3 Point log winches for tractors

[Ridge_top_farm_WVa]

I have a John Deere 4400 and I am wanting to get a log winch for it,what would you recommend to get:
I have heard of:
Farmi
Norse
Fransgard

Any suggestions/ideas/comments would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance

[Norm]

We've got a Farmi log winch that goes on our JD7210. Had it for about 3 years and haven't had any problems with it.

The JD4400 may be a little small for a logging winch, if you've got a front end loader on it that will help, some dirt in it will help keep the front end down. If you get a one make sure your on level ground with the winch sunk into the dirt for an anchor.

[Frank_Pender]

I designed my own.  I usded a winch off of a duce and a 1/2 by making a three point attatchments.  I then made an A frame that has a 12" boom out from it with a swinging grapple.  The first job I used it, I set one choker in 10 truckloads of Douglas Fir.  I operate the winch with a hydrulic motor  and the grapple from a third port on my John Deere 5300.  I am not able to use the grapple and the winch at the very same moments.  :-/  The total cost for everything was less that $1,000.

[Ed_K]

 I've been using a fransgard 2800 series for 4yrs now. Finally had to replace the drive chain, the only thing I didn't like about it was, you had to get off to release the lock by flipping a lever over, fixed that by drilling a hole in the lever and tieing a rope to it. I run it on a model 30 industrial MF, w/ a loader. Loader is set up with forks and a grapple off one fork. I didn't get a rotor with the grapple so I made a pin that will rotate 90 degs. Works great, but not much ground clearance.

[Scott]

 From what i've seen and herd farmi is king of winches. thier quality and design is unmatched. The franzgaurd doesn't look like a bad wich either. personally i'd go with farmi.

[Corley5]

We've got a Fransgard 4000 and love it.  We've used it extensively on our 180 MF and a friends Kubota.

[mapleveneer]

Sounds like brand name is rather unimportant.  I haven't heard anything bad about any of the currently available winches.  I bought my first one in about 1980 and am on my second Farmi now which I bought almost 20 years ago.  It's a 30 hp winch on a 50 hp tractor so I have broken most everything there is to break but it still works fine.  The winch is the most used attachment I have for the tractor.  I would be lost without it.  It has gotten me out  of many a bind.  See photo under Logging Methods and Equipment post 421:  

http://www.forestryforum.com/cgi-bin/board/YaBB.pl?board=Business;action=display;num=1017008092;start=420

That photo was last winter's project where I cut 13,000 bd. ft. of pine logs and skidded them out with the winch.

Once you get a winch you won't ever want to be without one.

[Norm]

That's a good point mapleveneer, we use ours for lots of stuff other than skidding. If I don't have the mower on I leave the skidder on year round.

[Larry]

30,000 pound Garwood winch off an old wrecker.




Where I log at I have to set up in a field and pull the trees out of very steep hollars.  The winch will pull anything including the tractor backwards.  The winch has a plate that digs into the ground.  I also push the FEL into the ground, and have the brakes locked but if it is to steep I just pull the tractor backwards.  Anybody got an idea for a better anchor system?  

[Frank_Pender]

DonT tie the frontend down, or you will separate your tractor into at least two parts.

[Bro. Noble]

Larry,

We rigged up a very similar winch.  We have a bumper on the back of the winch that we back up against a tree.

[Larry]

Frank,
That is a very valid concern.  I did chain down the front of the tractor a couple of times but I quit when I considered it's not worth the risk.

Noble,
Think I need to build a bigger bumper.

[Frank_Pender]

Larry, What I do now on the newer model I built , it put in a hydraulic motor to operate the winch.  It is very slow, but like I havementioned earlier, the first logging job in which I used the newer unit, I set only one choker in in ten truckloads of 24' Fir.  I used the grapple attatchment and took hold of the butts and drug the whole tree (delimbed) to the landing.

For a bumper, you might consider using a piece of hundered pound  railroad track.