growing up, we did all our logging with a farm tractor. Its a wonder I a still alive. dad had a old winch that ran off the pto of the tractor. Now this old winch was old way back in the 60's, and Its now setting in the woods with trees grown up thru it. Anyways, the winch was way stronger than the little dexter tractor we used for skidding. It had dogs that engaged the drum, it was either engaged and dragging or it was free wheeling. I can remember dad backing it up to a small pine and winching 4ft dia x 100ft long whitepines up to the log landing. One day the end of one of those trees dug into a creek bank. With pressure on the winch, you couldnt release the winch. The winch dragged the tractor up the tree it was backed up against and bent the tree over. Dad bailed off the tractor and it continued to be winched up the tree. Once the tractor got so far up the tree that the tree sprang back up right and filled the tractor on its top. Being a diesel, the tractor was still running and being dragged thru the dirt. Once the tractor was on the ground, dad reached under it and pulled the kill switch. This happened more than once. Dad finally bought a d2 dozer with a winch. It wasnt much better, but he never turned it over. The old tractor winch was given to my uncle, he proceeded to flip his tractor a time or two before giving it up. The winch is setting in the woods beside his old barn.
