feb 2, 2016)

ok, thanks for the reply. I'm hauling firewood with a fergie. 3 Ton timber trailer with pto drive, manual crane with electric winch and 3 ton sandvik winch mounted on the rear axle.


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## agvg (Feb 2, 2016)

Picture?

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## morewood (Feb 3, 2016)

I assume the small wheel in the track system is a tensioner of sorts, keep the tracks from getting loose. I understand the winch and where it came from now. I would like to see this timber trailer you speak of.

Shea


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## Ferguson system (Feb 3, 2016)

Here's a few pictures of the 54' fergie. (from before the 12v winch and the sandvik winch were mounted)


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## agvg (Feb 3, 2016)

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## olympyk_999 (Feb 3, 2016)

agvg said:


> Sent fra min Nexus 5 via Tapatalk



the front "track" wheels look to be hydraulic...lifted the front end of the tractor...


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## agvg (Feb 3, 2016)

Yes, it is. This was common and made you abel to climb.

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## Ferguson system (Feb 3, 2016)

Older halftrack setups were springloaded. New types were hydraulic.


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## timbrjackrussel (Feb 7, 2016)

morewood said:


> What areas should I look at as far as wear. Never having owned one, I don't have any idea of worth.
> http://worcester.craigslist.org/grd/5372305934.html
> 
> This is it.
> ...


Did you purchase the winch?


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## morewood (Feb 8, 2016)

It's gone. I did some more research, verified that the wife was good with the deal, went to contact him over the weekend......add pulled no more contact info. Oh well, I'll find something at some point.

Shea


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## timbrjackrussel (Feb 8, 2016)

morewood said:


> It's gone. I did some more research, verified that the wife was good with the deal, went to contact him over the weekend......add pulled no more contact info. Oh well, I'll find something at some point.
> 
> Shea


I have seen only 2 for sale since I bought my Norse 400. One was only 1300 miles from me. I know of a local winch owner that may be selling the property in the next few years. I want to ask about it. They are rare. Now that you have the OK from your wife keep looking and good luck. I think that a winch is right up there with good chainsaw chaps as the best safety gear that you can get.


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## morewood (Feb 8, 2016)

I found an older Fransgaard for sale, but I would really prefer a winch with a blade instead of legs on the bottom. I have seen some Tajfun winches (new) for sale in the $2500-$3000 range, but don't have lots of info on those. They are also double the price. I'm going to keep looking. You never know what's going to happen.

Shea


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## agvg (Feb 9, 2016)

Legs works OK, they dig in to the ground. And they have one advantage and that's ground clerance.

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## morewood (Feb 9, 2016)

agvg said:


> Legs works OK, they dig in to the ground. And they have one advantage and that's ground clerance.
> 
> Sent fra min Nexus 5 via Tapatalk



That's good to know. I do have a scrape blade that could be welded in place or hinged if I had to have one on a winch.

Shea


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## dancan (Feb 9, 2016)

I'd never hesitate on legs or a blade like agvg has said .


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## morewood (Feb 9, 2016)

I also found a newer Igland 3501? In Vermont. Why does everything have to be a long days drive away? I live smack in the middle of a huge mountain range and nothing ever pops up. When I get one I'll have to treat it like gold.

Shea

Ps-Thanks for all the helpful information, I haven't put my hands on one yet and need to lean on others experience.


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## Ferguson system (Feb 10, 2016)

If the price is right on the Igland 3501 winch, I would have thrown myself over the phone and bought it. It is a very good winch that is still in production. A pro model.


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## agvg (Feb 10, 2016)

If you look at the pic of mine 3081 there are the blade or plate detachable so I can use it with legs if want to.

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## morewood (Feb 10, 2016)

Ferguson system said:


> If the price is right on the Igland 3501 winch, I would have thrown myself over the phone and bought it. It is a very good winch that is still in production. A pro model.




I think the price may be right, but it's just under 1,000, yes 1,000 miles away. Putting that much fuel and distance on my truck isn't the cheapest. If they can help put it in the bed that would save me from having to bring my trailer.....another cost. Thanks again.

Shea


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## agvg (Feb 10, 2016)

Try å wanted add, I have always had good luck with them. 

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## timbrjackrussel (Feb 10, 2016)

morewood said:


> I think the price may be right, but it's just under 1,000, yes 1,000 miles away. Putting that much fuel and distance on my truck isn't the cheapest. If they can help put it in the bed that would save me from having to bring my trailer.....another cost. Thanks again.
> 
> Shea


See about meeting half way or check into a small transport company coming your way with some extra space on the truck.


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## morewood (Feb 10, 2016)

I have used transport companies before, but the cost would still be more than I can do it for. I hope to talk to them this evening and get more details. For you Nowegians, they are asking 17,160 krone?...or best offer. I plan on offering approximately 15,000 krone for it. The unit is only 2 years old and kept indoors, used lightly during the summer only. We shall see.

Shea


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## agvg (Feb 10, 2016)

15000kr should be a good price.

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## agvg (Feb 10, 2016)

Some pics if anybody wants to make one.

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## timbrjackrussel (Feb 10, 2016)

morewood said:


> I have used transport companies before, but the cost would still be more than I can do it for. I hope to talk to them this evening and get more details. For you Nowegians, they are asking 17,160 krone?...or best offer. I plan on offering approximately 15,000 krone for it. The unit is only 2 years old and kept indoors, used lightly during the summer only. We shall see.
> 
> Shea


Sounds good.


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## Ferguson system (Feb 10, 2016)

morewood said:


> I have used transport companies before, but the cost would still be more than I can do it for. I hope to talk to them this evening and get more details. For you Nowegians, they are asking 17,160 krone?...or best offer. I plan on offering approximately 15,000 krone for it. The unit is only 2 years old and kept indoors, used lightly during the summer only. We shall see.
> 
> Shea



15 000 NOK is not too bad. Try 13 or 14 first, if you are lucky you will get it for that. If the seller wants more, offer him 15 and he will most likely accept. 
Good luck!

Pictures are required if you end up with the winch .


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## farmer steve (Feb 10, 2016)

just for ya to look see. a little closer for ya too. if i had the $$$ i might think about this.
http://smd.craigslist.org/grd/5393054023.html


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## morewood (Feb 10, 2016)

Ferguson system said:


> 15 000 NOK is not too bad. Try 13 or 14 first, if you are lucky you will get it for that. If the seller wants more, offer him 15 and he will most likely accept.
> Good luck!
> 
> Pictures are required if you end up with the winch .



When I get one pictures will be posted. For reference, New ones go for 21,500 NOK. What is the home country cost?


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## morewood (Feb 10, 2016)

agvg said:


> Some pics if anybody wants to make one.
> 
> Sent fra min Nexus 5 via Tapatalk



I like it. Looks like an option if a blade is desired. I have a junk scrape blade that could be reused in that way if I needed.

Shea


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## agvg (Feb 10, 2016)

morewood said:


> When I get one pictures will be posted. For reference, New ones go for 21,500 NOK. What is the home country cost?



They have a package price for the winch redy to go with wire, PTO and chains for ca the same price here.


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## Ferguson system (Feb 10, 2016)

The cost for a new Igland 3501 with 50m wire is 18 126 NOK. Package price is 20 228 NOK.


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## morewood (Feb 11, 2016)

Well, it is done. I called about the winch this evening. It has spent it's entire life in a barn. Only used two summers to pull a grand total of six loads of logs. He bought it new as the package deal. Rock bottom was $1,800, 15,390 NOK. He'll have the cashier's check next week. I'll have to go up on a weekend to retrieve it and bring it to a much rougher environment. I want to thank you guys, especially you Norwegians, for all the input, I appreciate it.

Shea


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## timbrjackrussel (Feb 11, 2016)

morewood said:


> Well, it is done. I called about the winch this evening. It has spent it's entire life in a barn. Only used two summers to pull a grand total of six loads of logs. He bought it new as the package deal. Rock bottom was $1,800, 15,390 NOK. He'll have the cashier's check next week. I'll have to go up on a weekend to retrieve it and bring it to a much rougher environment. I want to thank you guys, especially you Norwegians, for all the input, I appreciate it.
> 
> Shea


Great! You won't regret this purchase. I think that a winch is the best piece of safety gear that there is.
Now a couple of snatch blocks 4 or 6 ton, 4 or 5 chokers, I use 7 feet of grade 70, 5/16" chain, a 3 foot long piece of 1/4" steel rod with a 1" hook at one end and
a triangular handle bent at the other end, bend in a bit of a curve, used to pull the chokers under a log.
With that tractor of yours you got a great combination.


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## Ferguson system (Feb 12, 2016)

Congratulations Shea! I agree with timbrjackrussel, a winch is one of the handiest forestry equipment that you can buy. I recommend that you get a few gliders and chocker chains for the winch. You can use the gliders and chains to change the direction of pull and drag several logs at a time. Igland also produces a chainsaw and combi-can holder that you can mount on your winch.

Good luck and have fun winching .


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## timbrjackrussel (Mar 4, 2016)

morewood said:


> Well, it is done. I called about the winch this evening. It has spent it's entire life in a barn. Only used two summers to pull a grand total of six loads of logs. He bought it new as the package deal. Rock bottom was $1,800, 15,390 NOK. He'll have the cashier's check next week. I'll have to go up on a weekend to retrieve it and bring it to a much rougher environment. I want to thank you guys, especially you Norwegians, for all the input, I appreciate it.
> 
> Shea


Did you get the winch home?
Good bit of snow here and it has been colder. Hope to get out Saturday, and drop some trees and get them winched out while there is still snow to keep them clean. Mostly hard maple and ash.


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## morewood (Mar 4, 2016)

Leaving right now. Pick it up tomorrow.

Shea


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## Ferguson system (Mar 4, 2016)

Good luck!


I'll throw in a couple of pictures of my tractor with the sandvik winch mounted on the rear axle.


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## timbrjackrussel (Mar 5, 2016)

timbrjackrussel said:


> Did you get the winch home?
> Good bit of snow here and it has been colder. Hope to get out Saturday, and drop some trees and get them winched out while there is still snow to keep them clean. Mostly hard maple and ash.


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## morewood (Mar 6, 2016)

Well, I still have a 13 hour drive home tomorrow. Until then, you guys will have to make do with a crude photo of it face down in the bed of the truck. If need be I can provide pics of the fishing lures, clothes, surplus, cheese, chocolate, and chainsaw that I also purchased.

Shea


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## timbrjackrussel (Mar 6, 2016)

morewood said:


> Well, I still have a 13 hour drive home tomorrow. Until then, you guys will have to make do with a crude photo of it face down in the bed of the truck. If need be I can provide pics of the fishing lures, clothes, surplus, cheese, chocolate, and chainsaw that I also purchased.
> 
> SheaView attachment 490342


No need for pictures of the cheese, chocolate, and the saw. I will PM my address, just send them. The clothes may not fit me so just keep them. Perhaps send the lures as well as you will be too busy logging with that new winch to go fishing.
Looks Great
Safe drive home


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## chipper1 (Mar 7, 2016)

timbrjackrussel said:


> No need for pictures of the cheese, chocolate, and the saw. I will PM my address, just send them. The clothes may not fit me so just keep them. Perhaps send the lures as well as you will be too busy logging with that new winch to go fishing.
> Looks Great
> Safe drive home


Just send the winch my way, that way you can make better use of the fishing lures.
Congrats on the winch, you will love it.


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## wej52 (Mar 7, 2016)

morewood said:


> Well, I still have a 13 hour drive home tomorrow. Until then, you guys will have to make do with a crude photo of it face down in the bed of the truck. If need be I can provide pics of the fishing lures, clothes, surplus, cheese, chocolate, and chainsaw that I also purchased.
> 
> SheaView attachment 490342


You got a good deal on that winch and will enjoy it. I have a norse 350 which is identical except for the name. Good Luck with it W Jones.


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## chipper1 (Mar 7, 2016)

Winches can certainly give you lots of options on how you can do things.
For me it has taken a while to get used to the fact that I have it, I have the same problem with the tractor.
Pulled this log off the trailer with mine today.


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## morewood (Mar 8, 2016)

At work bright and early this morning. I got in just before 9 last night . It will get unloaded this evening and I will make sure the pto shaft works. More pics then.

Shea


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## wise8706 (Mar 8, 2016)

Not sure about yours, but when I bought our winch new I had to cut 4" off the pto shaft so that it didn't bind or bottom out. Just something to watch out for


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## chipper1 (Mar 8, 2016)

wise8706 said:


> Not sure about yours, but when I bought our winch new I had to cut 4" off the pto shaft so that it didn't bind or bottom out. Just something to watch out for.


Good morning wise
Agreed.
This can surely be a problem if not inspected. When setting up any 3pt equipment part of the initial setup is making sure that it is set to the measurements for your specific tractor/implement. If you want to run them on another tractor you will have to check all the measurements and angles out again as most tractors have at least some differences, this is most noted from brand to brand and changing the size of tractor (cat 1 attachments to cat 2). 

When I installed mine everything looked great, but when you raise it all the way up it was very close to hitting my fender so I "adjusted"(bent) the handle so it cleared better. 

One thing I do not like about mine is the angle of the PTO shaft when the winch is raised all the way up. I try to remember not to run it when lifted all the way up as I'm sure it will increase wear on the shaft and the bearings output/input.


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## morewood (Mar 9, 2016)

Bright and early again, but at least it all worked. By the time we had it hooked up, had checked out all the possible calamities, and moved a few things it was dark.....no pictures. The pto shaft fit, no binding throughout the range of movement. When at full raise there aren't any issues with it hitting the tractor. In short, everything works. This evening we'll pull the access plates and check it out and oil/grease whatever needs to be done and check the clutches and brake mechanism. I'm going through it so that not only do I know everything is ready to go but so that my son knows how it all works. That is important to me.

Shea


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## timbrjackrussel (Mar 9, 2016)

morewood said:


> Bright and early again, but at least it all worked. By the time we had it hooked up, had checked out all the possible calamities, and moved a few things it was dark.....no pictures. The pto shaft fit, no binding throughout the range of movement. When at full raise there aren't any issues with it hitting the tractor. In short, everything works. This evening we'll pull the access plates and check it out and oil/grease whatever needs to be done and check the clutches and brake mechanism. I'm going through it so that not only do I know everything is ready to go but so that my son knows how it all works. That is important to me.
> 
> Shea


Don't over lube the chain as lubricant can run onto the clutch material. If the chain looks dry it can be removed, lubricated, let hang to drip off and put back on. The clutch tightening arm and pins doesn't need much grease.
Check owners manual. I lube the cable with a cheap grease.


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## morewood (Mar 9, 2016)

I actually read the owners manual.....yep, especially the maintenance. From underneath the chain looks good, but I want to open it up and give it a good going over. I also want to measure the clutch pads to verify that they are still in good order. Other than that, just check for any abnormal wear and make sure the cable is in good shape.

Shea


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## chipper1 (Mar 9, 2016)

Morewood, hope you don't mind me asking a few questions myself as some of the guys here have some experience with working on the innards of these things.
Since I have had mine it does not want to pull very hard. Everything I have read tells me this thing should lift the front tires right off the ground and that I need to be careful not to get to crazy pulling with the winch. When it pulls it does a great job, but when it doesn't want to pull something it just doesn't do anything, no burning smell, no noise, no nothing, just pulls the cable tight and stops. This does not change even with the engine RPMs way up. I planned on pulling it apart and inspecting it to see what I could and may get into it a little today as I don't need it for a bit and the weather is looking clear tomorrow.
The tractor is a 38hp Kubota L3800 with a
Uniforest 40e winch.
Any help appreciated.


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## agvg (Mar 9, 2016)

Adjusted the clutch?

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## agvg (Mar 9, 2016)

You should not have any problem stalling the tractor with it.

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## chipper1 (Mar 9, 2016)

No, not yet. 
Wouldn't you hear or smell something if it was slipping. 
Suggestions for how as I do not have the manual. Uniforest rep on the east coast is pretty easy to get a hold of. I talked to them before buying it.


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## agvg (Mar 9, 2016)

http://www.hud-son.com/cmsfiles/manuals/GOZDARSKA-VITLA-30E-35E-40eco_EN-FEB-10.pdf

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## morewood (Mar 9, 2016)

I would say the clutch. The manual says to adjust the pull of the arm and to check the thickness of the clutch pads. I believe mine has to to be 2mm at a minimum. That seems thin, but I will check and adjust. I bet you need to tighten the clutch up, stalling a tractor isn't easy, but could be done.

Shea


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## chipper1 (Mar 9, 2016)

agvg said:


> You should not have any problem stalling the tractor with it.
> 
> Sent fra min Nexus 5X via Tapatalk


It won't stall the tractor, not even close.


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## chipper1 (Mar 9, 2016)

agvg said:


> http://www.hud-son.com/cmsfiles/manuals/GOZDARSKA-VITLA-30E-35E-40eco_EN-FEB-10.pdf
> 
> Sent fra min Nexus 5X via Tapatalk


No way, your the man.
Thanks


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## timbrjackrussel (Mar 9, 2016)

chipper1 said:


> It won't stall the tractor, not even close.


My Norse 400 near the top wind with the engine about 1200 RPM (40hp Diesel) if it hangs up and stops the pull, things jump! It will stall the tractor. Better to keep the engine speed slower and have it stall then to flip the tractor a break something. If the clutch has oil on it slipping will happen, even if you tighten up the clutch.


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## chipper1 (Mar 9, 2016)

Thanks guys.
I had some business to take care of and some dishes. 
I'm on page 8 of 25, and plan on reading it all. I couldn't find this manual when I bought it so I'm getting my education on it now. 
The one problem I see so far is that I don't have a "cardan shaft" lol.
Back to the reading


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## chipper1 (Mar 9, 2016)

Adjusted the clutch and it seemed to pull quite a bit harder once, even bogging the engine a bit, then right back to the same thing. I tightened it more and no real change.
The good thing is I felt it pull harder and know that it has more potential. Headed to Toledo for a purchase and then I will do some more reading on it.
Maybe have to tear it down and clean the clutch off?


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## timbrjackrussel (Mar 9, 2016)

chipper1 said:


> Adjusted the clutch and it seemed to pull quite a bit harder once, even bogging the engine a bit, then right back to the same thing. I tightened it more and no real change.
> The good thing is I felt it pull harder and know that it has more potential. Headed to Toledo for a purchase and then I will do some more reading on it.
> Maybe have to tear it down and clean the clutch off?


If the clutch disc or pads are oil soaked likely replacement is the only cure. You can try brake cleaner or carbon tetrachloride (dangerous) to clean the clutch. Is the tractor PTO clutch OK?


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## timbrjackrussel (Mar 9, 2016)

chipper1 said:


> Adjusted the clutch and it seemed to pull quite a bit harder once, even bogging the engine a bit, then right back to the same thing. I tightened it more and no real change.
> The good thing is I felt it pull harder and know that it has more potential. Headed to Toledo for a purchase and then I will do some more reading on it.
> Maybe have to tear it down and clean the clutch off?


See bottom of page 15 of the owners manual.


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## chipper1 (Mar 10, 2016)

timbrjackrussel said:


> See bottom of page 15 of the owners manual.


Looks like it may be the clutch needs to be replaced, we'll see when it's tore down.


timbrjackrussel said:


> If the clutch disc or pads are oil soaked likely replacement is the only cure. You can try brake cleaner or carbon tetrachloride (dangerous) to clean the clutch. Is the tractor PTO clutch OK?


I was not aware that there was a pto clutch unless you mean what engages it and that is fine. I can hit 3" hickory with my rotary cutter without a problem, unless you are talking about the slipper clutch that is on the shaft of some implements, which this pto shaft does not have one of those.
Maybe I will tear it apart tomorrow, not sure right now.
Thanks again everyone.

How did you make out with yours @morewood


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## agvg (Mar 10, 2016)

You may have a glazed clutch disk, sand paper can often fix that.

Sent fra min Nexus 5X via Tapatalk


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## chipper1 (Mar 10, 2016)

That's certainly a possibility, that was also in the manual as a possible cause.
I'm sure it will be a beast once fixed. And it will get fixed shortly as I have lots for it to do this summer other than the playing I've done with it here on my property.


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## KiwiBro (Mar 10, 2016)

agvg said:


> You should not have any problem stalling the tractor with it.
> 
> Sent fra min Nexus 5X via Tapatalk


Agreed. I have the same model and it will stall my 76 HP tractor if I don't have the revs high enough sometimes.


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## chipper1 (Mar 10, 2016)

Wow, that means it should always be able to stall mine.
Today it did slow the engine a bit, but not like I believe it should.


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## KiwiBro (Mar 10, 2016)

chipper1 said:


> Wow, that means it should always be able to stall mine.
> Today it did slow the engine a bit, but not like I believe it should.


won't stall it all the time though. Sometimes, the winch will just squeal like a stuck pig instead.


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## chipper1 (Mar 10, 2016)

I just figured the same winch on a tractor with half the hp it should stall it everytime if you dont let off when jammed up. If not that my tractor would be getting flung through the air


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## KiwiBro (Mar 10, 2016)

If the manual doesn't help, the guys at Hud-son will.


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## morewood (Mar 10, 2016)

Well another day started too early, but that's work. on a side note, antibiotics work, but have absolutely ruined my stomach for the last week. The winch. Pulled the access plates easy enough, everything looks fairly clean. Drive chain seems lightly lubed and in good order, spool and brake are fine also. Unspooled the cable, only one kink and no other real issues with the cable. I put some weight on the end of the cable and spooled it back in. Used that as a time to work with the son on usage...where to stand, when to let go, why to use the brake at certain times, etc. The only thing not easily accessible is the clutch. Possibly looking from underneath it would be visible, but I would have to put something there to hold it up...safety. Going to make sure it is adjusted and then load the thing on the trailer this evening or tomorrow, going to cut again on Saturday. 

Shea

A quick message about the brake. I like it. A simple, mechanical, positive engaging spool brake. I like simple. Nothing against friction type bakes, but this is my preference.


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## chipper1 (Mar 10, 2016)

Good Morning shea, and the other guys here.
I'm sure you will be very pleased with that unit. It looks clean enough to eat off, just need a little dish soap lol. When I was looking I could not even find one. I spent over three weeks looking and the one I have was the only one I could find in a 300 mile radius and it just happened to be only 2 hrs away. I was thinking I would have to buy new because they were so scarce. I bought mine for around half the new price and figured I would need to spend a couple hundred to get it going(less than I would have payed for tax). It worked although it has always been under powered. 
Similar to you my 8yr old son works right beside me, it's great.
How old is your boy.


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## morewood (Mar 11, 2016)

I hear you about not finding anything local. This may not have been the closest(988 miles away), but at almost half the cost of new and only two years old I jumped on it. I'm surprised that there isn't a larger market here where I am in the mountains for this type of product. About the boy, he is 10. It's going to be a bummer this weekend, he is going to a science learning center and next weekend he is entered in a math fair. I hate not having my wood buddy with me. Hopefully I can get it loaded this evening after work before the rains come in.

Shea


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## farmer steve (Mar 11, 2016)

just saw this on CL. not sure about "homemade".
http://baltimore.craigslist.org/grd/5459951274.html


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## chipper1 (Mar 11, 2016)

morewood said:


> I hear you about not finding anything local. This may not have been the closest(988 miles away), but at almost half the cost of new and only two years old I jumped on it. I'm surprised that there isn't a larger market here where I am in the mountains for this type of product. About the boy, he is 10. It's going to be a bummer this weekend, he is going to a science learning center and next weekend he is entered in a math fair. I hate not having my wood buddy with me. Hopefully I can get it loaded this evening after work before the rains come in.
> 
> Shea


That's a long drive, but how much was it new vs what you paid for it, sure you saved money in the end and that is in such great condition you will be able to use it for as long as you want and relist it for what you have into it including paying yourself for the trip and sell it no problem. 
I always say your either making money or saving money. When paying work is slow I "work" hard at saving money, when cash is coming in not so much I try hard not to be cheap when money is glowing in(thats hard work for me, because I'm very cheap lol).
I think there is a huge market for these winches it is just very untouched because the product is not known/and the cost is somewhat high. I still watch for them and very few come up in my area. I have seen the largest # of them listed in the NE and that's also where the dealer is for uniforest/Hudson is. I have not checked all of Mi. to see who carries the other brands, but I don't know anyone who has one right around me.
Your boy is at a fun age, he can work like a young man and gets what you tell him. 
I feel the same way about my little helper.
I look forward to working with him as he is very helpful to me. You will need to teach him how to choke a log so he can run the cable for you, I have already been showing my boy some of the tricks to it. I figure if you want to warm yourself by the fire bring a stick.
Hopefully he does very well at the science fair and makes his dad even prouder


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## NHMike (Mar 12, 2016)

Chipper,
Something to check about the pull on the winch. Last summer I was having a problem with my farmi getting weaker on the pull. I also figured that I neede to adjust the clutch, and after talking with a couple local farmers who have bigger units that is what I did.
It did pull a little harder, but still not like it used to. Then one day as I was pulling in a very small load, I happened to notice that the pull rope was being hindered by the protective screen. When I bent that back a bit, I had all the pulling Pulling power it always had.

Take a look & see if that is the issue.

Mike


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## chipper1 (Mar 12, 2016)

NHMike said:


> Chipper,
> Something to check about the pull on the winch. Last summer I was having a problem with my farmi getting weaker on the pull. I also figured that I neede to adjust the clutch, and after talking with a couple local farmers who have bigger units that is what I did.
> It did pull a little harder, but still not like it used to. Then one day as I was pulling in a very small load, I happened to notice that the pull rope was being hindered by the protective screen. When I bent that back a bit, I had all the pulling Pulling power it always had.
> 
> ...


Thanks Mike.
I will check that out.
I don't know that with the design of mine that could happen, and mine has a wire rope(cable) so I would think I would hear it dragging if that was the problem. I sure hope your right though.
Brett


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## timbrjackrussel (Mar 12, 2016)

timbrjackrussel said:


> View attachment 490126
> View attachment 490127


One week later


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## Agent Orange (Mar 12, 2016)

Nice work, that tractor looks like a hell of a workhorse. I've followed this thread from the begining, it's nice to see it in action.


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## dancan (Mar 13, 2016)

Different kind of action shots from up here today .
Time to get ready for a cable swap .







The previous owner had replace the cable , musta been the cheapest he could find because it was about 100' too short and this was at about 15' from the end on the spool .






It had 3 wire rope clips , each one had different size nuts and 2 were installed incorrectly , I had to cut the cable because of a big tangle at the end .











The drum is ready for the new 165' swaged 3/8" cable , hope to get it on next week 
A tip for those that are new to winching , when you get setup for winching back your tractor up till the backblade part digs in an stops the tractor .






Or back it tight to a stump or large rock .






A new tractor should have good brakes/parkbrake , my old stuff doesn't .


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## chipper1 (Mar 13, 2016)

dancan said:


> Different kind of action shots from up here today .
> Time to get ready for a cable swap .
> 
> 
> ...


You will be rocking once you get that replaced.
Nice work.


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## Gypo Logger (Mar 13, 2016)

The tractor winches work fine. Here's a Norse I once had.


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## chipper1 (Mar 13, 2016)

Gypo Logger said:


> The tractor winches work fine. Here's a Norse I once had.



Nice Gypo.
What are you using these days that works better than "fine".


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## morewood (Mar 13, 2016)

Finally, I have had the opportunity to put the winch to use. First and foremost, I should have had one a long time ago. This opens up Pandora's box as far as what is accessible. It's dead simple to use and well built. I never had the tractor over 1100 rpm and not even close to stalling. More pics if my connection doesn't get worse.

Shea


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## chipper1 (Mar 13, 2016)

morewood said:


> Finally, I have had the opportunity to put the winch to use. First and foremost, I should have had one a long time ago. This opens up Pandora's box as far as what is accessible. It's dead simple to use and well built. I never had the tractor over 1100 rpm and not even close to stalling. More pics if my connection doesn't get worse.
> 
> Shea


Pretty sweet isn't it.
That's why I say there is a great market for them, it's just that no one has brought them to the market here that I know of
Glad you're getting to enjoy it.


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## morewood (Mar 13, 2016)

These two pictures show the toughest pull. Large, fairly solid dead oak blowdown. I cut it free from the root ball. It was a decent uphill pull. Once the blade sunk in and the tree turned uphill it was all over. When I tried to pull it with the tractor it wasn't having it. I released the brake on the winch, drove to a better spot and winches it closer once again. I ended up cutting it in half once I got to my cutting area and winching the back half closer. Now to get more weight on the front of the tractor and see if that helps. There really isn't a learning curve if you have enough common sense and make as straight a pull as possible. Any questions just ask. I'll post more pics later.



Shea


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## timbrjackrussel (Mar 13, 2016)

morewood said:


> Finally, I have had the opportunity to put the winch to use. First and foremost, I should have had one a long time ago. This opens up Pandora's box as far as what is accessible. It's dead simple to use and well built. I never had the tractor over 1100 rpm and not even close to stalling. More pics if my connection doesn't get worse.
> 
> I told you that they were the greatest tool for getting wood. You already had the perfect tractor for it.
> You can use snatch blocks to help get around corners and to pull logs past where you stop the tractor.
> Look into reverse winching that help get you out of a sticky spot.


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## morewood (Mar 13, 2016)




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## timbrjackrussel (Mar 13, 2016)

Looks like those trees are ready to burn.


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## morewood (Mar 14, 2016)

Almost all the wood on this property I am getting is because a feller buncher came over the property line and cut a good number down a few years ago. The rot doesn't bother me or my outdoor boiler. The amount of wood I have already cut up on this property is astounding.

Shea


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## chipper1 (Mar 14, 2016)

The "rot" on that wood makes it better than anything you would cut green and dry, thats the best seasoned wood you'll get.
Looks like everything is working like it should. Making me jealous, maybe I will have to get a bigger tractor.


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## Ferguson system (Mar 14, 2016)

Igland power


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## dancan (Mar 14, 2016)

Hey morewood , if you didn't already know , when you set your chokers have the open end opposite the direction of pull so the chain can't yanked out .


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## chipper1 (Mar 14, 2016)

Ferguson system said:


> Igland power


Oh is that what that is, I didn't notice lol.
Nice to have you guys on here for any questions. I talked with one of the manufacturers today about what it takes to become a dealer.


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## morewood (Mar 14, 2016)

I saw that in the picture of the big oak I winched up the hill. That is a rarity, but I actually appreciate the call out, I deserved that. Ok guys, especially my Norwegian friends. I checked the manual and it shows that I shouldn't have more than 10cm of pull on the clutch rope to fully engage the clutch. I definitely have more, I just don't know if there is any cord stretch in that. I need to check the clutches, what's the best way? It seems that raising the winch and setting it on blocks would allow me to inspect safely from underneath. What say ye my woodcutting brethren?

Shea


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## timbrjackrussel (Mar 14, 2016)

Sometimes a choker can flip over. No problems as long as it holds tight.
I would adjust up the winch shaft nut to reduce the clutch gap and use it. I would get a set of clutch pads (my Norse 400 had a clutch disc) to have on hand in case of oil contamination or wear problems.
Someone may have adjusted the clutch incorrectly before you got it.


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## chipper1 (Mar 15, 2016)

Ferguson system said:


> Igland power


I'm sure these guys could answer that.


morewood said:


> I saw that in the picture of the big oak I winched up the hill. That is a rarity, but I actually appreciate the call out, I deserved that. Ok guys, especially my Norwegian friends. I checked the manual and it shows that I shouldn't have more than 10cm of pull on the clutch rope to fully engage the clutch. I definitely have more, I just don't know if there is any cord stretch in that. I need to check the clutches, what's the best way? It seems that raising the winch and setting it on blocks would allow me to inspect safely from underneath. What say ye my woodcutting brethren?
> 
> Shea


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## Backyard Lumberjack (Mar 15, 2016)

*good thread!* lots of swell pix...  admire those logging ops out there in the snow! brr.... pix made me feel as if I was there... standing to the side... barking out some orders  and giving needed advice...

haha, ok... ok... standing on the side staying out of the way!!!  

yes, more wood!


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## agvg (Mar 15, 2016)

Try to adjust it before you do anymore.

Sent fra min Nexus 5X via Tapatalk


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## morewood (Mar 15, 2016)

I'll be out there to pull some tomorrow after work. I can set it on blocks and check it, then tighten the nut to adjust. The manual doesn't say, and I don't have the winch in a quick to glance at it area, but does anybody know what size nut that is? No doubt it's metric, just a bit larger than most sockets/wrenches I have. I would like to have what is necessary to do the job before I walk out there.

Shea

Also, any idea as to the approximate cost of the clutch pads? I may call where the original owner bought it and check this evening if I get home at a decent hour.


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## timbrjackrussel (Mar 15, 2016)

morewood said:


> I'll be out there to pull some tomorrow after work. I can set it on blocks and check it, then tighten the nut to adjust. The manual doesn't say, and I don't have the winch in a quick to glance at it area, but does anybody know what size nut that is? No doubt it's metric, just a bit larger than most sockets/wrenches I have. I would like to have what is necessary to do the job before I walk out there.
> 
> Shea
> 
> Also, any idea as to the approximate cost of the clutch pads? I may call where the original owner bought it and check this evening if I get home at a decent hour.


My Norse 400 has a 30mm x2 nylock nut. Take a large adjustable wrench.


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## morewood (Mar 15, 2016)

timbrjackrussel said:


> My Norse 400 has a 30mm x2 nylock nut. Take a large adjustable wrench.



Bingo.....this early morning thinking in a fog sure makes you stupid. Pulling the covers, checking things out, and adjusting the clutch won't take long at all. Then the work will begin.

Shea


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## Gypo Logger (Mar 15, 2016)

Right now, I'm just doing some tobaggan loggin.


chipper1 said:


> Nice Gypo.
> What are you using these days that works better than "fine".


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## chipper1 (Mar 16, 2016)

Gypo Logger said:


> Right now, I'm just doing some tobaggan loggin.


post some pics or it didn't happen lol.


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## Sawyer Rob (Mar 16, 2016)

No snow here and it is starting to dry out...







SR


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## chipper1 (Mar 16, 2016)

Dry here after the rain that saturated the soil last night and today. We have had high winds all day and the kids just informed me that there's a tree down.
Ends up it's one of the biggest locust we have here about 18" DBH, but 24 at the top of the root ball. It's mainly in a clearing so I feel safe working on it for a bit.
The neighbor will be happy he doesn't have to clean it off his trail even though it is totally on his property. He only heats his garage with wood and likes me to keep the trail clear.


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## Erik B (Mar 16, 2016)

chipper1 said:


> Dry here after the rain that saturated the soil last night and today. We have had high winds all day and the kids just informed me that there's a tree down.
> Ends up it's one of the biggest locust we have here about 18" DBH, but 24 at the top of the root ball. It's mainly in a clearing so I feel safe working on it for a bit.
> The neighbor will be happy he doesn't have to clean it off his trail even though it is totally on his property. He only heat his garage with wood and like me to keep the trail clear.
> View attachment 492354
> View attachment 492355


Good BTU's in that tree.


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## chipper1 (Mar 16, 2016)

Yes @Erik B , it's my favorite
Some of the smaller stuff is in the house and in the woodstove as we speak

Okay last night I tore into the skidder and removed all the grease, oil, slime, and crud of the front side that could get on the clutch.
I skuffed the clutch with sandpaper after hitting it with brake parts cleaner and did the same to the smooth surface)matting surface of the drum.
I put a nice non directional light scoring on the whole thing.
The only bummer other than getting dirty(I hate getting dirty)even though I am most all the time, is that I put the drum back in the winch and saw the big spring sitting on the ground. The bummer was that It took me about 20min to get it out the first time and that I had already attached the cable to the drum.
I was able to take it back apart and get everything to where I realized I messed up at in less than 5min, nice learning curve.
If anyone has the Forester 40E and needs a hand taking it apartor has any questions just ask and I will tell you what I can.
Tonight it stalled my tractor when I was pulling the three butt pieces from the tree above and they jammed on the stump.

Here are a few pictures of the butt sections(there was two trees that came down) I got three pieces I will try to get milled. The first two pictures are what I was able to cut with one tank with the little ms200 rear handle then everything else was cut with my 550xp. And less than a half tank of fuel. I will bring my 2172 out for the last two cuts on the stump.


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## Backyard Lumberjack (Mar 17, 2016)

good pix! hauling ops! enjoyed seeing ya'll hard at work!  some big stuff!, but nothing like my pix posts over at Scrounging wood I put up today... a bucking and stacking memo to beat all memos...


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## chipper1 (Mar 17, 2016)

Backyard Lumberjack said:


> good pix! hauling ops! enjoyed seeing ya'll hard at work!  some big stuff!, but nothing like my pix posts over at Scrounging wood I put up today... a bucking and stacking memo to beat all memos...


Your signature says TEXAS, I would expect nothing less from you then, you have a reputation to live up toBL.
Everything's bigger in TEXAS


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## morewood (Mar 17, 2016)

Ok, first and foremost, that clutch adjustment nut isn't even remotely close to 30mm. What ever size it is, it appears to be just over 1.5", which would be getting close to 2". Way above what I had in my hands to adjust it with. I decided that since I was there I would get some smaller stuff moved and cut and ended up with 8 more trees cut up. It looks like I still have in the ballpark of 15-20 left, most of which are good size oak. This firewood cutting is getting more serious. Gotta find out that nut size today.

Shea


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## timbrjackrussel (Mar 17, 2016)

I believe 30mm is the hole size.


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## timbrjackrussel (Mar 17, 2016)

Try 46 mm across the nut flats.


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## morewood (Mar 17, 2016)

timbrjackrussel said:


> I believe 30mm is the hole size.


 Yeah, 30mm seems to be the bolt/shaft size. I was still surprised that my adjustable wrench looked tiny compared to it.



timbrjackrussel said:


> Try 46 mm across the nut flats.


 That would be close to my bush measuring. I was guessing 47-48mm. So, a 2" adjustable it is. Thanks for the info.

Shea


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## chipper1 (Mar 17, 2016)

morewood said:


> Ok, first and foremost, that clutch adjustment nut isn't even remotely close to 30mm. What ever size it is, it appears to be just over 1.5", which would be getting close to 2". Way above what I had in my hands to adjust it with. I decided that since I was there I would get some smaller stuff moved and cut and ended up with 8 more trees cut up. It looks like I still have in the ballpark of 15-20 left, most of which are good size oak. This firewood cutting is getting more serious. Gotta find out that nut size today.
> 
> Shea


That's a bummer about the nut Shea.
Sounds like you have some nice wood out there. If they look like that one you posted pictures of earlier your a lucky guy, that looked awesome.


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## morewood (Mar 17, 2016)

I also have to say I just don't understand why no place that I know of in the south sells these things........surprising.

Shea


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## chipper1 (Mar 17, 2016)

morewood said:


> Yeah, 30mm seems to be the bolt/shaft size. I was still surprised that my adjustable wrench looked tiny compared to it.
> 
> That would be close to my bush measuring. I was guessing 47-48mm. So, a 2" adjustable it is. Thanks for the info.
> 
> Shea


When I did mine the other night I had to use a medium pipe wrench, and I have some 36mm axle sockets that weren't close. Although we have two totally different brands of winch they sound close in shaft size.
Here's what mine looked at behind the front plate and the spring I was saying that I forgot to put in before replacing the drum  lol.
The hole in the drum/spool by the center is the wire rope/cable holder, my 8yr old said thats what is was befor we took it apart . I pulled all the cable out before I removed the drum/spool. I can't imagine trying to do it with 200'+ of cable on there.
This model had no hole or slot around the rim of the drum to put the cable in as you pulled the drum out and with the cage that goes around the drum being within .25" there was no way to remove the drum without first removing the cable . On this one the axle is also a carriage bolt of sorts that can be tapped out the plow side of the winch. When I removed the drum to put the spring in that is what I did(leaving it in a little so the clutch and gear didnt come loose) and it came out very easy compared to leaving it in like I did the first time. When I put the drum back in I put the nut on the axle and was able to pull on that while pushing the drum back with my feet until the drum hit the spring.


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## chipper1 (Mar 17, 2016)

morewood said:


> I also have to say I just don't understand why no place that I know of in the south sells these things........surprising.
> 
> Shea


The nearest dealer for mine is over 2 hrs away. Dealer requirements are very low but I am within his territory. Talking to the company rep who sets up the dealerships, they have a long way to go with saturating the market, not per him, but me. There version of dealer supported advertising was in my mind weak at best.
The only time I've seen anything is a couple utube videos and a few craigslist ads on the ne coast. I can think of many other places to advertise. If I wasn't in the other guys territory I would set myself up as a dealer and then try to bolster their advertising here, with a few sales and a little persistance they may be willing to do pay for more advertising in our region. As it is I will be talking to the other dealer about becoming a sub-dealer or doing sales for him, you may want to do the same.


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## Gypo Logger (Mar 17, 2016)

I liked the hinged dozer blade on the Norse 4500 I believe it was.


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## chipper1 (Mar 17, 2016)

Gypo Logger said:


> I liked the hinged dozer blade on the Norse 4500 I believe it was.View attachment 492551


Nice picture, but I can't see the sled.
Does the blade hinge come into play mainly driving over stumps. I could see it helping if it was real tracked out.
Mine goes almost as high as my axles when set up properly on the tractor and thats on a CUT (kubota l3800).
Looks like that one rides plenty high as well.


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## Gypo Logger (Mar 17, 2016)

chipper1 said:


> Nice picture, but I can't see the sled.
> Does the blade hinge come into play mainly driving over stumps. I could see it helping if it was real tracked out.
> Mine goes almost as high as my axles when set up properly on the tractor and thats on a CUT (kubota l3800).
> Looks like that one rides plenty high as well.


Lol.
The hinged dozer rides over ground obsticles like rocks and stumps, but can also be pinned so that it doesnt hinge.
In the hinged position it allows to stack logs and random firewood lengths on the landing.
Unhinged it works great as a trail building blade.


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## chipper1 (Mar 17, 2016)

Gypo Logger said:


> Lol.
> The hinged dozer rides over ground obsticles like rocks and stumps, but can also be pinned so that it doesnt hinge.
> In the hinged position it allows to stack logs and random firewood lengths on the landing.
> Unhinged it works great as a trail building blade.


Could you explain how you stack logs with it, never seen that beforethat I'm aware of.


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## Gypo Logger (Mar 17, 2016)

chipper1 said:


> Could you explain how you stack logs with it, never seen that beforethat I'm aware of.


On the bottom of the blade at both ends are two curved 1/2" thick hooks, so while backing into a log and lifting at the same time, it allows stacking to a certain extent.
While driving off said stack, the blade hinges so as not to undo what was already done.


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## Sawyer Rob (Mar 17, 2016)

Gypo, that's a BIG stick! I get some bigger ones, every once in a while too,







I use my 268xp,






to block them up,






You get a LOT of firewood FAST with those big logs! lol

SR


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## chipper1 (Mar 17, 2016)

Gypo Logger said:


> On the bottom of the blade at both ends are two curved 1/2" thick hooks, so while backing into a log and lifting at the same time, it allows stacking to a certain extent.
> While driving off said stack, the blade hinges so as not to undo what was already done.


So when you do that do you have the log choked like a third of the way down the log to help get the other end off the ground.
Mine has a hitch on it and I can use that to get the opposite end up pretty high doing that. I wish the PO would not have welded it to the skidder. I would like to be able to put a 6" drop hitch in it or have another piece that was designed to hold the butt down while lifting. Doing it like I do is sketchy as the log could come off the hitch and the opposite end will fall. Not a big deal, but more control is nice and I would carry logs out of the woods that way depending on the location instead of skidding them if time allowed. I also use this technique to load a trailer when the logs get heavy.


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## morewood (Mar 17, 2016)

I will attempt to get some decent pictures tomorrow when I go and get the clutch done. If I had the time I would video it for others. If anyone needs pics of something detailed just let me know, this thread has turned out much better than I thought.

Shea


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## olympyk_999 (Mar 17, 2016)

chipper1 said:


> So when you do that do you have the log choked like a third of the way down the log to help get the other end off the ground.
> Mine has a hitch on it and I can use that to get the opposite end up pretty high doing that. I wish the PO would not have welded it to the skidder. I would like to be able to put a 6" drop hitch in it or have another piece that was designed to hold the butt down while lifting. Doing it like I do is sketchy as the log could come off the hitch and the opposite end will fall. Not a big deal, but more control is nice and I would carry logs out of the woods that way depending on the location instead of skidding them if time allowed. I also use this technique to load a trailer when the logs get heavy.


I believe hes talking about stacking (decking) by basically pushing the logs into a stack, mostly done with cable skidders and their dozer blade...but its the same principle for a 3 point winch setup...
here's a video that shows it pretty good, skip in to about 50 seconds...then in again to about 8 minutes in


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## chipper1 (Mar 17, 2016)

olympyk_999 said:


> I believe hes talking about stacking (decking) by basically pushing the logs into a stack, mostly done with cable skidders and their dozer blade...but its the same principle for a 3 point winch setup...
> here's a video that shows it pretty good, skip in to about 50 seconds...then in again to about 8 minutes in



Thanks O9.


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## Sawyer Rob (Mar 17, 2016)

chipper1 said:


> I wish the PO would not have welded it to the skidder. I would like to be able to put a 6" drop hitch in it or have another piece that was designed to hold the butt down while lifting.



I'd like to see a good pict. of it welded (how it's welded in), can you get me some??

SR


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## chipper1 (Mar 17, 2016)

Sawyer Rob said:


> I'd like to see a good pict. of it welded (how it's welded in), can you get me some??
> 
> SR


Hey Rob.
It's welded all the way around, so much so I can't tell where the factory welds are vs the ones that they did. It almost looks as if it is a factory piece that went to the outside of the vertical support you can see.
Here's a couple pictures. Sorry they are not the best it's a bit dark lol.

In this picture you can see the axle/pin that the drum rides on just left of the hitch. You can also see that the hitch has a ball on the bottom as well. I may cut the bottom ball off (it's welded on) and weld a Reese style receiver onto the bottom of this one and onto the vertical support.
In this picture you can see the very bottom of a nut that is welded on to the vertical support any ideas what that is for guys.


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## Sawyer Rob (Mar 17, 2016)

I see a pretty good crack in the first pict.... It NEEDS to be fixed!

Personally, I'd torch it out and make a huge improvement in it, welding in a female receiver tube so it would take std. slide in hitches...

I'm tired, so I may not have got all the wording right, but you know what I mean... lol

SR


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## timbrjackrussel (Mar 17, 2016)

Sawyer Rob said:


> I'd like to see a good pict. of it welded (how it's welded in), can you get me some??
> 
> SR


 This a hitch that was added to mine by the PO. I have never used it . Not a close up, I will look at it and get closer pictures the next trip to the bush. I think it is welded to the upper winch unit as the lower plate can swing if you take out the locks for it. Norse 400 winch, B414 IH diesel, Power steering ,loaded rear tires. Old, reliable and not expensive.


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## Sawyer Rob (Mar 17, 2016)

Mines adjustable, both the lower block AND the hitch,






AND, if the above winch in question was mine, it would be too!

SR


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## chipper1 (Mar 17, 2016)

Sawyer Rob said:


> I see a pretty good crack in the first pict.... It NEEDS to be fixed!
> 
> Personally, I'd torch it out and make a huge improvement in it, welding in a female receiver tube so it would take std. slide in hitches...
> 
> ...


I think I get uour wording, I must be tired also, maybe the cord of wood I just bucked and loaded.
I don't see any cracks, and I don't think it will go anywhere, they have pretty good welds on it except the one spot on the top in the first picture.
There is not a continual bead that runs down the whole side so there is a "crack" there, maybe that is what you see, I will look again tomorrow.
Is this what you where talking about, even have choices.


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## Sawyer Rob (Mar 17, 2016)

It looks like a black line in the pict, it looks like a crack.... it surely could be something else...

Yes, those are the receiver tubes, I'd make them adjustable, or at least removable, but perhaps the way you use your winch that wouldn't be an advantage?

Not a bad job to do if you have a torch and welder, it just takes time...

SR


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## chipper1 (Mar 17, 2016)

Sawyer Rob said:


> Mines adjustable, both the lower block AND the hitch,
> 
> 
> 
> ...


That hitch looks like a great design.
Is it that beneficial to have all those options with the lower block, I haven't found a need for that yet.
I could sell you mine and then you could make it that way, or I could throw it on the trailer and bring it over and the receivers.

I would like to sell this one and get a newer one to to start with before making to many mods to it.
Not that this one isn't a great winch, I am just trying hard to upgrade to newer stuff that is in much better looking condition.
Last yr was an expensive one, but things are looking prettier.


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## Sawyer Rob (Mar 17, 2016)

NOW, why would "I" upgrade YOUR winch, so you can sell it to make more money off it?? lol

Sounds like a "good deal" for "some one"!! lol

SR


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## chipper1 (Mar 17, 2016)

Sawyer Rob said:


> NOW, why would "I" upgrade YOUR winch, so you can sell it to make more money off it?? lol
> 
> Sounds like a "good deal" for "some one"!! lol
> 
> SR


That's why I wouldn't ask you to do it, if I planned on keeping it that would be different.
This one was not bought to flip, but use. I will be coming out a bit short on it with the time I've spent on it and the 50 cans of brake parts cleaner I used on the chain(slight exaggeration) along with the dry lube, and the driving I did for it. But I got to use it and that made me some cash. I buy many things to flip and make money, but I also buy tools I need for a job and sell them sometimes at a loss after getting the job done. I normally end up way ahead of renting the tool, but I'm not working on the rental companies time frame but my own. That's exactly how I got started on log splitters; went to rent one not available, tried again same thing, tried one more time and it was available, good feeling gone when they said they had only one day available and I had to work that day. So I bought a used one and made good money when I sold it.
It's awesome if you can get use out of an item and make a buck.


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## Sawyer Rob (Mar 17, 2016)

NOW, all you need to do is, fix the hitch the way you want it, and buy some paint. Then it will be "pretty" and you can keep on using it! lol

SR


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## chipper1 (Mar 18, 2016)

Sawyer Rob said:


> NOW, all you need to do is, fix the hitch the way you want it, and buy some paint. Then it will be "pretty" and you can keep on using it! lol
> 
> SR


Will see, but I probably will never paint it knowing me. Truth is I'm to lazy to paint it. Besides that would just be more money lost or I would have to price it around 75% of a new one. As it is I'm sure it will sell quick and then I will add another $500 to the money I get take a drive and get a pretty one. That will give someone who can't afford to spend a little more a winch that can be made nicer looking when they get the extra cash. Who knows, they may have a paint shop or want it the same color as their tractor and not want to spend the extra $500 and then have to paint it too.
There is a buyer for anything if the price is right.


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## Gypo Logger (Mar 18, 2016)

The good ole days.


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## morewood (Mar 18, 2016)

Gypo Logger said:


> The good ole days.View attachment 492693



The good old days? That stuff is still available in lots of areas around here. If you are talking about the ability to pull off the yellow muffs with the wife beater, sorry, I can't help with that. The fact that your tractor isn't sitting with the front tires up tells me that is a fairly heavy piece of equipment, I need to weight the front end of mine.

Shea


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## Gypo Logger (Mar 18, 2016)

morewood said:


> The good old days? That stuff is still available in lots of areas around here. If you are talking about the ability to pull off the yellow muffs with the wife beater, sorry, I can't help with that. The fact that your tractor isn't sitting with the front tires up tells me that is a fairly heavy piece of equipment, I need to weight the front end of mine.
> 
> Shea


Never judge a wanker by his wife beater. Lol
The Kubota had a high capacity material bucket that held 30 cubic feet or about 1/4 cord. 1200 lbs on the front helped a bit.


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## morewood (Mar 18, 2016)

Gypo Logger said:


> View attachment 492755
> 
> Never judge a wanker by his wife beater. Lol
> The Kubota had a high capacity material bucket that held 30 cubic feet or about 1/4 cord. 1200 lbs on the front helped a bit.



Now that is a stick to drag around in the woods. I can only dream of somewhere that flat to cut. If I'm not up or down off a skidder path then I am cutting my way in. I will be loading the bucket today with some of the oak I've been cutting so that tomorrow it will all be ready to go. I have some decent size dead blow down oak to pull up and cut......and I won't have an easy time of it with the big root balls to work around. I wish I could get my son up to help me, but he has another school project to fulfill, going to the math fair. Do you guys like having the help, or prefer to do it all yourself? I'm a little OCD about who does what. About the wife beater, that ain't judging, you have a Stihl on that shirt, wear it however you please.

Shea

PS-'Stihl' actually stands for awesome in German.


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## Gypo Logger (Mar 18, 2016)

I prefer to work alone, but sometimes I had casual labour on the landing blocking or splitting firewood.


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## Sawyer Rob (Mar 18, 2016)

Gypo Logger said:


> The good ole days.View attachment 492693


 Looks like you have some nice sticks over your way!

Here's one I drug home,






SR


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## Gypo Logger (Mar 18, 2016)

Sawyer Rob said:


> Looks like you have some nice sticks over your way!
> 
> Here's one I drug home,
> 
> ...


Nice! Pine? Did you saw it up into boards?


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## Gypo Logger (Mar 18, 2016)

Here's a better view of the log tongs on the dozer blade of the Norse 4500. Sorta like a log stacking blade on a skidder.


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## Sawyer Rob (Mar 18, 2016)

Naaaa, the state cut it down and kinda messed it all up. Then their articulated loader couldn't lift it or pull it up out of the ditch. I came by with my tractor and told them I'd pull it out for them, and they all stopped working and lined up to see if I my tractor could do it. lol

Once I started to move it out of the ditch, one of them yelled "it's yours", so I pulled it right down the road, all the way home! lol

SR


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## timbrjackrussel (Mar 18, 2016)

Gypo Logger said:


> The good ole days.View attachment 492693


Kubota, I've a feeling that we're not in the Yukon any more.


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## Gypo Logger (Mar 18, 2016)

timbrjackrussel said:


> Kubota, I've a feeling that we're not in the Yukon any more.


Ya, most of the tractor winch pics were taken a decade ago.


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## dancan (Mar 18, 2016)

I was pushing some full length trees at my landing , pushed the butt in place , moved up to the top to push it in place and wedged the winch in the crotch , if I lifted it would roll and wedge , if I went forward it would roll and wedge and backing up was a no go , had to cut myself out LOL






Hard to see but I welded in a piece of square tubing and drilled a hole for the pin for a hitch , since it's a small winch , Norse 180 , no need for overKill .


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## chipper1 (Mar 18, 2016)

dancan said:


> I was pushing some full length trees at my landing , pushed the butt in place , moved up to the top to push it in place and wedged the winch in the crotch , if I lifted it would roll and wedge , if I went forward it would roll and wedge and backing up was a no go , had to cut myself out LOL
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thanks for sharing both what goes right, but also what doesn't as we can learn from both. Wasn't that you that posted the truck up to the axles, maybe the frame last fall or this winter in the scrounge thread.


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## Sawyer Rob (Mar 18, 2016)

This is the finest cherry I've personally ever seen,






At 20' 6" it really filled the mill deck up!






and it had good diameter too,






Once I opened it, I could see it was REALLY nice!






And the lumber I got out of it was amazing!






That log came out of a blown over tree, that ALSO gave me an 8' 6" and a 6 footer...

SR


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## chipper1 (Mar 19, 2016)

Wonder if these would be good for milling, butt is 6', next is 8' and last smaller one on tail is 8'.
Trailer is 20".
Or do you think they should be bucked up for firewood.

These were all loaded with the winch.





This was all off a scrounge at a construction site, also got this. Split that yesterday also.


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## morewood (Mar 19, 2016)

Alright, I figured out the whole clutch adjustment. It is simple.

The nut didn't take more than a fraction of a turn before the clutch started grabbing slightly. My assumption is that between three pulleys guiding the cord up to where it is located that there will be more than the 10cm of pull. IF the pull is measured at the arm that engages the clutch then it would be close to that number.

This picture shows the blade and how thick the edges are that gypo referred to. Notice the four holes in the blade. The PO had welded up a plate with a receiver so that he could use whatever hitch he needed to move something around. He unbolted it before selling. Didn't want to sell that.

Shea


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## morewood (Mar 19, 2016)

Better picture. Don't fret over tthere not being a top link connected, I ran the cable out to a tree and locked the brake on the tight cable. Going to load up and go cut, looks like the rain will hold off until this afternoon.

Shea


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## chipper1 (Mar 19, 2016)

morewood said:


> Alright, I figured out the whole clutch adjustment. It is simple.View attachment 492834
> 
> The nut didn't take more than a fraction of a turn before the clutch started grabbing slightly. My assumption is that between three pulleys guiding the cord up to where it is located that there will be more than the 10cm of pull. IF the pull is measured at the arm that engages the clutch then it would be close to that number.View attachment 492906
> 
> ...


Great pics shea.
I can see how the "hooks" would work with stacking as well as the hinged plow.

I think that may have helped duncan to not get all jambed up on his stack.
I think I should put something like that on the bucket of my tractor that is removable for when working in the dirt.


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## GVS (Mar 19, 2016)

olympyk_999 said:


> I believe hes talking about stacking (decking) by basically pushing the logs into a stack, mostly done with cable skidders and their dozer blade...but its the same principle for a 3 point winch setup...
> here's a video that shows it pretty good, skip in to about 50 seconds...then in again to about 8 minutes in



"We hug em before we cut em"Love it!


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## GVS (Mar 19, 2016)

Sawyer Rob said:


> I see a pretty good crack in the first pict.... It NEEDS to be fixed!
> 
> Personally, I'd torch it out and make a huge improvement in it, welding in a female receiver tube so it would take std. slide in hitches...
> 
> ...


Looks like a crack to me.My eyes popped right out of my head soon as I saw the pick.


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## timbrjackrussel (Mar 19, 2016)

Made some deep ruts a few years ago, winch pulled me out.
Went in the same spot last Saturday, got through once, got stuck winch pulled me out but I had to trim a few rounds of the log I was pulling out and leave them behind.
Went out to retrieve the rounds and a few other pieces left from when I trimmed down a few stumps.
I used an old truck hood to get the pieces over the wet spot.


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## dancan (Mar 19, 2016)

Nice truck hood 
Here's a pick of the receiver I made for the Norse 180 , just a piece of square tubing , drilled a hole in it for the pin , cut a hole in the winch and welded it in with a gusset on the stickout on the backside , it's worked as it should every time I hookup the trailer and doesn't interfere when I'm pushing stuff back .







Today's haul .


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## wej52 (Mar 19, 2016)

morewood said:


> View attachment 492908
> Better picture. Don't fret over tthere not being a top link connected, I ran the cable out to a tree and locked the brake on the tight cable. Going to load up and go cut, looks like the rain will hold off until this afternoon.
> 
> Shea


Shea, I do not know if you have fooled with folding the blade and using the main drawbar on your tractor to pull wagons or trailers, but folded with the 3 point hitch raised all the way there is a lot of room to hook up a wagon or trailer tongue. This is how I use mine to pull a small wagon. Not as easy to connect, but it does work . Also sometimes the clutch cord will get out of alignment on the guide pulleys. I have only had that once or twice.You will notice it pulling very hard when that happens. W Jones


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## chipper1 (Mar 19, 2016)

timbrjackrussel said:


> Made some deep ruts a few years ago, winch pulled me out.
> Went in the same spot last Saturday, got through once, got stuck winch pulled me out but I had to trim a few rounds of the log I was pulling out and leave them behind.


The things you can do with a winch lol.
I had left my tractor at a buddies last night after grabbing those big logs. He has a few dead ash he needed taken out. I got the biggest one and left the others because of the wind/ power lines.
I had a bunch of small stuff at the bottom of the hill after winching the larger stuff up to the top. I saw his trailer and ran it down the hill, loaded it a little heavy out back so the dolly didn't have much weight on it. Worked as slick as a could be, and I didn't have to load/reload awesome. 

Backed it up loaded the rest of the smaller stuff in his trailer. Still had a couple rounds I will get when I pick up the tractor.


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## amberg (Mar 19, 2016)

I love it, nice winch, nice trailer, nice wood, How much weight will that dolly support? will it support a 16' flat bed with 7 round bales on it? It would make it much easier for me to hook it up to the tractor if I could I could move it side to side with the wheels.


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## timbrjackrussel (Mar 19, 2016)

I didn't have any problems getting two



70 foot ash trees onto the wood pile. Just winched them up and onto the pile
and cut them right there


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## amberg (Mar 19, 2016)

Nice ash tree's, Can I ask why you cut them at that size?


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## chipper1 (Mar 19, 2016)

amberg said:


> I love it, nice winch, nice trailer, nice wood, How much weight will that dolly support? will it support a 16' flat bed with 7 round bales on it? It would make it much easier for me to hook it up to the tractor if I could I could move it side to side with the wheels.


Thanks amberg and thanks and thanks.
Not sure.
Yes I'm sure it will hold the weight of 7 round bales on a 16' flatbed trailer , you will have to load it a little heavy to the rear though lol.
I can see where that would be nice, always looking for a way to simplify the process.
Have a great weekend .


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## timbrjackrussel (Mar 20, 2016)

amberg said:


> Nice ash tree's, Can I ask why you cut them at that size?


These Ash trees were killed by the Emerald Ash Borer. They have been dead standing for at least 1 year.
18 t0 22 inch diameter are the small ones. Took out these first to make room to drop one that is about 40 inches! and 80 feet tall.
When the bigger trees start dropping branches that are 6 inches diameter from 70 feet up it gets very dangerous.


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## cantoo (Mar 20, 2016)

Chipper1, the weak point on the trailer jack is the swivel pin. It's only made to hold the jack either vertical or horizontal, usually only a 3/8 or 1/2" pin that sits in a 1/8" thick steel. Doesn't take much to bend it or pop the pin out depending on the jack type. I have 20 trailers and about 15 have jacks on them. I'm slowly changing all the heavier ones to the square weld on style jacks because I'm tired of replacing the cheaper swivelling ones. Good, better, best. Need wheels though.


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## Sawyer Rob (Mar 20, 2016)

I by far prefer the "side handle" (crank) weld on jacks, as the top handle jacks, let water in and eventually rust up inside...

SR


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## muddstopper (Mar 20, 2016)

Shea, where are you located in OldFort. Reading from the start of this thread, I noticed you had a hard time finding a skidding winch. There has been one setting almost beside the road up above the gyser for several years now. It sits backed up to a hemlock tree in the guys driveway. (Old sawmill) I looked at it 4 or 5 years ago. It had been setting unused for several years and probably hasnt been moved since I looked at it. Doesnt matter now since you have already bought one. Might want to check it out next time your up that way incase someone might be looking for one.


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## dancan (Mar 20, 2016)

Pulleys/Snatch blocks are a very handy tool for winching to areas that you can't get the tractor in .





















I've usually got at least one in the winch chain basket with me and something to make a tree strap .


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## KiwiBro (Mar 20, 2016)

dancan said:


> Pulleys/Snatch blocks are a very handy tool for winching to areas that you can't get the tractor in .


And for:

pulling logs larger than the winch is rated to (my record is three blocks)

getting more height/lift than the top pulley of the winch

pulling the line on safer angles
directing the terminal end and associated hardware away from the tractor operator should something breaks.


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## timbrjackrussel (Mar 20, 2016)

We use snatch blocks often. Have two 4 ton and one 6 ton. Want to try and use 3 snatch blocks as a reverse winch set up.


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## morewood (Mar 21, 2016)

The cutting went well Saturday, I'll post a pic or two. Didn't get much done as I had to do a few things around the house and for my dad. I did load my bucket up with oak rounds to keep the front end down, I was surprised that it worked with the load I had behind me. I would still prefer to somehow add weight to the front of the tractor and keep the bucket available for use as needed. I've got to go.

Shea


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## morewood (Mar 21, 2016)




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## morewood (Mar 21, 2016)

This is the pile I am working on.

Shea


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## timbrjackrussel (Mar 21, 2016)

Looks good, cleaning up the bush.


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## wej52 (Mar 21, 2016)

I bet you are grinning every time you hook a choker to one of those logs! W. Jones


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## morewood (Mar 21, 2016)

Bingo!! That looks like it has my name written all over it. I would prefer that to hooking it to the tractor hitch because most of my trailers ride higher and that would give me the elevation to help with it. Thankfully I know someone with the welding skills to help me with this.

Shea


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## morewood (Mar 21, 2016)

timbrjackrussel said:


> Looks good, cleaning up the bush.



This is pretty easy compared to what I have next. When I move the tractor back closer to the house it gets a lot steeper. You gotta love free wood, even if there is a little rot on it.



wej52 said:


> I bet you are grinning every time you hook a choker to one of those logs! W. Jones



Absolutely, cut, line up, and pull. Free oak is a blessing, easy to get to free oak...Awesome.

Shea


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## timbrjackrussel (Mar 21, 2016)

morewood said:


> This is pretty easy compared to what I have next. When I move the tractor back closer to the house it gets a lot steeper.
> 
> 
> Try using snatch blocks to keep the log from digging in. Put the snatch block a few feet up in a solid tree.
> You may have to move it a few times. Be careful.


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## chipper1 (Mar 21, 2016)

morewood said:


> This is pretty easy compared to what I have next. When I move the tractor back closer to the house it gets a lot steeper. You gotta love free wood, even if there is a little rot on it.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


When there is a good rootball the trees are usually quite solid which means prefect for burning once the initial moisture gets off the outside, I love pre-dried/seasoned wood
Free oak is great, and so is a way to get it a lot easier. Some stuff that is down in ravines would just sit there and rot as there is not a great way to get it out without a winch. Depending on the lot I can do a lot fast with a quad pulling it right up to the trees I'm working, but that will only get you so close to the butt of a bigger stick before you have to split them right where they lie in order to haul bigger ones in the little trailer.


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## morewood (Mar 21, 2016)

chipper1 said:


> When there is a good rootball the trees are usually quite solid which means prefect for burning once the initial moisture gets off the outside, I love pre-dried/seasoned wood
> Free oak is great, and so is a way to get it a lot easier. Some stuff that is down in ravines would just sit there and rot as there is not a great way to get it out without a winch. Depending on the lot I can do a lot fast with a quad pulling it right up to the trees I'm working, but that will only get you so close to the butt of a bigger stick before you have to split them right where they lie in order to haul bigger ones in the little trailer.




I generally can get our Ranger 6x6 close enough to cut and haul off small loads, but with the amount of wood on this patch I find it easier to centralize all the wood and then I will drag a trailer in and start hauling it off that way. I am still finding logs dropped by the feller buncher scattered all over this small top. Once I get the blowdowns cleaned up I may have 20 left to pull up and cut. I also have two solid, but dead oaks standing to bring down and take away. It's a great thing to have friends that don't need all this wood. 

My woodlot up above the house is over 100 acres, privately owned. I am, to my knowledge, the only person allowed to cut off of it. I can have anything dead or down. With the winch, that gets scary. I have one block and will soon have another. I have one road I am still clearing off and pulling from. The amount of wood left there is staggering. I will put as much as I can in the wood yard while I can, never know when you might need some time off. I'll try to find some pictures of where I am cutting up by the house and post them. It sits just above me at 3,000'+ of elevation.

Shea


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## chipper1 (Mar 21, 2016)

That's awesome. 
I just got a call Saturday to come get some dead ash. The guy doesn't burn either. He said he will load them for me with his kubota if I cut them. Said he has more 300' across the low lands he wants gone, might have to hook a bull rope to the winch and help him out, I would probably charge something for that one though as It's a bit of a drive for me unless I can pull them with my quad. I also got another spot with at least 5 cord only 5-6 miles down the rd that would need the winch to retrieve some down the river valley hills which can get pretty steep.
Gotta run as I'm sharing all the wood I have piling up, gota call from a tree service and he has some wood talk later.


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## KiwiBro (Mar 21, 2016)

timbrjackrussel said:


> We use snatch blocks often. Have two 4 ton and one 6 ton. Want to try and use 3 snatch blocks as a reverse winch set up.



The video shows the general 4x4 blocks. The diameter of those sheaves is about 3-4". I learned the hard way they are a nightmare when using cable on many tractor winches. If the logs bind on a stump, with full load and no cable movement, the cable can easily kink because the sheave diameter is too small. Something i never really thought about until it was too late.


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## morewood (Mar 22, 2016)

Same spot with/without vegetation. Still have lots off of this road to pull.

Shea


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## chipper1 (Mar 22, 2016)

morewood said:


> View attachment 493696
> View attachment 493697
> 
> 
> ...


Sure looks different.
You sure get some nice loads out of there.
I'm expecting to see that type of change here sometime after this weekend. The leaves normally come out 2-3 weeks after the peepers here and I they were loud as could be two mondays ago.
I don't enjoy allergy season, but you get what you get.
Here's what I got called off to yesterday. 
I like this type of load. I already delivered, bucked, and split the big one then went back to clean up the rest which is the small load. This one is just over 1.5 cord.


----------



## morewood (Mar 22, 2016)

KiwiBro said:


> The video shows the general 4x4 blocks. The diameter of those sheaves is about 3-4". I learned the hard way they are a nightmare when using cable on many tractor winches. If the logs bind on a stump, with full load and no cable movement, the cable can easily kink because the sheave diameter is too small. Something i never really thought about until it was too late.


Just wondering, do you have any thoughts about what size you consider adequate, would the weight be a drawback?


chipper1 said:


> Sure looks different.
> You sure get some nice loads out of there.
> I'm expecting to see that type of change here sometime after this weekend. The leaves normally come out 2-3 weeks after the peepers here and I they were loud as could be two mondays ago.
> I don't enjoy allergy season


The difference between the seasons could be worse. My biggest annoyance is the sting weed that grows up and covers most of this area.

Shea


----------



## dancan (Mar 23, 2016)

First time I've seen this one .


----------



## agvg (Mar 23, 2016)

Seems quite light duty, but an easy build to replicate 


Sent fra min Nexus 5X via Tapatalk


----------



## KiwiBro (Mar 23, 2016)

morewood said:


> Just wondering, do you have any thoughts about what size you consider adequate, would the weight be a drawback?


 There's bound to be a forestry handbook somewhere that lists the relationship between pulley and cable diameters but I haven't looked. I'll make a point of measuring what I have used and get back to you but I think the 4x4 ones were about 3" and the ones I use now are about 5". Certainly the bigger ones are heavier to carry around.


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## morewood (Mar 23, 2016)

dancan said:


> First time I've seen this one .




I remember seeing it, but thinking that I could have that beat to a pulp in no time. Heavy duty did not come to mind.



agvg said:


> Seems quite light duty, but an easy build to replicate
> 
> 
> Sent fra min Nexus 5X via Tapatalk



I agree 100%. Makes me think of something you buy and have to assemble yourself in terms of quality/strength.


Shea


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## morewood (Mar 23, 2016)

KiwiBro said:


> There's bound to be a forestry handbook somewhere that lists the relationship between pulley and cable diameters but I haven't looked. I'll make a point of measuring what I have used and get back to you but I think the 4x4 ones were about 3" and the ones I use now are about 5". Certainly the bigger ones are heavier to carry around.



This page seems to have the minimum size needed.
http://thecableconnection.com/pulley-diameters.html

Shea


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## Sawyer Rob (Mar 23, 2016)

morewood said:


> I remember seeing it, but thinking that I could have that beat to a pulp in no time. Heavy duty did not come to mind.


 So what did you expect ?, it was "designed" for a tinker toy tractor, if that's what "I" logged with, I'd have it beat to death too! lol

SR


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## dancan (Mar 23, 2016)

Nothin wrong with tinkertoy logging 

Mighty Mouse Logging
LLC


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## morewood (Mar 24, 2016)

muddstopper said:


> Shea, where are you located in OldFort. Reading from the start of this thread, I noticed you had a hard time finding a skidding winch. There has been one setting almost beside the road up above the gyser for several years now. It sits backed up to a hemlock tree in the guys driveway. (Old sawmill) I looked at it 4 or 5 years ago. It had been setting unused for several years and probably hasnt been moved since I looked at it. Doesnt matter now since you have already bought one. Might want to check it out next time your up that way incase someone might be looking for one.



Sorry I didn't reply to you earlier. I live 6.5 miles out the other side of Old Fort, going out Bat Cave. I rarely go up past the geyser, but with a week off for Easter I will run up and check it out. Who knows, I may need another one.

Shea


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## morewood (Mar 24, 2016)

Sawyer Rob said:


> So what did you expect ?, it was "designed" for a tinker toy tractor, if that's what "I" logged with, I'd have it beat to death too! lol
> 
> SR





dancan said:


> Nothin wrong with tinkertoy logging
> 
> Mighty Mouse Logging
> LLC



Nothing wrong with it if you are playing with Lincoln logs. Real logs, uneven ground, lots of weight, no thanks. It will work for somebody, just not me. 

SR, what size tractor do you have your Wally on? What drew you to it over other options?

Shea


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## muddstopper (Mar 24, 2016)

morewood said:


> Sorry I didn't reply to you earlier. I live 6.5 miles out the other side of Old Fort, going out Bat Cave. I rarely go up past the geyser, but with a week off for Easter I will run up and check it out. Who knows, I may need another one.
> 
> Shea


Theres a old guy, Welder, last name Murphy, that lives up your way. Likes to make sorghum syrup. Just wondering if hes still around. Do you know him.


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## morewood (Mar 24, 2016)

First name Reed. Don't know him personally, but I do know plenty of Murphys. Other than a few of us who are interlopers, there are only a few big families out through here.....and the greater Murphy clan is one of them. You must live close by.

Shea


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## Sawyer Rob (Mar 24, 2016)

morewood said:


> SR, what size tractor do you have your Wally on? What drew you to it over other options?
> Shea



I have my FX90 on my 60 pto hp tractor.

I looked at a LOT of winches before buying the Wallenstein, and it really came down to Farmi or Wallenstein... After looking them both over, (more than once) I decided I liked the features of the Wallenstein better, and then there's the fact that it's made in Canada, so any needed parts come from closer to home. Also, it's easier to call Canada for info and there's no language barrier...

Features and price were the main things for me, though... I think I made a good choice.

SR


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## muddstopper (Mar 24, 2016)

morewood said:


> First name Reed. Don't know him personally, but I do know plenty of Murphys. Other than a few of us who are interlopers, there are only a few big families out through here.....and the greater Murphy clan is one of them. You must live close by.
> 
> Shea


 I live about 140 miles from there, but I used to work in the area for a few years. Used to eat breakfast at Hardee's about every morning and would talk to a lot of the locals. Seems Hardees is where all the retired folks like to meet and gossip. I know the area pretty well.


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## morewood (Mar 25, 2016)

The first big stick of the day. I am slowly running out of space for the rounds, but that's a problem I can live with.

Shea

I ate breakfast at Hardees this morning.


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## morewood (Mar 25, 2016)

These pictures are of two of the many I pulled up today. The first I cut into three at the landing and the other in two. I am getting the hang of this.

Shea


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## morewood (Mar 25, 2016)

Money shot. I haven't figured how to haul it out yet, but I will.

Shea


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## farmer steve (Mar 28, 2016)

anyone familiar with this winch? it's located about 15 miles from me so i can look it over.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/TAJFUN-EGV-30A-3PT-SINGLE-DRUM-LOGGING-WINCH-TRACTORS-S-88714-/121838937809


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## Ferguson system (Mar 28, 2016)

Nice Jonsered you've got there @morewood is it a 2258/2260?


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## Ferguson system (Mar 28, 2016)

farmer steve said:


> anyone familiar with this winch? it's located about 15 miles from me so i can look it over.
> http://www.ebay.com/itm/TAJFUN-EGV-30A-3PT-SINGLE-DRUM-LOGGING-WINCH-TRACTORS-S-88714-/121838937809



I haven't tested that Tajfun model before, but Tajfun makes good winches.


----------



## dancan (Mar 28, 2016)

Not heard anything bad about them up here and I know that there are a few .

Mighty Mouse Logging LLC


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## morewood (Mar 30, 2016)

Ferguson system said:


> Nice Jonsered you've got there @morewood is it a 2258/2260?


2253, nice little saw. Doesn't like long runs bucking up bigger wood. Shut it down and she is a bear to get restarted. When I get a long break I'll post up some pics.

Shea


----------



## Ferguson system (Mar 30, 2016)

Thanks for the reply Shea. Do you use the high idle function when the saw is warm? 
I'm looking forward to the pictures.


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## morewood (Mar 31, 2016)

farmer steve said:


> anyone familiar with this winch? it's located about 15 miles from me so i can look it over.
> http://www.ebay.com/itm/TAJFUN-EGV-30A-3PT-SINGLE-DRUM-LOGGING-WINCH-TRACTORS-S-88714-/121838937809



I've read good things about them, haven't seen one up close though. The price is steep to me. Check out the Norse winches at Labonville, great pricing and they ship to certain states at their price.

Shea


----------



## morewood (Mar 31, 2016)




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## morewood (Mar 31, 2016)

These were some of the last ones I pulled the other day. I only have three more trees to pull and two of those were dead that I brought down. The biggest is 20 or so inches and 40' before the first branch, solid oak. Haven't decided to pull it uphill and control it or downhill, but I prefer control over speed. If it wasn't already damp and beginning to rain I would try it today. Having this time off for Easter has been a blessing.

As far as the 2253, yes I have used the high idle feature to start, and it works...most of the time. After prolonged cuts and lots of them I figure if it sits for too long there is a heat issue with the carb, not sure if it is fuel or electronics. 

Shea


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## morewood (Apr 13, 2016)

Finally got back to it. This is the first pull, uphill a good bit and fairly large. 

Shea


----------



## morewood (Apr 13, 2016)

The second stick from that same tree. Nothing like standing dead. The top is going to be pulled tomorrow from the bottom.

Shea


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## chipper1 (Apr 13, 2016)

morewood said:


> View attachment 498183
> View attachment 498184
> 
> Finally got back to it. This is the first pull, uphill a good bit and fairly large.
> ...


That sure saves a lot of work hauling rounds.
That's some nice looking wood there.


----------



## morewood (Apr 13, 2016)

This one I just dropped. Easier pull with the pulley to get it where I wanted.

Shea


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## morewood (Apr 13, 2016)

Standing oak, alive but rot had set in through the base. Landowner gave permission to cut it down. So far, most of this wood wouldn't have been cut without the winch. It has been priceless to get the wood to a convenient spot to start the processing.

@farmer steve , have you looked at the winch you mentioned? I promise, just as I was told, these things are valuable beyond their cost.

Shea

For the purpose of scale the saw is a 440 MAGNUM w/24" bar....yes MAGNUM!!!


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## farmer steve (Apr 13, 2016)

morewood said:


> View attachment 498189
> 
> Standing oak, alive but rot had set in through the base. Landowner gave permission to cut it down. So far, most of this wood wouldn't have been cut without the winch. It has been priceless to get the wood to a convenient spot to start the processing.
> 
> ...



hi Shea. never got to look at it but it is sthil there. just have to make time. i know i "need" a winch". getting tired of draggin with chains and not being able to get that wood thats just outta reach. love that dead standing oak.


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## chipper1 (Apr 13, 2016)

farmer steve said:


> hi Shea. never got to look at it but it is sthil there. just have to make time. i know i "need" a winch". getting tired of draggin with chains and not being able to get that wood thats just outta reach. love that dead standing oak.


You for sure "need" it.
Snob wood lol.


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## farmer steve (Apr 13, 2016)

chipper1 said:


> You for sure "need" it.
> Snob wood lol.


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## cantoo (Apr 13, 2016)

I'm getting lazy. Very little hopping on and off to hook up chains in the future I hope. Might mount a small winch on it for the ones that are a little far for the chain. Very few hills where I cut so I can usually back right up to them.


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## morewood (Apr 14, 2016)

cantoo said:


> I'm getting lazy. Very little hopping on and off to hook up chains in the future I hope. Might mount a small winch on it for the ones that are a little far for the chain. Very few hills where I cut so I can usually back right up to them.
> View attachment 498206



That sure ain't a winch, but when you can back right up to it, that is all you would need. What size bolts did you use for the pivot points on the jaws? I like it a lot. Where I hope to cut next that would be handy.

Shea


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## morewood (Apr 14, 2016)




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## morewood (Apr 14, 2016)

Just a few pics from an hour or so of pulling. We've picked just about everything we can. Now we have to cut it all up and haul it out. That's my 10yr old son Fisher pulling cable and operating the winch. These pulls aren't very heavy and good ways for him to learn.

Shea


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## cantoo (Apr 14, 2016)

Morewood, the pins on the jaws are just 1" cold rolled steel. I'll see how they wear and if a problem I will have the guy would plasma cut the jaws turn me some up out of something better. I just used a 5/8" bolt for the chain connection and after only a couple hours of playing around it is already worn pretty good. Will try a grade 8 next. My brother in law has a winch and loved using it where he was cutting, steep hill. I do most of my cutting on pretty flat ground so this should work better for me. Your land there is definitely different that the bush here.


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## chipper1 (Apr 25, 2016)

Hi, my name is Brett, it's been many weeks sinch my last pull with winch.
I hope I'm posting this in the right thread .


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## Sawyer Rob (May 1, 2016)

I skidded out some BIG logs yesterday, here's two of them.

I skidded this beech without cutting the logs out of it, It was all a son of a beech to get out too!!! I had to snatch block/double line it to get it up out of a deep ravine/soft spot...







Here's the top to it,






This one was a bit easier to get/skid, so I did cut the logs out, 17 footers,






SR


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## Sawyer Rob (May 1, 2016)

Anyway, once out of the woods, I got everything loaded, here's the front wagon load,






and with three big logs on the back running gear, I knew I'd never be able to pull either one up "sugar sand hill, so I left them hooked together, and winched the loads up the hill,






And snaked through the woods on out to the road,






SR


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## amberg (May 1, 2016)

Nice load SR. You plan to mill that beech.


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## Sawyer Rob (May 1, 2016)

Yup, there's Beech, White Pine and Cherry, all headed to my BSM, the rest will be firewood...

SR


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## dancan (May 2, 2016)

No big tree winching for me .






Just blocks .


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## morewood (May 3, 2016)

Those are some nice loads, respectively. On Saturday I assumed I was done cutting trees and was widening the path to get to where I had cut up all the logs I had pulled. That wasn't as easy as I hoped. As I was trimming and cutting some small stuff down I looked up in the canopy and guess what......dead trees are easier to spot. Four oaks of various size up to approx. 20" beautifully dead and ready to come down. This week I'll go in and get them down, pull them to a flat spot and cut away, pics will follow. This is killing my timeline to get back closer to the house, but easy wood is easy wood. Did I mention just down the road from there a sign has been put up "free wood". You gotta love this.

Shea


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## morewood (May 3, 2016)

dancan said:


> No big tree winching for me .



I love that little tractor, mine is smaller than Sawyer Robs, but that thing has it's place getting in and out of tight spots.

Shea


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## Sawyer Rob (May 3, 2016)

Yesterday I was hired to skid out some red oak, another guy logged,






He had some loooong sticks!







Today, it's sunny 69* out, so I managed to unload/sort the logs that were on my loaded wagon,






With THAT done, I headed out to get the few logs I didn't have room for on the last load, I also wanted to get the last of the firewood I had skidded out too. SO, I loaded my chainsaw on the winch,






hooked up the now empty wagon, and headed to the woods. First thing I did was to saw out the last log from the big beech I skidded out a few days ago,






The more I use my Husky 550xp the more I LOVE it!






Anyway, here's the last of the saw mill and fire wood logs, that I skidded out the other day,






That's it for today!

SR


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## amberg (May 3, 2016)

Nice sticks, nice saw too. How long was that red oak?


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## dancan (May 3, 2016)

morewood said:


> I love that little tractor, mine is smaller than Sawyer Robs, but that thing has it's place getting in and out of tight spots.
> 
> Shea



I can fit that tractor where ever you can squeeze an atv through LOL


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## Sawyer Rob (May 3, 2016)

amberg said:


> Nice sticks, nice saw too. How long was that red oak?


 I didn't measure it, but he had two 16 footers marked out that I saw, and there was some left...

SR


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## morewood (May 4, 2016)

dancan said:


> I can fit that tractor where ever you can squeeze an atv through LOL


I bet that's perfect for what most people do.

Shea


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## morewood (May 4, 2016)

This small pine was from the other day, just happened to be in the wrong place and had to come down.

Shea


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## morewood (May 4, 2016)

First tree this afternoon. Interesting story. It hung in a tree and stayed on the stump at about 45 degrees. I hooked to it with the winch and brought the butt to the road, the top stayed snagged until the main portion was on the road and presto, it fell down to the road. Hard to believe there was very little damage as big as it was.

Shea


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## morewood (May 4, 2016)

This is tree #2, smaller, but straight and no limbs. Breaks over, the big hairy one is left. Hard to tell where this one will go, but I promise one thing, it'll hit the ground, guaranteed,or your money back.

Shea


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## morewood (May 4, 2016)

It dug in pretty well, but to no avail. This is why.


Oh well, not everything works out perfectly.

Shea


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## morewood (May 4, 2016)

So I cut these two section off.



Pulled again and got this.

Now the hard work begins.

Shea


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## morewood (May 4, 2016)

I cut the tops up and all of the collateral damage to remove them from the trail. Put the tractor at the top facing portion of the tree and pulled it out to block it up easier. The before picture.



And after its been blocked.



This day has been very successful. Between the winch and tractor productivity has been great. 

Shea


----------



## Sawyer Rob (May 7, 2016)

I had some help today, these two guys hired me to skid out some logs for them,






I'm cutting in the same woods, so no big deal helping them out,






Here's a few of the logs I skidded out for them, Most of them were 16 to 20 feet long,






Once I had them to the road, they went and got this fork lift to move them,






They were taking them four at a time, but the rear was getting a bit "light" with four on board... lol






Well, that's it for today!

SR


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## wej52 (May 9, 2016)

Shea[/QUOTE]


morewood said:


> So I cut these two section off.
> View attachment 501701
> 
> 
> ...


Shea, a question for you. Have you ever tried wrapping the choker and cable around a hung up tree so that it would cause the tree to twist out of the tree it is hung in? I have the same winch as you and have had some success getting tree un-hung by using the winch to twist the stuck tree. But to be fair not all trees can rotate enough to drop depending on how they are hung up. Just curious. W.Jones


----------



## morewood (May 10, 2016)

wej52 said:


> Shea



Shea, a question for you. Have you ever tried wrapping the choker and cable around a hung up tree so that it would cause the tree to twist out of the tree it is hung in? I have the same winch as you and have had some success getting tree un-hung by using the winch to twist the stuck tree. But to be fair not all trees can rotate enough to drop depending on how they are hung up. Just curious. W.Jones[/QUOTE]

To be honest I haven't. Not sure how it would have worked on the first tree, as I was trying to get it more on the road to make cutting it up easier. The second tree was hung up with a crotch against a supporting tree. That one probably wouldn't have twisted out unless one of the branches broke off. I do see how that would be an easy way to attempt to get one on the ground. Makes sense.

Shea


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## timbrjackrussel (May 12, 2016)

morewood said:


> Shea, a question for you. Have you ever tried wrapping the choker and cable around a hung up tree so that it would cause the tree to twist out of the tree it is hung in? I have the same winch as you and have had some success getting tree un-hung by using the winch to twist the stuck tree. But to be fair not all trees can rotate enough to drop depending on how they are hung up. Just curious. W.Jones



To be honest I haven't. Not sure how it would have worked on the first tree, as I was trying to get it more on the road to make cutting it up easier. The second tree was hung up with a crotch against a supporting tree. That one probably wouldn't have twisted out unless one of the branches broke off. I do see how that would be an easy way to attempt to get one on the ground. Makes sense.

Shea[/QUOTE]
I have had leaner trees, tree is just leaning into another tree and the leaner tree roots are pulled out or it is cut off of the stump and hung up in another tree.
I put a SWR sling around the leaner, one loop through the other and use a shackle to fasten the free end loop to a key hole slider on the main line of the winch. No grab hooks or any fastener that can come apart. Push it up the trunk of the leaner tree with a small sapling try to get it 15 feet or so. Run the winch main line back the opposite direction of the leaning tree and fasten a snatch block to the base of a large tree. At a safe angle (90) degrees run the winch line out to a safe distance. The idea is to just pull the leaner tree up and over backwards without it leaning into another tree.
I have had this work in places where pulling the butt of the leaner tree wouldn't work.( if it was down in a low spot)
Once the leaner is up and over gravity works. Don't use the ratchet brake on the winch and be prepared to stop the pulling and let the cable go slack if need be.
Sometimes just pulling the leaner tree up and out of the hang up and letting it drop fast it will come down.
Make certain to have lots of cable on the drum if the leaner drops down. 
Never tried to roll a leaner out of a hung up spot.


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## morewood (Sep 18, 2017)

I know it's been awhile, but last month I finished pulling all the wood from the property where I had been winching. Saying that, not much winching has been happening. This weekend I hopefully get started on 100+ acres of private property that is close to home where I have cut off and on for years. My son and I went up on Saturday and found a couple years of wood off of one logging road. The catch, some of the pulls are long, uphill, and detailed. Hope to order a self releasing snatch block to help. Hope to have pics galore.

Shea


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## dancan (Sep 18, 2017)

Worth their weight in gold lol


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## morewood (Sep 20, 2017)

Couldn't stomach the cost of a self releasing block yet, so I bought another 10T (overkill) with tree strap and 3/4" shackles. I say that with my birthday next month hoping I can have it then. A lot of my pulls can be straight, though very brushy. I like yours pictured above, they are sold out. I'll end up with an Igland probably.

Shea


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## dave_dj1 (Sep 20, 2017)

dancan said:


> Worth their weight in gold lol


 Dan, nice set up! I am in the process of building a skidding winch with the clutch set up nearly the same as the commercial units. Since your drum looks easy to see would you mind telling me the diameter of it and the size of the shaft? Thank you.


----------



## dancan (Sep 20, 2017)

Dave , I'll try to get a rough measure on the main shaft of the 180 tomorrow .
agvg has a great thread http://www.arboristsite.com/community/threads/my-logging-winch-repair-project.259403/ if you haven't seen it already .

Shea , I got mine for 210$ , there's many resellers but I'm not sure about current pricing , porta winch , wallenstien , farmi , hud son etc ...
It's not perfect , I've had the wirerope pick up debris from the forrest floor and fill the pulley grove to slip off the rope , I've had it fail to open because of "Well chit ! Didn't think that would happen lol" but overall , the time saved walking back and forth when working alone is gonna make you smile .
It's not expensive compared to the winch or tractor


----------



## morewood (Sep 20, 2017)

They run between $300-$350 from what research I've been doing. Won't be long, I'll have one. 

Shea


----------



## dave_dj1 (Sep 20, 2017)

Dan thank you so much. I have seen a bunch of threads about logging winches but haven't come across that particular one, very good information, thank you again! I saved that link for future reference.


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## dancan (Sep 21, 2017)

I measured the shaft on 2 winches for you , the Norse 180 is 3 cm and I have a hydraulic winch that is built like a typical Scandi winch that has a 4 cm shaft .


----------



## dave_dj1 (Sep 21, 2017)

Thank you Dancan, you da man!
I sent agvg a message about his this morning and he got right back to me. His shaft diameter was right in the middle at 35mm.
I think I have a shaft, I have a Jeep front axle shaft that as near as I can tell is right around 1.250" but may be metric at about 31 mm which I don't see a bearing in that size, I will pick up a 1.250" bearing and check it out.
thanks for the info.


----------



## dancan (Sep 21, 2017)

Hope you're taking build pics ...


----------



## dave_dj1 (Sep 22, 2017)

dancan said:


> Hope you're taking build pics ...


I will. My goal is to do this with "off the shelf" parts so anyone can do it.


----------



## dancan (Sep 22, 2017)

You'd like the hydraulic winch I've acquired , the drum is similar to a Scandi winch drum
https://www.labonville.com/assets/images/winches/Norse 190.pdf
but no clutch , it has a hydraulic motor with a double V grove pulley that drives the drum with an idler that tensions the belts to engage the belts all in a heavy steel housing that hooks up to a 3pt .
It'll be a while before I can get it apart again to take pics but I will .


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## Sawyer Rob (Sep 22, 2017)

Isn't the hydraulic winch pretty slooooow. The ones I've seen was like watching paint dry... lol

SR


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## dancan (Sep 23, 2017)

Not this one , the motor turns at a constant rpm just like a pto setup , just belts instead of a chain to get the drum to turn .


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## morewood (Sep 23, 2017)

Finally got some started, these locust are pretty solid. Pulling through rhododendren isn't fun.


----------



## morewood (Sep 23, 2017)

This locust ended up trying to help the tractor do a wheelie, so I did each piece seperate.


This is how I left it. That big oak isn't exactly solid, but may work out none the less.....and that's only a quarter of it. Still two more locusts and an oak down the rabbit hole before I get the next ones.

Shea


----------



## Sawyer Rob (Sep 23, 2017)

> Not this one , the motor turns at a constant rpm just like a pto setup , just belts instead of a chain to get the drum to turn .


 How many ft per minute is the line speed with a few wraps on the drum??

SR


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## dancan (Sep 23, 2017)

I haven't run it yet Rob .
I'm pretty sure that speed will depend on hydraulic flow .
The seller is a farmer that also buys and sells ag gear , he got this in an estate purchase so IO asked him to try it before I sent a friend to pick it up , he called me after he ran it and said had he tried it before he'd have upped the price by 600$ lol
I've bought from and sold him gear , he's a straight shooter so I know it will work , if it's too slow with my Yanmar I have a 7 gpm and a 16 gpm pto hydro pump I can try .


----------



## morewood (Oct 7, 2017)

The piece of oak I had already pulled and cut. This locust is solid with three good limbs.

Shea


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## morewood (Oct 7, 2017)

These are the three limbs.


These are the three limbs jambed up against a trunk. Nothing goes easy.

Shea


----------



## morewood (Oct 7, 2017)

Pretty solid all the way down.




Finished. I got it all cut up and managed to get a trailer load home.....but barely. Tractor has the power but not the weight to get traction on some of these steep uphill sections. Trying to convince the wife we NEED a M35, hasn't quiet worked out yet.

Shea


----------



## dancan (Nov 21, 2017)

Lotsa neat info in that vid .


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## Sawyer Rob (Nov 26, 2017)

And when you need to get your deer, that's waaay back in a tangled mess of brush and tree's out, another use for your skidding winch is created!







My wife guided the legs, while I sloooowly skidded it out...

SR


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## chipper1 (Nov 26, 2017)

Sawyer Rob said:


> And when you need to get your deer, that's waaay back in a tangled mess of brush and tree's out, another use for your skidding winch is created!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Nice one Rob.
Probably shoulda doubled back for that load .


----------



## Sawyer Rob (Nov 26, 2017)

chipper1 said:


> Nice one Rob.
> Probably shoulda doubled back for that load .


 The only thing that would have made it better, is if you had been here to drag it out for me!






SR


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## dancan (Nov 26, 2017)

I drove the tractor in the bush to go get a dead standing maple this afternoon .











Heavy lean pointed away and the butt was down a 15' embankment so I did't want to drop it in the direction of the lean so a redirect was in order .






I forgot a snatch block so I improvised 











I was able to get the top to land up the bank then a rehitch and up to the tractor .


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## morewood (Nov 22, 2019)

Sorry I haven't kept up with the thread. Life and such. I'm still in the same area as pics from 2 years ago. I've replaced the cable( pics somewhere) and just last week bought a 100' extension......its a long way down some holes. This first pic is one of my recent purchases. Igland self releasing pulley. This is an awesome tool.


This pic was taken from the road side down to my son( he's bigger now, and much stronger....3-0 at the start of wrestling season, proud dad). He is about 200'-225' down. We still have a load of wood to pull out from down there.

Shea


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## chipper1 (Nov 22, 2019)

Sawyer Rob said:


> The only thing that would have made it better, is if you had been here to drag it out for me!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Well Shea I'm two years out as well lol.
Still need help with the deer Rob.


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## morewood (Nov 22, 2019)

This is his dirty method of getting the cable back down to hook up to the extension. Yes, it could be unsafe. I have noticed that the cable spools much better on long pulls, making it easier to un-spool.

Shea


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## morewood (Nov 23, 2019)

Top pic of log pile, it's much larger now. Logs are cut at 9'. Easier to move with forks on narrow and badly rutted roads. Bottom pic is just to give depth. You can make out the top of the tractor.

Shea


----------



## KiwiBro (Nov 23, 2019)




----------



## morewood (Nov 23, 2019)

The top pic is from another area, same road. That pile was much larger when we finished. Smaller but decent logs in quantity. Bottom pic, field expedient fix.

Shea


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## morewood (Nov 23, 2019)

I thought it was a simple pinch and tried to pull it out.....nope. The next two pics show it. The cage was wrapped with a loop of cable, pinched, looped over itself, etc. I ended up pulling the whole thing out of the winch and cutting the cable off the spool.

Shea


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## morewood (Nov 23, 2019)

Pull the tray/plate out and everything is accessible.

Shea


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## Sawyer Rob (Nov 23, 2019)

chipper1 said:


> Well Shea I'm two years out as well lol.
> Still need help with the deer Rob.


 Well, I didn't need any help so far, this year,






BUT, season isn't over yet! lol

SR


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## Sawyer Rob (Nov 23, 2019)

morewood said:


> I thought it was a simple pinch and tried to pull it out.....nope. The next two pics show it. The cage was wrapped with a loop of cable, pinched, looped over itself, etc. I ended up pulling the whole thing out of the winch and cutting the cable off the spool.
> 
> Shea


 Well, that was a bummer!! Glad you got it figured out and up and running again... While you are at it, it looks like it wouldn't hurt to lube that chain a bit.

I'm still on my original cable on mine, and it looks like it will go a while yet...

SR


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## chipper1 (Nov 23, 2019)

Sawyer Rob said:


> Well, that was a bummer!! Glad you got it figured out and up and running again... While you are at it, it looks like it wouldn't hurt to lube that chain a bit.
> 
> I'm still on my original cable on mine, and it looks like it will go a while yet...
> 
> SR


If all you do with it is pull deer out it should last a while lol.
I'll be in Sparta in a bit .
I noticed the chain too. The chain on mine was exactly the opposite, it was covered in dirty grease and dirt, thats also what ruined the clutch on mine.


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## rwoods (Nov 23, 2019)

Those factory winches make me a little jealous, but then I sometimes use my homemade set up a little differently.

Cutting on the other side of a fence - can't skid.





Lifting over the fence.






Loading an oversize section.





More conventional use - skidding Ash up a power line ROW.





Having a youngster to run the cable back down the hill would be the next best addition. My cutting partner and I, while even taking turns, wear ourselves out.

Ron


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## morewood (Nov 23, 2019)

Sawyer Rob said:


> Well, that was a bummer!! Glad you got it figured out and up and running again... While you are at it, it looks like it wouldn't hurt to lube that chain a bit.
> 
> I'm still on my original cable on mine, and it looks like it will go a while yet...
> 
> SR



I did lightly lube the chain when I got it back together. The cable was still decent, until I cut it to get it off the spool. Long pulls keep it spooled up tightly and evenly now.

Shea

Still the best tool I've bought for woods work.


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## dancan (Nov 23, 2019)

That a self releaser ?


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## Sawyer Rob (Nov 23, 2019)

For chain lube, I use motorcycle chain lube, sparingly.

Then after running it slowly, I wipe any excess off so it doesn't get on the clutch.

SR


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## dancan (Nov 23, 2019)

I just did the clutch shoes on my new to me Igland 4001 because they were worn out .
The parts guy said that the old fellas and liberal amounts of oil on the chain were a clutch killer Lol


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## agvg (Nov 23, 2019)

I do believe the instructions for oiling the chain is to let it soak for some time and then hang it a day or two to drip off.

Sent fra min Nokia 7.1 via Tapatalk


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## chucker (Nov 23, 2019)

dancan said:


> I just did the clutch shoes on my new to me Igland 4001 because they were worn out .
> The parts guy said that the old fellas and liberal amounts of oil on the chain were a clutch killer Lol


dancan, do you have a link for the self release block pully ??


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## dancan (Nov 23, 2019)

No affiliations with these companies
https://stewardshipsuppliers.com/co...ducts/self-releasing-snatch-block-made-in-usa
and
https://www.labonville.com/Self-Releasing-4-Snatch-Block_p_93.html

I have the ForestWinches , it works great .
I tried to buy the Iglands but my dealer had no stock and I think the quote was 450 Cnd Pesos
With the help of Roncoinc and Cantdog I got the ForestWinches at a very reasonable price .
It works great .


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## morewood (Nov 23, 2019)

This is the Igland. I've loved it so far. I even added a second one to the Christmas list.

I looked at both those sites listed. Both styles of pulley should work equally well. I got this one for $225 shipped.

Shea


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## Ryan'smilling (Nov 23, 2019)

Thanks for the great thread. I'm pretty sure I've read it before, but I did it again from the start today. Great pics. Here's my Farmi 351 with legs on my MX4700 Kubota. I got it in Washington state while we were on a road trip about 6 years ago. Absolutely worth its weight in gold. I got this one for a bargain, but I wouldn't hesitate to pay sticker price for a new one if this one got stolen.


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## chucker (Nov 23, 2019)

pricey little devils!


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## agvg (Nov 24, 2019)

chucker said:


> pricey little devils!


Well, it's the choice between saving time or saving money, if you have remote control on the winch you can walk the tree to the winch and easy release the block but even then you save time with a self releasing.

Sent fra min Nokia 7.1 via Tapatalk


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## chipper1 (Nov 24, 2019)

agvg said:


> Well, it's the choice between saving time or saving money, if you have remote control on the winch you can walk the tree to the winch and easy release the block but even then you save time with a self releasing.
> 
> Sent fra min Nokia 7.1 via Tapatalk


A remote would be the ticket for felling hard leaners as well.


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## agvg (Nov 24, 2019)

Remote control is quit common here but maybe not so common in the US?

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## chipper1 (Nov 24, 2019)

chucker said:


> pricey little devils!


It's amazing what you can do with them.


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## chipper1 (Nov 24, 2019)

agvg said:


> Remote control is quit common here but maybe not so common in the US?
> 
> Sent fra min Nokia 7.1 via Tapatalk


I'd say that's a safe assumption.
I've never seen one(edit; never seen one in person), but sure would like one.


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## chucker (Nov 24, 2019)

chipper1 said:


> It's amazing what you can do with them.


I can see where they would come in handy when working in hilly grounds! that is what I have been struggling in for the past 2 weeks, fighting soft/frozen ground . slip sliding away on the greasy frosted oak leaves an unstable dirt! redirecting will be a snap with out having to realign the winch lines on an off set retrieve.


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## agvg (Nov 24, 2019)

Might be a liability problem or costly approval process, Igland have kits for retrofitting.

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## chipper1 (Nov 24, 2019)

agvg said:


> Might be a liability problem or costly approval process, Igland have kits for retrofitting.
> 
> Sent fra min Nokia 7.1 via Tapatalk


I think its probably a cash upfront problem. There's a reason why more dont have a winch in general, let alone a remote winch.


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## chipper1 (Nov 24, 2019)

chucker said:


> I can see where they would come in handy when working in hilly grounds! that is what I have been struggling in for the past 2 weeks, fighting soft/frozen ground . slip sliding away on the greasy frosted oak leaves an unstable dirt! redirecting will be a snap with out having to realign the winch lines on an off set retrieve.


If I was using mine in the woods more often I'd have one, as it is I have to unhook the pulley I use and then finish the pull. I'm fine with that for my use since its rare I need it anyway, but if I was charging someone for work knowing about the accessory I wouldn't feel right not buying one and getting paid by the hr.


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## chucker (Nov 24, 2019)

chipper1 said:


> If I was using mine in the woods more often I'd have one, as it is I have to unhook the pulley I use and then finish the pull. I'm fine with that for my use since its rare I need it anyway, but if I was charging someone for work knowing about the accessory I wouldn't feel right not buying one and getting paid by the hr.


you are on the mark. its rare to have the need for a multiple retrieve from a single spot! most of mine are a single tree or a hang up. chain/strap and a pully usually works good for the few times its needed. remote upgrade for the 8k super winch is an option yet.


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## Sawyer Rob (Nov 24, 2019)

chucker said:


> pricey little devils!


 AND worth every penny!!







SR


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## agvg (Nov 24, 2019)

chucker said:


> you are on the mark. its rare to have the need for a multiple retrieve from a single spot! most of mine are a single tree or a hang up. chain/strap and a pully usually works good for the few times its needed. remote upgrade for the 8k super winch is an option yet.


Then you are in a nice forrest, where I live you often has only one spot to winch from, maybe even have extension wires to reach what you want.












Sent fra min Nokia 7.1 via Tapatalk


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## chucker (Nov 24, 2019)

not close to the slope or rocky ground you are on... just enough of a fight to hinder production!


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## agvg (Nov 24, 2019)

This was a friend of mine that has a serious case of firewood syndrome, but it was fun in a rather masochistic way. But in such terrain winches and snatch blocks are the only way.

Sent fra min Nokia 7.1 via Tapatalk


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## chipper1 (Nov 24, 2019)

Here's a self releasing block for you guys, $209 shipped!
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Igland-Sel...ee-Shipping-/193187968871?hash=item2cfae67767


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## agvg (Nov 24, 2019)

chipper1 said:


> Here's a self releasing block for you guys, $209 shipped!
> https://www.ebay.com/itm/Igland-Sel...ee-Shipping-/193187968871?hash=item2cfae67767


Have the exact same

Sent fra min Nokia 7.1 via Tapatalk


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## morewood (Nov 24, 2019)

agvg said:


> Then you are in a nice forrest, where I live you often has only one spot to winch from, maybe even have extension wires to reach what you want.
> 
> Sent fra min Nokia 7.1 via Tapatalk



That is 100% correct. Where I'm pulling from is by far the best option, but I can't pull straight line. Anywhere else and I'm not only pulling through more trees but the hill tilts so to speak. It would roll to one side as I pulled up hill. I'm pulling up the bottom of a draw and redirecting with the pulley to the winch......and I'm using a 100' extension.

Shea


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## morewood (Nov 24, 2019)

chipper1 said:


> Here's a self releasing block for you guys, $209 shipped!
> https://www.ebay.com/itm/Igland-Sel...ee-Shipping-/193187968871?hash=item2cfae67767



That is where I got mine, looks like the price dropped just a bit!! Get one if you can.

Shea


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## morewood (Nov 24, 2019)

agvg said:


> This was a friend of mine that has a serious case of firewood syndrome, but it was fun in a rather masochistic way. But in such terrain winches and snatch blocks are the only way.
> 
> Sent fra min Nokia 7.1 via Tapatalk




My friend tells everyone that I have an addiction. He also on occasion has asked for some wood to hold him over!

Shea

PS-He has a sawmill!!!!! How can he not have enough firewood!!!!!


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## morewood (Nov 26, 2019)

agvg said:


> Might be a liability problem or costly approval process, Igland have kits for retrofitting.
> 
> Sent fra min Nokia 7.1 via Tapatalk



What does one of those kits usually cost? I would love to have one on my 3501 if it wasn't prohibitive. You know the range of the remote?

Shea


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## agvg (Nov 26, 2019)

https://www.igland-as.com/en/skog/radiostyring-2/

Quite expensive, but didn't find the price at the moment

Sent fra min Nokia 7.1 via Tapatalk


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## agvg (Nov 27, 2019)

If you have a suitable remote the rest is just std hydraulic, a small cylinder with spring return and a electric valve that releases oil when it's not feeded with 12V.

Sent fra min Nokia 7.1 via Tapatalk


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## agvg (Nov 27, 2019)

Some has just used a wheel on a large windscreen wiper motor to pull the rope, works but has issues with safety if you looses power as it will not release automatically.

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## agvg (Nov 27, 2019)

But you could use a electro clutch from a lawnmower as a safety release.

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## morewood (Nov 27, 2019)

agvg said:


> https://www.igland-as.com/en/skog/radiostyring-2/
> 
> Quite expensive, but didn't find the price at the moment
> 
> Sent fra min Nokia 7.1 via Tapatalk





agvg said:


> If you have a suitable remote the rest is just std hydraulic, a small cylinder with spring return and a electric valve that releases oil when it's not feeded with 12V.
> 
> Sent fra min Nokia 7.1 via Tapatalk





agvg said:


> Some has just used a wheel on a large windscreen wiper motor to pull the rope, works but has issues with safety if you looses power as it will not release automatically.
> 
> Sent fra min Nokia 7.1 via Tapatalk





agvg said:


> But you could use a electro clutch from a lawnmower as a safety release.
> 
> Sent fra min Nokia 7.1 via Tapatalk



Dude, you are awesome. More so if you don't already know it. I don't why I couldn't find it on the Igland site, but I'm glad you knew how to find it.

The windshield wiper motor idea is neat, but I wouldn't trust it. They have used Bosch units in Cannon downriggers, I wasn't impressed with the durability. As much as it isn't cheap the factory stuff generally works better and has some form of customer service.

Shea


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## agvg (Nov 27, 2019)

Yes, but has been done as a very budget solution, but a original set im quite sure is 1000$+ so I understand a DIY solution may be attempting.

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## morewood (Nov 27, 2019)

I just emailed them for any additional information and any possible dealers in the US that are knowledgeable in these units.

Shea


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## morewood (Nov 27, 2019)

agvg said:


> Yes, but has been done as a very budget solution, but a original set im quite sure is 1000$+ so I understand a DIY solution may be attempting.
> 
> Sent fra min Nokia 7.1 via Tapatalk



I agree and understand 100%. As I've gotten older I've quit taking on so many projects and relied on well engineered, if a bit expensive, factory solutions.

Shea


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## KiwiBro (Nov 27, 2019)

FWIW, my tractor dealer wouldn't warranty my tractor if I had any modifications. One of the winch remotes i was looking at would start the tractor and depress the accelerator to change tractor revs. The dealer just shook his head when I asked about it. Couldn't afford it anyway, but I still 'want' the full remote set-up with remote tractor start, revs changing, winch operation, and Ludwig remote chokers. There is a local company that does radio remote chokers but they only had a huge model that is way beyond my needs whereas Ludwig did two different sizes.

Further, there were worksafe legislation issues. I would have to put cones and signs around the tractor and warn any passers by to stay well away as tractor could start remotely or trees could come over the ridge line automatically and hit them, etc. I don't mind common sense rules but some of this stuff is overkill.


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## morewood (Nov 28, 2019)

Luckily for me I don't need all the options you would like......I probably would like them too. My set up is only used on remote private property. I honestly wouldn't know if any of the regs you refer to would apply in my situation. I think I found a dealer who might carry the remote, they're in Wisconsin somewhere.

Shea


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## Sawyer Rob (Nov 28, 2019)

I could have got the remote for my winch when I bought it, but having remote on the winch wasn't worth a thousand dollars +, to me!

SR


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## morewood (Nov 29, 2019)

Top pic greeted us when we got on the mtn today.
I keep the top inspection plate off when winching so as to keep an eye on the spool.

Shea


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## morewood (Nov 29, 2019)

Fisher got bored and counted up how many logs we have. He came up with approximately 75 so far. 6 pieces per stick, about 450 chunks. There are more to be pulled up.

Struck out on a dealer that carried all the attachments.....not the remote controls though. I'll email the company, just curious about it.

Shea

My beautiful wife went into town to get me some fuel for the tractor, AND brought it up to me A keeper for sure. She has been for the last 25 years.


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## morewood (Dec 7, 2019)

We finished up today. Had a couple odd pulls and extensions, but we figured it out. Shows our last pull and the stack we made.

Shea


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## morewood (Dec 7, 2019)

We try to leave before 4:30. Once we get out to the access road we are back on the north side of the mountain. It doesn't see much sunlight and felt like it was 20° cooler on the tractor.

Shea


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## chipper1 (May 4, 2021)

Hey guys, time to revive this thread  .
Used my winch a bunch on a job the last couple weeks.
Hope you've all been well.


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## Sawyer Rob (May 4, 2021)

A few days ago, I asked a friend to come over and help me clean the hazard tree's out of my back woods, and we got started with this one,







We ran a line then heavy rope over the broken tops and limbs, hooked it to my skidding winch and winched them down,






Then we cut the tree down,






With THAT tree down, to repeated the same winching operation on the other tree's around it with the same problem,






and cut them down, one by one until we got to this one, that my buddy had to climb to get the winch line in it,






With those two down, we hooked onto the one behind it,






and once it was down, we quit for the day!

NOW, to winch out the mess we left behind, as there's a LOT of firewood and even a few saw logs to deal with!

SR


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## rwoods (May 4, 2021)

chipper1 said:


> Hey guys, time to revive this thread  .
> Used my winch a bunch on a job the last couple weeks.
> Hope you've all been well.



I am well, winch not so much. Last outing about a week ago pulling a 3000# red oak log that dug in along its journey.





I need to install a pressure relief valve on the next go around.

Ron


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## chipper1 (May 5, 2021)

rwoods said:


> I am well, winch not so much. Last outing about a week ago pulling a 3000# red oak log that dug in along its journey.
> 
> View attachment 905083
> View attachment 905084
> ...


Wow, that's a bummer.
Friday I finally installed a new clutch in mine, been dealing with it for 5-6yrs now, now I need to get a new engagement pull rope. Excited to see how it does.


----------



## chipper1 (May 5, 2021)

Sawyer Rob said:


> A few days ago, I asked a friend to come over and help me clean the hazard tree's out of my back woods, and we got started with this one,
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Is that it Rob  .
I hope for your sake he was doing the larger portion of the work, and you were the operator/picture taker .
I "milled"(cut them to length lol) up some locust post for my chicken coop to rest on this week and installed them, the green lumber was from a deck tear out, with the price of lumber you gotta do what you can to save a buck, and replacing the clutch wasn't cheap either.


----------



## Sawyer Rob (May 5, 2021)

rwoods said:


> I am well, winch not so much. Last outing about a week ago pulling a 3000# red oak log that dug in along its journey.
> 
> I need to install a pressure relief valve on the next go around.
> 
> Ron


 I'm wondering what brand winch that is? How much is it rated to pull?

SR


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## Sawyer Rob (May 5, 2021)

chipper1 said:


> Is that it Rob  .
> I hope for your sake he was doing the larger portion of the work, and you were the operator/picture taker .
> I "milled"(cut them to length lol) up some locust post for my chicken coop to rest on this week and installed them, the green lumber was from a deck tear out, with the price of lumber you gotta do what you can to save a buck, and replacing the clutch wasn't cheap either.


 These days, lumber is so high, reclaiming some lumber is a real money saver!!

I built some book case modules out of 3/4" MDF at $29 a sheet... I was thinking of building some more, so I went back and the MDF is now $86 a sheet!! There's NO WAY I'll pay that!

How much was that clutch??

SR


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## chipper1 (May 5, 2021)

Sawyer Rob said:


> These days, lumber is so high, reclaiming some lumber is a real money saver!!
> 
> I built some book case modules out of 3/4" MDF at $29 a sheet... I was thinking of building some more, so I went back and the MDF is now $86 a sheet!! There's NO WAY I'll pay that!
> 
> ...


It's ridiculous!
Buddy I was talking to yesterday went to snag up a couple green 2x8x16 and they were around 100, each .
Sure wish this locust was straighter. Did you get any good boards out of that last load I gave you.
I think I have a piece of MDF in the basement if you need it.


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## Sawyer Rob (May 5, 2021)

I get "good" boards out of EVERY log I mill, it's just that some aren't very long!! ha ha

Thanks for the MDF offer, I think I'll just mill some 5/4 x 12 boards out of a white pine that I have and use them...

Glad you got that winch fixed up, they are just so handy to have!!

SR


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## rwoods (May 5, 2021)

Sawyer Rob said:


> I'm wondering what brand winch that is? How much is it rated to pull?
> 
> SR


Military surplus Mile Marker 10,500#. Rated for HUMVEE power steering pump pressures. I am probably 1000 psi over that. I thought the 3/8 cable would be the weak link. I was wrong.

Ron


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## morewood (May 5, 2021)

Did someone say locust? This may be the best stand of dead locust I've ever stumbled on. A shame it's so steep. The winch doesn't care. My son dragging the chokers and cable does.

Shea


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## chipper1 (May 5, 2021)

morewood said:


> Did someone say locust? This may be the best stand of dead locust I've ever stumbled on. A shame it's so steep. The winch doesn't care. My son dragging the chokers and cable does.
> 
> SheaView attachment 905282


Dead, that one still has bark on it lol.
My woodshed is almost filled for 2021/22 and 22/23, sure it's more than 80% black locust .


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## Northerner (May 23, 2021)

Been looking for a hydraulic winch for years, this spring at an auction sale I found one. Looks like it’s never been used. 8000lb superwinch. Anyone familiar with them?

Project for next winter I guess, build a skidding winch for my mx5000 tractor. Already has a decent piece of steel to start with. 






Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## rwoods (May 23, 2021)

Northerner said:


> Been looking for a hydraulic winch for years, this spring at an auction sale I found one. Looks like it’s never been used. 8000lb superwinch. Anyone familiar with them?
> 
> Project for next winter I guess, build a skidding winch for my mx5000 tractor. Already has a decent piece of steel to start with.
> 
> ...


That looks like a rugged winch. I am not sure if it is the same model, but here is a manual link. https://superwinch.nl/media/attachment/file/h/8/h8p_h10_pro_gebruikers_handleiding.pdf

Since my Mile Marker grenaded and replacement parts are months out, I picked up a similar Warn. I also took the time to redesign some things and wrap the new winch with synthetic rope. End goal is to fix the Mile Marker and reinstall it as a bottom winch to do the dirty stuff. If the Warn freewheeling would loosen up some, I could pull two winch lines down the hill at a time which could save me a lot of walking and time.

I made a little UV and mud flap to provide some protection to the line when not in use. The Mile Marker with a steel cable and roller fairlead will slide in the empty HUMVEE mount below the Warn.





Ron


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## rwoods (Jan 16, 2022)

Any updates from fellow winchers? I see Sawyer Rob hasn't posted since May. I hope all is well.

Ron


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## morewood (Jan 16, 2022)

I just used mine pulling a huge maple over that was mostly rotten. Haven't used it much since high school wrestling season started. Clean up has been handled by the grapple so the winch hasn't been needed. I have roughly 10-12 dead blow downs to pull out in one area....but it's still wrestling season. My log pile has started to become an addiction, at some point I'll have to cut and split. I may end up with a huge enough pile to rent a processor for a day.

Shes


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## chipper1 (Jan 16, 2022)

Doing well here Ron, Thanks.
How you been.
Haven't done anything with the winch in a while.
Did this one not long after the job I posted on the last page.
10:55-1:02 first to last picture. Obviously there was setup time and some strapping the load down, then coming back for the tractor, and unloading the trailer lol. Still a productive day, the wife and kids did a nice job helping load the brush.


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## chipper1 (Jan 16, 2022)

Here's the load I pulled out.
I'll get in touch with Rob, I was just thinking of him earlier this week when I was on the tractor, I haven't heard from him in a while.



The boy got attacked by the "snowflakes" lol.


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## rwoods (Jan 17, 2022)

Other than pulling a tree or two while falling, I haven’t done much. No skidding yet as parts are not in to fix my cable winch and I am reluctant to test the durability of the synthetic rope in skidding conditions. A designed built winch like you guys have seems to be far better than my home built set-up.

Ron


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## morewood (Jan 17, 2022)

rwoods said:


> Other than pulling a tree or two while falling, I haven’t done much. No skidding yet as parts are not in to fix my cable winch and I am reluctant to test the durability of the synthetic rope in skidding conditions. A designed built winch like you guys have seems to be far better than my home built set-up.
> 
> Ron


As for me, cable is the only choice in the woods. To many obstructions to damage synthetic. Concerning a dedicated and designed skidding winch, they are engineered to do their job well. My Igland is almost bulletproof. I actually cut out the guard/cage that surrounds the spool. I always try to buy the best tool I can to begin with so that I don't have to buy it later......but I lucked up with finding the winch. If you look long enough, one always shows up.

Shea


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## lwmibc (Jan 17, 2022)

This has got to be the ultimate skidding winch, if for nothing but price. I bought it about 40 years ago at a declining-price auction from a marine consignment place for something ridiculous like $35, complete with cable; I suspect it was a barge winch of some application. It came with no frame, just the winch drum, gear/brake box, hydraulic motor which was worn out, but everything else in it was indestructible. I tried it on my MF85 and it didn't work, so it got left in the blackberries until I traded the old Massey on a new Kubota L3400 about 2010.

I built a 4X4X1/4 angle frame for it, put a new hydraulic motor on it (which took some clever welding, plus hydraulic calculations) and put it to work. Used on the Kubota nothing stops it, either the log comes or the tractor is dragged to the log--but the winch will not stall. I run the tractor hydraulics up near 2700 psi maximum. 

I'd have to double check, but I think it has 7/8 cable on it; certainly at least 3/4. The drum is about 20" side-flange diameter, 16" wide; inside diameter about a foot. Two hand-wheels on the gear box, one to release a drive dog inside so the drum free-wheels, another to apply a band brake to the bull gear. Properly maintained, I could not ever put the slightest amount of wear on it--and nobody before I owned it could either, except for the hydraulic motor.

The pics were taken last year when modifying it for a Quick-Hitch I'd just bought. Before it was painted.


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## Ryan'smilling (Jan 18, 2022)

lwmibc said:


> This has got to be the ultimate skidding winch, if for nothing but price. I bought it about 40 years ago at a declining-price auction from a marine consignment place for something ridiculous like $35, complete with cable; I suspect it was a barge winch of some application. It came with no frame, just the winch drum, gear/brake box, hydraulic motor which was worn out, but everything else in it was indestructible. I tried it on my MF85 and it didn't work, so it got left in the blackberries until I traded the old Massey on a new Kubota L3400 about 2010.
> 
> I built a 4X4X1/4 angle frame for it, put a new hydraulic motor on it (which took some clever welding, plus hydraulic calculations) and put it to work. Used on the Kubota nothing stops it, either the log comes or the tractor is dragged to the log--but the winch will not stall. I run the tractor hydraulics up near 2700 psi maximum.
> 
> ...



I'm happy that it's useful for you, but I will disagree with it being the "ultimate skidding winch". The factory made three point winches are really in a different league. Your winch can probably outpull a medium sized one like I have, but as you pointed out, it can only pull as much as it takes to slide your tractor. The skidding winches with blades or legs work well because they anchor themselves to the ground. Also, I'll let you pull that heavy cable around, and stick to my nice lightweight 7/16 (iirc) cable, of which I can carry 175'. Plus, for safety and precision, I'll never give up that clutch rope. Oh, almost forgot, at a decent rpm, these pto winches are FAST too.


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## lwmibc (Jan 18, 2022)

Man, I'll sure agree with you on the cable; pulling that out to a log is a real workout--but that is what was on it for $35 and I'm too cheap to change it. And it is slow, but that was all my choice in my own calculations of the tractor's flow rate and the hydraulic motor displacement to get the speed I thought the winch drum should turn for ultimate pulling power. I sure did get pulling power! There's just nothing on it that one could possibly bust no matter what they did. A hydraulic hose maybe?

But bet yours cost more though...


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## Ryan'smilling (Jan 18, 2022)

lwmibc said:


> Man, I'll sure agree with you on the cable; pulling that out to a log is a real workout--but that is what was on it for $35 and I'm too cheap to change it. And it is slow, but that was all my choice in my own calculations of the tractor's flow rate and the hydraulic motor displacement to get the speed I thought the winch drum should turn for ultimate pulling power. I sure did get pulling power! There's just nothing on it that one could possibly bust no matter what they did. A hydraulic hose maybe?
> 
> But bet yours cost more though...



True, a little more than $35. I did actually get mine for a steal though. I don't think the guy really knew what he had. I paid $900 for my farmi 351. It's probably worth 3x that right now. I was a happy camper.


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## lwmibc (Jan 18, 2022)

Wow!-- looking at new prices of some of these things I should clarify--mine is 'ultimate' only in pulling power per dollar spent!--which is actually what I meant in the first place. I'd have to pay $10,000 for a new Wallenstein FX85R with shipping in Canada. You are an admirable thief alright; you stole that one getting it for under $1,000.

I guess I could go to work with my welder now and turn mine into something looking more like a true logging winch, that should be fun. You guys have got me thinking of multiple additions and modifications.

For now it pulls logs just fine, but I'm 74 so in a few years I just might think of sizing down on that cable.


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## rwoods (Jan 18, 2022)

lwmibc, resist the temptation to chain your tractor to a tree, you might just pull it in two.

Ron


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## lwmibc (Jan 18, 2022)

Ha--okay so far, but maybe only because I'm too tuckered to get mad after pulling the cable out a few times. No P&V left in me by the time I'd want to go for the chain.

I have jammed the winch up against a stump when pulling out of the ravine though; that works. I wouldn't be surprised that it can approach 35,000 lbs of pull, tractor just above idle.


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## rwoods (Jan 20, 2022)

lwmibc, about 15 years ago I started building a winch mount for a winch off a military 5 ton truck. Uncle Sam rates it at 20k # which means it is probably double that. It has a 3/4” cable. The mount was designed to fit on the back of my 2.5 ton military truck and on a three point hitch with the intent to anchor it to something when powered by the tractor. In 2010 a little medical issue left me with certain restrictions that killed the project. I am still tripping over the winch in my basement and musing what I could have done with it.

Ron


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## Sawyer Rob (Jan 22, 2022)

Hey there guys, I'm still kicking, I just haven't posted in here in a while.

I skidded out a bunch of logs for a guy last fall, here's a few of them,







Pulled out a bunch of logs, mostly for firewood, but some were pretty decent sawlogs too,






I cut most of them up for firewood,






Some of them were bigger rounds,






But, I ran them all through the 4-way on my splitter,






and made quite a bit of firewood,






SR


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## muddstopper (Jan 22, 2022)

Rob, Glad to see your still kicking. I dont think I have heard anything out of you since that guy on utube was giving you credit for your drill powered winch handle ideal. Which I am stealing by the way. One thing about nice size saw logs, they make nice stacks of firewood.


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## Ryan'smilling (Jan 23, 2022)

muddstopper said:


> Rob, Glad to see your still kicking. I dont think I have heard anything out of you since that guy on utube was giving you credit for your drill powered winch handle ideal. Which I am stealing by the way. One thing about nice size saw logs, they make nice stacks of firewood.


Tell me more about this.


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## muddstopper (Jan 23, 2022)

Ryan'smilling said:


> Tell me more about this.


Ryan, I assume you are referring to the winch handle drill conversion. Rob can better tale it than I. I was watching a milling video where a guy took a socket and welded it up to fit in place of a boat winch handle. They guy gave rob the credit for the ideal. He was using the boat winch to pull logs upon his mill and from what I saw, it worked very well. Took out all the manual cranking on the winch to load large and small logs. It was a very easy conversion and well worth the effort if you dont have a log lift or something to put logs on the mill. I think it would work well for turning a big log on the mill also. I dont have a youtube link, but maybe you can do a search for it.


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## muddstopper (Jan 23, 2022)




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## Ryan'smilling (Jan 23, 2022)

muddstopper said:


> Ryan, I assume you are referring to the winch handle drill conversion. Rob can better tale it than I. I was watching a milling video where a guy took a socket and welded it up to fit in place of a boat winch handle. They guy gave rob the credit for the ideal. He was using the boat winch to pull logs upon his mill and from what I saw, it worked very well. Took out all the manual cranking on the winch to load large and small logs. It was a very easy conversion and well worth the effort if you dont have a log lift or something to put logs on the mill. I think it would work well for turning a big log on the mill also. I dont have a youtube link, but maybe you can do a search for it.


Gotcha. Thanks. Somehow I was thinking this was related to a skidding winch and I couldn't figure out how a drill would be involved. This makes more sense.


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## Sawyer Rob (Feb 1, 2022)

Some more fall, skidding picts...

This time I was out in my own woodlot, skidding out the hazard trees I showed being cut down, earlier in this thread.






I wanted to get some of the easier firewood out, so I got set up,






and started to skid some of it,






As you can see, there was a lot of smaller "stuff" to get out of the way,






Anyway, i got enough of it skidded out of the way, that next time I can get some bigger stems out. So, I loaded them all up and headed home,






That's it for this time,

SR


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