winch on front of B2630

[ANiforos]

Hello all,

I have a Kubota B2630 with a FEL. I live on six acres, with most of it wooded. Basically I use the tractor with a couple of different road smoothing implements to keep my thousand foot driveway and two thousand foot private road in good order.

Recently, I have used several chains and dragging tongs from Northern to get some logs out of my neighbors woods. I heat with wood most of the winter. What I have done is to use the tongs along with two to three 15 foot chains to get these logs out of the woods. After using this method several times, I thought, why not get a winch and mount it on the front of the tractor so I don't have to haul those heavy chains by hand. So I have started looking at Harbor Freight winches.....I know, don't laugh please, everything at Harbor Freight is not junk.

Harbor Freight has a 2500 lb winch regular price 150.00 on sale with a coupon for about $50.00.

They also have a 3500 lb winch on sale for $149.00.

They also have a 5000 lb winch on sale for 200.00

Those prices will be lowered with the 20% off coupon.

So I am asking for advice here. Will the smaller, 2500 winch be strong enough to drag out logs that are around two feet in diameter and 24 to 30 inches long? I have no idea how much these logs weigh.

Any input would be appreciated.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

Will the smaller, 2500 winch be strong enough to drag out logs that are around two feet in diameter and 24 to 30 inches long? I have no idea how much these logs weigh.

Simple answer not very well or not for very long.

It's not only the weight of the log it's the drag resistance too.

I would say 7500Lb or better of a winch.

 

[cerlawson]

Why do it the hard way? I have hauled may a log up steep grades out of the woods, but I use a nylon rope about 3/4" or a little larger. Pulling is done from rear going forward, not backing up.

What I do is build a cleat on an attachment for the three point with a couple of trailer hitch balls, as well as the cleat. Then pull where you can see what is going on and the rope doesn't snag too much stuff. You may need a snatch block part way down the hill to direct the log away from stumps, etc.

If the log gets stuck, leave some tension on the roep and go down there (as you would also with chains) and pry it loose. The log will move up past the snag due to the tension.

Rope is much easier to handle, but is like a rubber band. If it breaks, it throws stuff. As long as you keep that in mind, a lot of logs can be snagged before rope is worn out. A few knots also OK, but they don't pass snatch blocks.

 

[Tooljunkie]

Good winches are rated with a drum half full of cable. Cheap winches are rated on the second layer of cable on the drum. Better off with a larger winch as an easy pull on a big winch is better than a hard pull in a tiny winch. A skidding attatchment on back end is better in all situations.

 

[pendoreille]

If a chain breaks it pretty much drops to the ground...if a rope breaks it can cut you in half..scary

 

[ShaunBlake]

Thumbs up to Tooljunkie's recommendation: log skidder.

Tongs is great but you are dragging so much that it's a big chore, therefore, step up to the next level. Winches are great but they are used to work falls around, not to haul 'em out.

One point I'm not clear on: the logs are cut up into little pieces, two to three feet long? If so, no wonder you're beat! Skid out the 20' logs, and cut and split near your woodpile!

Go on YouTube and check out log skidders; there's lots of info on commercial units, and *lots* of info for DIYers. And it's surprising what litle SCUTs and ATVs can move.

Good luck! Keep us posted!

 

[skeets]

This works pretty fair
http://www.northerntool.com/shop/to..._source=RatingsAndReviews&utm_content=Default

or something like this

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200356854_200356854
Like the man said only 24- 30 inches long drag the whole thing out and cut it at the splitter OR cut them to size and drag the splitter to the woods split and haul out with a wagon

 

[pendoreille]

This works pretty fair
http://www.northerntool.com/shop/to..._source=RatingsAndReviews&utm_content=Default

or something like this

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200356854_200356854
Like the man said only 24- 30 inches long drag the whole thing out and cut it at the splitter OR cut them to size and drag the splitter to the woods split and haul out with a wagon

It looks to like the first Northern Tool item is pulling on the top link of the 3 pt hitch, which I understand to be a no no. Am I not looking at that correctly?

 

[Daren Todd]

It looks to like the first Northern Tool item is pulling on the top link of the 3 pt hitch, which I understand to be a no no. Am I not looking at that correctly?

I 2nd that. We had a skidder winch set up similar to the one in this link. Notice it's got spots to attach chockers down low. That thing was awesome in the woods. One we had was rated for a forty to sixty horse tractor, but the price was right. And used it on an l2250 with fel. We averaged about 50 chord worth of logs a year with that winch set up. Had many a time coming out of the woods with the front tires 6" or so off the ground steering with the brakes and a foot hovering over the clutch


http://www.wikco.com/images/fx120.jpg

 

[cerlawson]

Darren:

I trust you have ROP bars. right? A friend of mine lost his dad when the front wheels didn't stay at 6" but over she went with him underneath.

Perhaps I missed it, but the question was getting them out when you could not get the tractor to them.

 

[Daren Todd]

Darren:

I trust you have ROP bars. right? A friend of mine lost his dad when the front wheels didn't stay at 6" but over she went with him underneath.

Perhaps I missed it, but the question was getting them out when you could not get the tractor to them.

Rops and belt fastened. Tractor was in first gear low range. Some times second if it was a light load. Fel was full of blocks of wood, and just high enough to keep from digging in the ground. Would have grabbed a load of dirt, but it was winter and usually had at least two feet of frost under the snow. The way the bottom was shaped on the winch, it would only allow the front end to come off the ground 8", then you stopped.

The link I posted was almost identical to the logging winch we used. One we had, had a 100ft cable with hook on end and the three rings on sliders like in the pic. You lower the winch, run your cable out and attach to the log, or multiple logs depending on the size. Walk back to the tractor, engage the pto, and pull a lever to engage the clutch on the winch. Once your logs arrive, you hook the chocker in the slots provided raise the winch and drag them the rest of the way out The extra rings on the slider came in handy if you had to pull a log sideways as well. You could hook a choker around a tree and attach to the ring, engage the winch and it would offset the log to get it around a stump.

Fyi, one of those winches will spoil you rotten if you do a lot of wood

 

[GaryL]

Unless you've done an alternator upgrade, you should only have 14.5 amps of dynamo power in the B2630. You will run the risk of killing that battery pretty quick running winches big enough to be effective. That is why the pto is used on real log winches off the back. I would do an upgrade before I ever spend the money on the winch. I drop below 13v as soon as I turn on two 55w driving lights and the headlights. A winch will kill ya pretty quick.

 

[ANiforos]

Hello to all who replied. First I'd like to apologize for taking a couple of days to reply to your responses to my post, especially to everyone who replied so quickly.

I'll try to answer several questions with this post. I didn't cut up the tree. It was on a neighbors land which is next to my driveway and he had it cut down. Seemed like easy pickins at first, but like lots of projects, it got a little more involved as I began. Its an area that is really not very accessible on a tractor. There is a bit of a grade going down to the cut logs and there are too many other trees of varying sizes in the area which prevents me from just driving up to them. I kind of have to work with how the tree cutters left everything. I thought the fifty dollar 2500 # Harbor Freight winch sounded like a good idea, but the more I learn about electric winches the more I believe I'll keep using the chains to drag out the cut logs. Its not like there will be lots of other trees I will need to get, when this tree is gathered up the log gathering in that area will be done.

Thanks again for all your input.

 

[ANiforos]

Hello to all who replied. First I'd like to apologize for taking a couple of days to reply to your responses to my post, especially to everyone who replied so quickly.

I'll try to answer several questions with this post. I didn't cut up the tree. It was on a neighbors land which is next to my driveway and he had it cut down. Seemed like easy pickins at first, but like lots of projects, it got a little more involved as I began. Its an area that is really not very accessible on a tractor. There is a bit of a grade going down to the cut logs and there are too many other trees of varying sizes in the area which prevents me from just driving up to them. I kind of have to work with how the tree cutters left everything. I thought the fifty dollar 2500 # Harbor Freight winch sounded like a good idea, but the more I learn about electric winches the more I believe I'll keep using the chains to drag out the cut logs. Its not like there will be lots of other trees I will need to get, when this tree is gathered up the log gathering in that area will be done.

 

[ANiforos]

I've been thinking about this winch thing for a while and I think I may have come up with a solution to my problem. What if I attach the winch to my tractor and then reel out however much cable I need to hook it to the log I want to pull. Then pull the log out of the woods using the tractor only, not the motor on the winch. Then when I get the log to where I want it and can get to it with FEL, I move the tractor a little closer to the log I've just pulled, then wind up several feet of the cable with no pull or resistance on the cable, then move the tractor again several feet closer to the log, then wind up more of the cable......keep doing this until I have it all wound up. That way I would not be using the winch motor and not have to worry about my battery and electrical system or duty cycle of the winch. Sound too easy a fix for what I want to do. Any thoughts on why it might not be a good idea or why it will not work.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

Not a real good plan IMHO.

#1 Your likely to break the brake or gears in the winch.
#2 It's not very safe, To small a cable on that small of a winch, if it breaks you might wear it!
#3 Winching in a cable with no load will allow the cable to get all out of whack, causing it to wear and bind in all sorts of ways, possible again damaging the cable or winch.

 

[lreops]

My vision of that approach is of a sling shot aimed right at you. The first and major problem, by my sometime feeble thinking, is that you're dragging something of considerable weight, not at all elevated at the leading edge to prevent digging in or at the worst, snagging on something like a submerged rock or root, thus creating a tremendous jolt to the cable, and if it lets go, it's coming right back at you! Of course, the risk diminishes by the length of log you're trying to pull. If I can't get it so that I can use my 3pt to drag out, then a different plan is needed.

I think that you're just better off biting the bullet and put some more manual labor into it then what you were hoping too. The main thing is to be extra safe when dealing with large equipment and the job's they're asked to do. And not to forget "Murphy", he's always lurking around just waiting for an opportunity to remind us of him.

My 2½¢ feeble minded say.


Ron

 

[ANiforos]

Original Poster here. Wow, what a response I've gotten from all of you. What seemed like a good idea really has turned out to be a bad idea. And I have all of you to thank for helping me out on this. I'll stick to my series of chains and use some good old elbow grease. This project of getting this cut up tree out of the woods and into my woodstove is not going to be a continuous project anyway. I can't thank you all enough for spending the time to write some very long and detailed comments.

Alex