My winch project

[Daferris]

I've been clearing some of the fallen trees to widen the deer paths thru the woods next to the house. Kind of a make work project admittedly but eventually I should have about a mile of pathways in the woods to enjoy.
I wanted to avoid knocking down some of the saplings that are off the path so that I don't end up with the place looking like it got clear cut... For the stuff that U can't get to with the grapple I made a winch that is on a removable 2" receiver to hook to a 3pt trailer mover I got off of E Bay. The winch is on a pivot so it can rotate to pull from either side. It also has a handheld remote so I can run the winch from back at the log. I have a relay controlled from a dash switch and a 150 Amp breaker for where the main power comes off the battery so that 1) the circuit is not "hot" all the time and 2) if the +12v lead ever gets damaged the circuit is protected to the tractor is not damaged. The power outlet at the back of the tractor is a 50 Amp Anderson connector simply unplugged and with just the pin in the receiver pulled removed from the tractor for storage. Best of all no tools are needed to remove or install the winch.

 

[GSD-Keegan]

Good job!

 

[radas]

Nicely done!

 

[cthomas]

Just so you are aware of this, that design basically makes your 3 point the fusible link. That winch should be mounted on the drawbar as this is designed for pulling. I definitely would not be doubling the pulling power of that 3K winch thru the use of a snatch block.

 

[Daferris]

Just so you are aware of this, that design basically makes your 3 point the fusible link. That winch should be mounted on the drawbar as this is designed for pulling. I definitely would not be doubling the pulling power of that 3K winch thru the use of a snatch block.

If I was pulling anywhere near the 3k yes I would agree with you. However this is skidding stuff already down that I can't get close enough to get with the grapple. The stress on the 3pt for what I am pulling is minimal. I could probably get away with a 500 pound pull winch but the 3k one is the same as what's on the trailer so it doubles as a backup if the trailer winch ever takes a dump...

 

[jimh406]

It's not just the force on the 3 point though, the pull forces are lower on the draw bar. The three point pulls above the axle instead of below the axle.

I'm not saying yours doesn't work, but attaching to the draw bar won't tip the tractor back.

 

[Daferris]

It's not just the force on the 3 point though, the pull forces are lower on the draw bar. The three point pulls above the axle instead of below the axle.

I'm not saying yours doesn't work, but attaching to the draw bar won't tip the tractor back.

Or you could perhaps just lower the 3pt hitch if that were an issue....

 

[N3BP]

I will echo what others have said since I also run winches on my tractors. You really need to keep an eye on how the tractor is reacting when winching. Even a smaller 3K winch like yours has enough power to damage your machine. Always mount front winches to the frame, and rear ones to the drawbar.

 

[jimh406]

Or you could perhaps just lower the 3pt hitch if that were an issue....

That's not the way the physics works. All of the attachment points for the three point are above the axle. You can't change that by lowering them via hydraulics.

 

[MapleLeafFarmer]

nice project.... as a long time user of winches of all sorts... keep an eye on their effect on your electrical system... a 3k winch can have a draw around 200 amps so some care on this issue is important... maybe consider over time if you find you use it a lot maybe consider a 3k hydraulic winch? your duty cycle goes way up, no heating problem on the winch if you want to make multiple or long puls, and risk on the tractors electrical system / ECU goes away.

I mostly use a mechanical winch tied into my PTO and you will surely find a winch wickedly valuable valuable skidding trees out of the bush while protecting your machine body, tires, and all the little stuff under neath like electrical / hoses / filters / etc....

 

[Showmedata]

I'm curious to see how well the stock electrical system keeps up with that winch. I have a receiver-mounted winch sitting in my shop but I haven't wired up the tractor for it because I thought the OEM battery + charging system wouldn't be able to serve it very well. Kindly let us know how much runtime you get out of it before killing the battery, and how long it takes to recharge.

Thanks.

 

[Daferris]

I'm curious to see how well the stock electrical system keeps up with that winch. I have a receiver-mounted winch sitting in my shop but I haven't wired up the tractor for it because I thought the OEM battery + charging system wouldn't be able to serve it very well. Kindly let us know how much runtime you get out of it before killing the battery, and how long it takes to recharge.

Thanks.

I have the same winch mounted to the trailer it's powered by a stand alone ( no charging system connected to it) 300Ah lawn mower battery. One of my son's use it to load & unload a Neon that his girlfriend runs at the local circle track. It will do at least 2 weekends (4 loading & 4 unloading) without a problem I have a plug wired to the battery for the trickle charger that plug into it to charge it up. On the tractor I have a voltage monitor the alternator keeps up fine with the winch. Can't run the winch more than a couple of minutes at a time before the motor gets hot anyway. As to the power draw I have a 150 amp breaker at the battery so it can't draw much over that without tripping the breaker. Haven't tried the winch with the tractor shut off as soon as I get the tree dragged out I'm grabbing it with the grapple to either cut it shorter to get through the woods or put it out to the woodpile.