Chainsaw Mill Winch

[deholtsl]

Idk if my back can take anymore lol. Im running an MS881 in a 36” zozen mill. Wondering if the winches are worth it, what’s good, etc.

Thanks,
Dan

 

[J D]

Elevate one end of the log if you can... about 10 deg makes things a bit easier

 

[deholtsl]

Yes, I’m in Georgia no log is ever sitting flat. I always start on the high side.

 

[Coralillo Lo Pro]

Idk if my back can take anymore lol. Im running an MS881 in a 36” zozen mill. Wondering if the winches are worth it, what’s good, etc.

Yeah, a winch is a great help w a 881. I ignored them for awhile until I finally mounted one on my mill, just a cheap $20 generic I replaced the wire cable with light poly rope. Such a game changer, milling had been masochistically hard work before that and the winch made it near effortless. I didn't understand how it was so many newbies had gotten into it when milling was so physically hard, but it was because everyone got into it in the age of winches and it's now so much easier with them. Still a chore lifting an 881 on and off of cuts though. BobL figured out years ago on here that elevation and letting gravity do the work with a downhill milling angle was key, and developed a custom log jack that I've copied to raise logs with. The idea is to have the log high enough to stay standing in a comfortable position instead of like most people doing the knee crawl. BobL explained his approach in detail in various posts but I can't locate them right off hand.

The other thing I came to accept was an 881 is overkill for a 36" mill. In fact, I find a 121cc saw overkill for 9/10 of what I mill, which is mostly logs under 30" wide. I think the long insisted upon "there's no replacement for displacement" mantra has burnt a bunch of people's bodies out milling. I went the other direction, and started milling with smaller chain that requires far less hp and thus you can use far smaller saws. I'm 6'7" so not having to bend down to the ground to lift a huge saw up and down all the time has my back thanking me.

 

[J D]

Check out the CSMilling101 thread, BobL had a lot of valuable information posted there

 

[U&A]

Iv never tried a winch. I will some day. I keep my chain in really good shape as well as my depth gauges kocked down ad she kinda feeds herself.

Tip for anyone that pushes like me. Use pool noodles to greatly reduce vibration on your body. Push on the noodle part