# Skidding Winch on Subcompact Tractor



## Doug in SW IA (Dec 2, 2017)

I have a 9 acre lot that is primarily forest. I have been heating with wood for over 20 years. I have a Kubota BX24 and I am thinking about getting a Farmi JL290 skidding winch. Up to now I have dropped the trees, cut them to firewood length in place and carried or rolled the pieces out to the trail or openings. This last year I got hit with straight line winds over 100mph or the edge of a tornado and lost 65 trees. Or more correctly there are 65 trees that had the potential to be sold. There are more that are snapped and too small to sell. So I have some major thinning and improvement ahead of me. 

I am getting older so I am thinking a skidding winch might be worth considering. Drop the trees and then skid them out to the open so I don't have so much carrying. Another issue I have is that my little forest is fairly dense and I have problems getting trees to drop. They tend to get hung up and don't go all the way down. Could a skidding winch help me pull the butt of those trees out so they would go down? I am also thinking the winch with a snatch block could be used to better direct the direction of fall. 

Thanks for the input.

Doug in SW IA


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## dancan (Dec 3, 2017)

Some reading here on winches
https://www.arboristsite.com/community/threads/skidding-winch-for-the-tractor.292767/
You'll be amazed how much more productive you're tractor will be .


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## woodfarmer (Dec 3, 2017)

Buy it, you’ll wonder how you ever got along without it. I have the 501, it’s a 2000 and it works!!


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## northmanlogging (Dec 3, 2017)

a winch is invaluable in the woods. 

Fer sure use a snatch block to redirect back to your winch when pulling trees over, especially with a light machine, helps keep said machine on the ground where it belongs.

as for pulling out hung up trees, hook em low, and put a wrap on it so it wants to twist out of the trees its hung up in, but be very careful as it can dig in and pull over on top of you, one of the reasons for hooking the tree low is the idea is to pull the butt out and drag the tree out of the standing timber. Hooking high can and likely will cause it to pull over rather then slide out.

If yer pulling with a small tractor keep in mind you likely do not have a cage around it, and lots of random junk can and will get kicked up by moving logs, or you will knock over standing trees with it.

go slow and keep yer eyes open.


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## Ted Jenkins (Dec 3, 2017)

Doug do you need a winch? Are you able to drive close to your logs? You may need a A type frame on the back of your tractor to skid. I use a portable winch with a tractor or truck which ever is most appropriate. Thanks


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## SliverPicker (Dec 3, 2017)

That's a very small tractor. Be extremely careful.


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## Deleted member 117362 (Dec 3, 2017)

woodfarmer said:


> View attachment 616232
> Buy it, you’ll wonder how you ever got along without it. I have the 501, it’s a 2000 and it works!!


Do you have a picture of the backside showing winch? Brand, manufacturer? That has to make skidding easier. Never seen one.


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## Doug in SW IA (Dec 3, 2017)

Ted Jenkins said:


> Doug do you need a winch? Are you able to drive close to your logs? You may need a A type frame on the back of your tractor to skid. I use a portable winch with a tractor or truck which ever is most appropriate. Thanks


I am trying to decide whether I need one, hence this posting. In most cases I cannot get close to the logs because of other trees or the hilly terrain. I saw the Aframe type grabber, but in my case I don't think it would be as useful. I do appreciate the input.

Doug in SW IA


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## hseII (Dec 3, 2017)

woodfarmer said:


> View attachment 616232
> Buy it, you’ll wonder how you ever got along without it. I have the 501, it’s a 2000 and it works!!



Do you ever wish it was bigger, or has it always been big enough?


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## hseII (Dec 3, 2017)

Duce said:


> Do you have a picture of the backside showing winch? Brand, manufacturer? That has to make skidding easier. Never seen one.



That’s a Farmi 501


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## Deleted member 117362 (Dec 3, 2017)

Thanks hsell.


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## ChoppyChoppy (Dec 3, 2017)

SliverPicker said:


> That's a very small tractor. Be extremely careful.



What I was thinking, though I have used a 6x6 ATV as a "skidder" on a really small job and that only weighed maybe 1100lbs.

We had to cut the logs to about 12-14ft so that sucked (vs skidding tree length), but it was better than nothing.

If it were me, I'd leave the baby tractor in the shed and shop around for a dozer.


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## dancan (Dec 3, 2017)

I've got friends that have run a JL351p on the back of a b7200 and a b8200 , I run a Norse on the back of my MF1020 , if you've got a lot of logs to drag out you'll not regret you purchase .
Snatch blocks are very handy , the self opening ones are awesome .
A skid cone also comes in handy .
You'll learn the limitations of your setup fast .


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## dancan (Dec 3, 2017)

Good info


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## woodfarmer (Dec 3, 2017)

hseII said:


> Do you ever wish it was bigger, or has it always been big enough?


You sound like the women in my life, lol.

I owned an old john Deere 3130 when I bought the winch, I have thought about getting the 601 but I pull some big beech and have never had an issue. With the tractor larger than the winch no problem but I might be conserned if the winch was too large for the tractor.
Anyone that questions why you want one, has never owned one. I’ve 150’ of cable, with the snatch block I can get a tree out from just about anywhere with very minimal damage to the surrounding trees.
That’s my 066 sitting on the log, it was a biggun.
I have a video pulling this log but I got a message the file is too big, what do I do?


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## KiwiBro (Dec 3, 2017)

dancan said:


> You'll learn the limitations of your setup fast .


Guilty, your honor.
Bad things happen quickly if the operator is not switched on.


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## hseII (Dec 3, 2017)

woodfarmer said:


> You sound like the women in my life, lol.
> 
> I owned an old john Deere 3130 when I bought the winch, I have thought about getting the 601 but I pull some big beech and have never had an issue. With the tractor larger than the winch no problem but I might be conserned if the winch was too large for the tractor.
> Anyone that questions why you want one, has never owned one. I’ve 150’ of cable, with the snatch block I can get a tree out from just about anywhere with very minimal damage to the surrounding trees.





Maybe you Should be Picking in a Different Market?




I want one, I just want to buy Once.


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## Ted Jenkins (Dec 3, 2017)

Wow never have seen flat ground like that for some time. The orange beast seems to be comfortable moving your logs around. Are those average size or do you get larger ones more than not. Thanks


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## hseII (Dec 3, 2017)

Ted Jenkins said:


> Wow never have seen flat ground like that for some time. The orange beast seems to be comfortable moving your logs around. Are those average size or do you get larger ones more than not. Thanks



The camera man was holding the phone on a bit of a tilt: it’s hard to find good 7 year old camera operators.

That’s on the small side: 16” & 18” on the butt, & 19’ long. 

That loader is rated for 2,900lbs, & attainable with Wheel weighs.


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## Ryan'smilling (Dec 3, 2017)

A winch is indispensable if you're using a tractor in the woods. Also, you can use it for ten years and sell it for almost what you paid for it. 

I have the same problem getting trees to drop in my dense hardwood stand. What I do is climb up my extension ladder and set a choker and hitch the cable to it before I start cutting. That way if it gets hung up, I'm already in position to winch it over. 

Yes, that BX is small, and for skidding you will be limited, but you can always cut logs down to a more manageable size. Just start small, and approach the limit slowly and with caution. A loader bucket full of gravel, rocks, or firewood rounds will help keep the front end down. A BX is limited by clearance, so having the winch to reach into the woods will help keep the tractor on the trail.


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## Doug in SW IA (Dec 4, 2017)

I appreciated the input from all. But I have come to the conclusion that this site is a bunch of enablers . No one really had a reason to not buy a winch, some cautions, but more "go ahead and do it". So in that vein I have ordered my winch and it should be on its way in a day or two.

Thanks again,
Doug in SW IA


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## KiwiBro (Dec 4, 2017)

pics or it didn't happen


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## rwoods (Dec 4, 2017)

Doug in SW IA said:


> I appreciated the input from all. But I have come to the conclusion that this site is a bunch of enablers . No one really had a reason to not buy a winch, some cautions, but more "go ahead and do it". So in that vein I have ordered my winch and it should be on its way in a day or two.
> 
> Thanks again,
> Doug in SW IA



Well, I will say it - you don’t need that winch. Just have them ship it on to me.

Hope it works well for you.

Ron


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## Weesa20 (Dec 4, 2017)

I had a similar dilemma since I have a MF GC2300 with FEL. I thought about the farmi 290 and the wallenstein hydraulic b/c of the low PTO power (19) and then I was worried about the weight of the winch hanging off the back plus the weight of the log. I have skidded before using just a boxblade.

In the end I bought a barely used MF 1736 and will be putting a winch on it. Good luck with your setup, just go slow and easy and stay on as flat of land as possible.

Weesy


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## wej52 (Dec 14, 2017)

Doug in SW IA said:


> I appreciated the input from all. But I have come to the conclusion that this site is a bunch of enablers . No one really had a reason to not buy a winch, some cautions, but more "go ahead and do it". So in that vein I have ordered my winch and it should be on its way in a day or two.
> 
> Thanks again,
> Doug in SW IA


Doug you won't regret having the winch. It improves your work efficiency and safety a lot. But as others have said, GO SLOW and learn the limitations of your setup. There are many threads talking about proper use of a winch. Read them as they are helpful. The most important piece of advice is to pull in as straight a line with the tractor as possible. Good luck and enjoy the winch. So we enable you to work more effectively? Is there a problem with that? W Jones


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## bowtechmadman (Dec 14, 2017)

I've been pulling logs with a "log/boom" pole on the 3pt hitch of my Kubota 3600. Neighbor logged off 900 tree's and I have full access to the tops, been cutting the tops then pulling out the left over logs with the boom pole. Fortunately, the woods is pretty open so allows me to get to the tree's w/o winching. I am careful not to overload and cause the tractor to flip over backwards. What other factors would be improved by a skidding winch b/c I've also been looking at them.


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## Sawyer Rob (Dec 14, 2017)

Not to mention, a skidding winch is useful for all kinds of "other" things too!







It saved me from having to drag that deer about 50 yards, with much of it THICK tangled brush, by hand.

SR


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## 93green12v (Dec 27, 2017)

I would add buy a winch that doesn't way a ton. Use a FX90 on a smallish MF, tractor has the power to run the winch but the winch weighs 800 lbs or so. Need to keep that in mind because that limits you with how much you can drag and how much weight you need up front. Loader frames work perfect for counter weights.


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## Doug in SW IA (Apr 22, 2018)

I did purchase the Farmi 290 for my Kubota BX24 and finally got a chance to put it to use. I had did a couple small pulls before the weather blocked the access to my woods. They went well and I was looking forward to putting it to use. There is a learning curve and I had to replace the cable due to my inattention. I had a hickory that snapped 20' up the trunk and was still attached. I hooked up and did some pull and release to see if I could get it to drop. The brake was not set right and I had a birds nest that took an angle grinder to cure. I only lost about 5 feet of cable, unfortunately it was in the middle. Lesson learned, and brake adjusted. 

This week my son and son-in-law came to help me clear up some of the storm damage in my forest. The winch worked great. We got a lot of the storm fall moved to where I can work it up. The self releasing snatch block was essential in my woods. A lot of what I cleared out were large branches that split off. Some up to 18" across. I used four retaining wall blocks as ballast in my loader and that seem to work well. 

My overall plan was to get all the ground contact wood worked up first, then the trees that are snapped but still standing and finally the ones that are still standing but severely damaged. I heat with wood so I have a use for all of it.

Some pictures:









As you can see the terrain is a little challenging.

Thanks all for the advice. I am now firmly in the camp that logging winches definitely have a place on my acreage. My uncle had an interesting take on winches. He said it is like a farmers combine, you may only use it a few weeks in the year, but when you need it nothing else will do.

Doug in SW IA


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