Winches...who has used a Lewis or portable capstan?

[TreeandLand]

I'm thinking of investing in a winch for skidding logs. I have a project in mind....I did view clearing on a hillside that brought down a lot of nice oak trees. The homeowner would like them for firewood if he could get his hands on them....but they're 350 feet down a hillside. I know I'll find many more uses for a winch after this too. Does anyone have reviews of the performance of a Lewis winch powered by a big chainsaw, or the portable capstan winch made by Portable Winch? The first uses cable, the other uses 1/2 rope.

 

[jomoco]

I'm thinking of investing in a winch for skidding logs. I have a project in mind....I did view clearing on a hillside that brought down a lot of nice oak trees. The homeowner would like them for firewood if he could get his hands on them....but they're 350 feet down a hillside. I know I'll find many more uses for a winch after this too. Does anyone have reviews of the performance of a Lewis winch powered by a big chainsaw, or the portable capstan winch made by Portable Winch? The first uses cable, the other uses 1/2 rope.

Bad idea T&L, I've run a 12K lb warner electric winch off the back of my truck for almost 20 years, and I have to use a pulley and compound line to pull sizable logs up a slope. And my winch's capstan will only hold 120 feet of 5/16ths cable! Meaning with a compound line I can reach out 60 feet.

Now a hydraulic winch on a skidder can get the job done, but not at 300 feet away without multiple lines being switched out in sequence.

There are gas powered winches on portable skids around as well, but they cost lots of mullah, 5-10K.

If there are big trees at the top of the ridge? A pulley redirect might work for you dirt cheap?

jomoco

 

[AT sawyer]

Lewis Winch

I've had some experience with a Lewis winch, and their portability allows you to set up most anywhere. I wouldn't use anything less than an 036 for a powerhead, and be sure to get the direct-drive sprocket adapter. Mounting the winch to your saw can be tricky, as there isn't much room to get a wrench on your saw nuts (I bought a cheap box-end wrench and beat on it with a sledge hammer until I'd removed the factory offset angle).

The wire rope on a LEWIS is not under tension when you unspool it. The spool will run free like an old casting rod and give you a bird's nest in a heartbeat. When I've used it alone, I keep one hand on the spool and peel off wire while it's under a little tension. New wire will want to kink, especially the small diameter stuff that comes with the winch, so be careful of that when you've got a lot of wire out. When you bring it in, you'll find that the rollers on the fairlead are too close together and tend to bunch the wire in the middle. Make a spooler to guide the wire.

Get a couple of good steel stakes, as they make easy portable anchors, and a snatch block to redirect.

If all this sounds like you need to bring a buddy along for the extra set of hands, that would be a good idea.

Here are some YouTube videos I did for my trail crew when I first got my winch. I learned more about it after I made the videos, but they at least explain my "new guy" experience.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nulOLxehBpk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OS31kUOl9w

 

[Bearcreek]

How big of logs are you talking about?

 

[lumberjack333]

I used a simple redirect and rope to the chev method to clear a lakeside cottage lot out, worked really well. Placed the block about 10ft up a big ol' birch tree and pulled some nice sized logs up the hill no problem. Processed it all at the top of the hill and loaded the truck from there, I'll post some pics in a minute.

 

[lumberjack333]

Heres a few pics of the setup, used 3/4 poly rope to save wear and tear on my good rigging lines, the stuff still looked brand new at the end of the day... I was very surprised really...

The is the pile of wood we'd amassed by the end of the day.

 

[Bearcreek]

That shows why I was asking what size logs. We did a job with a similar setup a while back. The logs that we were pulling up though were 24"-30" diameter. Had to cut them to about 3 or 4' for the tractor to be able to pull them up. We actually snapped a 5/8ths 3 strand sling at one point. Yellow poly rope like that would never have worked. I've never used one, so I can't say for certain, but I don't think a lewis winch would have worked either. They're ok for small logs and brush but not big stuff.

 

[lumberjack333]

Yeah I don't think anything we did was larger than 20" dia, but we moved some good lenghts of it, the smallest were 12 ft and the larger ones maybe 20ft. Sometimes it got hooked up on rocks and stumps, but the truck was able to pull it all without too much trouble... I think the key is elevating the block, if you can set it up so the pull anlge is slightly up and forward then it reduces probably more than half the drag on the log.

The whole job was a cleanup operation, the home owner had asked some Hydro boys to come through and drop some trees.. He paid a good buck just to have them make a mess and walk away, they even had his service line disconnected for it so it was all cut at the base and drop em'. That was three years ago, I was able to clean that all up for a fraction of the price, and drop 4 more trees and take it all away... hopefully I'll get some return business out of him now. The area is just north of Huntsville, ON, cottage lake near a small village.. I'd like to establish myself in small communities like that and try and control a bunch of small areas like that... little off topic there but I get sidetracked easily haha.

:bang:

 

[TreeandLand]

Interesting to hear and see your experiences. I do have some doubts about the Lewis winch. But I might give it a shot anyway- when I do I'll leave a post to let you all know how it went. The situation at the house where the work will happen would make it difficult to pull rope with a truck, as the house is between the driveway and the logs in question.

The other possibility is a portable capstan winch. Here's a link http://www.portablewinch.com/en/ . Has anyone seen one in action?

 

[Bearcreek]

I have not seen one of those in action either, but again, it really depends on the size of the logs you're pulling. In my case, something that is designed to use 1/2" line is almost certain not to work for pulling logs up a hill because im usually handling logs that are to big for 1/2" line. If the logs you're looking at are small, say no more than 18"x8' and there's not too many of them, then it might be an efficient method for you.

 

[Koa Man]

I have owned and used both a Lewis and a Simpson capstan winch to skid brush and logs uphill. The Simpson is much much better. The distance is only limited by the length of your rope. I have 200 ft. for mine.

The do not recommend the Lewis. It is much heavier, you have limited length, you lose power as the cable winds around the reel, and it is easy to get the cable tangled up, not to mention the wire frays and be like having needles here and there. A rope capstan winch has none of those problems.

 

[JeffL]

I used a 1/2" diameter length of arborplex, tied to the ball hitch of a chevy 2500 with a bowline on a bight to pull logs up a hill, worked like a charm. Just need a good line of pull and a long driveway, saved having to buck everything to dinky pieces and lug them up the slope by hand, would have taken days as opposed to hours. Pulled a couple good 24"-28" diameter pieces of red oak up a nearly 30* slope, just needed to cut everything down to 5-6' lengths and pull them up sideways to avoid some of the stumps on the hill.

 

[Norwayclimber]

I have a Capstan portable and Im not really impressed with it. We usually prefer using a tractor with a winch or a pickup.

The Capstan is slow, and it works better on tradeshows than in real life (pulling logs along a lawn, compared to in the terrain )

 

[Koa Man]

I have a Capstan portable and Im not really impressed with it. We usually prefer using a tractor with a winch or a pickup.

The Capstan is slow, and it works better on tradeshows than in real life (pulling logs along a lawn, compared to in the terrain )

What if you can't get a pickup or tractor there? The capstan winch is still a lot faster than carrying the brush or log uphill. I use a plastic wheelbarrow tray to put the logs or brush on and pull the tray with the winch. It slides much better.

 

[Norwayclimber]

It does certaily have its times when it comes in handy. But I still think it isn't the tool you would want to be using if you're clearing a larger area, and pulling over longer distances. You'll be spending a lot time, and gonna have to cut the trees in smaller parts. So the homeowner might end up with some nice expencive firewood.

 

[Treecutr]

Koa Man. We have used truck bed liners to haul brush/logs out instead of carrying it. Works great, especially on grass.

 

[Bearcreek]

It does certaily have its times when it comes in handy. But I still think it isn't the tool you would want to be using if you're clearing a larger area, and pulling over longer distances. You'll be spending a lot time, and gonna have to cut the trees in smaller parts. So the homeowner might end up with some nice expencive firewood.

:agree2: It would be cheaper for them to just buy the wood cut and split already. At least it would if I was bidding the job. How longs it gonna take to haul a cord worth of wood up a hill like that with a capstan winch? I'd do it if somebody wanted me to but i'd make sure they realize they'd be better off just buying the wood.

 

[TreeandLand]

I agree...it would be cheaper for them to buy firewood. But they want the trees moved for the sake of making their property neater. I will caution them about the cost of the project vs. the price of firewood.

:agree2: It would be cheaper for them to just buy the wood cut and split already. At least it would if I was bidding the job. How longs it gonna take to haul a cord worth of wood up a hill like that with a capstan winch? I'd do it if somebody wanted me to but i'd make sure they realize they'd be better off just buying the wood.

 

[TreeandLand]

wheelbarrow tray

Good idea to use a wheelbarrow tray- I'll try that. I've also heard of using plastic skidding cones on the front of the logs to deflect obstacles. Have you tried that?

What if you can't get a pickup or tractor there? The capstan winch is still a lot faster than carrying the brush or log uphill. I use a plastic wheelbarrow tray to put the logs or brush on and pull the tray with the winch. It slides much better.

 

[Koa Man]

Never tried the cones. We usually cut wood small enough for guys to load. In the rare case we have a log worth milling, we will try and get as big a piece as possible to the street and load it with my Gehl.