iDRY Vacuum Kilns

Sponsors:

Best tractor winch 85hp FWD

Started by Hans1, April 04, 2007, 10:49:43 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Hans1

I am looking for information  on tractor winches I have a JD 6405it is FWD and has a loader  this will be used for firewood harvesting Thanks

RSteiner

That's like asking what is the best brand of tractor, truck, or chainsaw. 

I can only tell you what I've experienced.  I have a Farmi winch that is approaching 28 years of age and use that has been a trouble free work horse.  I have a friend who has owned a Norse winch for 10 or 12 years without any problems.  In fact all the popular brand winches out there have recieved good reviews.

Today there are hydraulic driven winches, they were not available when I purchased mine.  Look at them all and then determine what color you like best.

Randy 
Randy

Cedarman

I have used a Farmi for 15 or so years.  No problems.  I have pulled hard enough with this winch to raise all 4 wheels of my MF 165 diesel with 400 pound of front weights and fluid in the rears off the ground with the entire weight setting on the blade. I did ease it back down and reroute the pull.  Don't know anything about the other winches.

Anybody use the remote devices on their winches?  Are they worth having?
I am in the pink when sawing cedar.

slowzuki

I've only ever used a Farmi 501 but a friend has a big norse he uses on a 100 pto hp NH and has used it hard for 15 years.  He works about 120 days a year in the woods with another man, they have cut about 100 acres in the last few winters.

Ever Green

I use the Farmi 501.  Great piece of equip.  I'm going to sell it and get the 601.  Much more heavy duty and has a bit more power.  I use a TN-75 to haul tops out with.  I think the 501's are more for the weekend warrior vs. the guys that are out there everyday using it...at least that is what an old timer once told me...either way, you can't go wrong with farmi.  Hey, if your looking for a used 501 let me know...don't know how far you are away though, I'm near Buffalo....good luck...hey we just got about 5" of snow and its still snowing...
Vince

Woodhog

"I have done a fair amount of "Farm Tractor " winching".

Your tractor is a good size machine for some serious work, I would buy a Farmi 601.

Only use the open type of chain chokers

chockers

The closed loop type are very hard to get unhooked at the landing when everything is snarled up .

If you are rich I would get radio control (if available), this will save a lot of walking.

Your tractor will never do more than a fast idle with this winch, and your hydralics will pick the load up easily.

I would get at least 10 chains, dont ever throw them on the ground, always hang them up and keep a mental count of where they are or you will need 100.

Your winch should have boxes and hooks on it to store as much junk as possible,
bungie cord a fire shovel to the screen, small pevy,  a device to carry the saw is also very helpful as well as a 3 foot wrecking bar.

Put boxes on your tractor fenders for the rest of your stuff, lunch, water, gas and oil.

Dont have anything laying on the platform around your feet.

Make sure the JD is protected with skid plate and brush covers.

Maybe start to to some leg exercises too!!!!

Carry a cell phone.

Are we having fun???

Stephen Alford

This is a hydraulic winch by Skid'nWinch bought it 17 years ago , used it on a TD7 dozer for a couple of years then on a Ford 5610 (4x4 65 hp ) ever since. Spools both ways and freespools as well.[im
g][/img]
logon

thecfarm

I have a Norse winch on the back of my 40 hp Ford.Been there for 15 years.Hardly ever take it off.It has twitched a lot of wood out.I would think a hyd would be real nice.I don't think they was around back in '92 much.I would suggest getting a butt plate that pivots.This way it wiil flip up when you go over a rock or a stump.I can put the pins back into and use it to drag the trails too.There a few brands out there and they all do just about the same thing.My winch has a place to hang the chains on the guard and a box on each side to holds the left over chain that hangs down.I should say the guard that was there.Last time I used it,I finally did it in.I was using it to haul out some small trees in the pasture and I had to back up for some reason.Well they rode up and hit the guard and really did a job on it that time.This wasn't the first time either.Seems like I get in more of a mess with the small trees than the big ones.
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

russell

i have a 6400 and a 601 farmi works great you will need 1000# on front end  but ,i am  in the mountainsit

Hans1

 Thanks for all of your responses.This winch will be used primarly on my own land I am located in Southern Iowa. Most of the work that I will  do will be firewood. I have been doing TSI work with some state funding but their budget is alot less than before. most of the wood will be 16"DBH or less. I think that it will also be handy for small select cuts. My research is leading me towards a Farmi 601 but would probaly look at any used winch that would fit. I also have a homemade front grapple bucket. My plan is to skid tree length and have the wood hauled to a processor.  The skidding routes are either established trails or open fields. Thanks Again

bitternut

I have the Norse 450 on my JD 5210. It has worked well so far although I did bend up the notched bars on the top of the butt plate. I was skidding out some very large beech and according to their expert it was operator error. Probably was. I now pull the big stuff with the cable only. Seems to work quite well that way.They told me to take it to a blacksmith or weld shop to get it fixed and they would pay the repair bill. Haven't done that yet and probably won't. Most likely I will just cut the notched bar off and weld on another one made out of heavy angle iron. I do like the hinged butt plate on my Norse. Made it real easy to fab up the 2" trailer hitch receiver since the butt plate will come right off just by pulling a couple of pins. It is heavy but one guy can handle it. Much easier working on it with it sitting on a couple of saw horses.

I looked at the Farmi but could not get a decent price in my area or any place else for that matter. There are 3 or 4 very comparable winches on the market and you would probably be happy with any one of them. Since they seemed so close I went strictly with price. I got the Norse shipped out of New Hampshire for several hundred dollars less than the competitors. Have not regretted it yet.

Woodhog gave some good advice. Especially about not laying anything down. I just found a choker that I had laid in the snow a month ago. Stuff has a way of becoming invisible once it hits the snow.

Your tractor is bigger than mine and will easily handle all your winching needs at idle. My tractor at idle has no problem winching several logs up steep grades. If a log gets hung up you will be less likely to overstress things at idle. Never raised the front of the tractor and don't plan on doing it. I think it is better to get a new hold of a hung-up log than just applying more HP to it.

Whichever one you get I know you will like it. Sure makes life a lot easier. ;D


slowzuki

The notches will pull out if you don't give the butts of big logs room to swing.  Its like a giant lever so something will have to give.  Don't jam the butt up tight to the lower pulley either, it will bend the main shaft of the winch if you bind up.  The best way is to just pull from the tops, you are much less likely to bind it and you don't have to winch as far in the woods, just fell towards your skid trail.

thecfarm

I suppose you can pull from the top if you have a skidder or a big tractor.But with my 40 hp I almost always pull from the big end.I don't want the weigh way out.I want it up close to me.I've been pulling from the cable for 15 years.Just leave some slack and no sharp corners.Most of the first couple logs I pull out if I did use the notches wouldn't even come off the ground.
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

slowzuki

I have the same problem if pulling from the butt, I can't lift it clear unless it is very close, then it would bind turning.  I can usually get 3-4 14" dbh, 50 ft tall spruce per hitch pulling from the tops.  My tractor weighs about 7250 lbs with the winch on.

Hans1

Thanks again for all the info.Two more questions how many logs can be winched and left on the cable, This would be nice to cross our creek crossings to release the winch and rewinch when on better ground?2 What is the best way to attach a reciever for  hitch to a log trailer?

thecfarm

How many logs?As many as you can pull,I would say.Depends on the size too.At times I have seen my winch pull hemlock logs out of the bog,real heavy,up a real steep enbankment  knocking over rocks and digging up roots and ask for more.Than I've seen it try to pull a white pine on level ground that is smaller and not move it.Had to pull it sideways to get it off from whatever it thought it was stuck on.Update your profile so we know where you are from.I don't know what you call a creek.Around here I could get in some trouble crossing a creek with water in it if  I did not do it the way the state wanted me to.I think I uderstand question 2.I will have to make my drawbar a little bit longer.This is the big thick piece of metal that goes under the tractor to hook up trailer too.I rotate my butt plate up and that gives me the room I need.I plan on making the reciever similar like what is on a small truck,I can't recall the size of the tubing.I want to be able to see it from the seat of my tractor easier.I built a box behind me for chainsaw and I can't see it too good. Was not a big deal before.I only have a trailer on it a few times.But I just bought a outdoor furnace and I will be trailering a lot of wood now.Seems like I've seen some of the guys on here cut a hole into the winch for a reciever of have a place to put it right into the winch.
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

slowzuki

My winch has no butt plate, only legs so you can hitch below it or onto the factory hitch on the body of it.  I don't like the factory one because if a wagon overruns me on a steep hill it could push the winch up to the highest 3 point position and bend the hitch pin.

The Tajfun winches are a nicely built winch and I think they have a 2" receiver built right in.  I have also seen people cut a hole in the butt plate and weld a receiver in place.

Quote from: Hans1 on April 10, 2007, 11:27:35 PM
Thanks again for all the info.Two more questions how many logs can be winched and left on the cable, This would be nice to cross our creek crossings to release the winch and rewinch when on better ground?2 What is the best way to attach a reciever for  hitch to a log trailer?

Hans1

I should have provided more info on the intial post. My location is in Iowa, the creeks that I was refering to will only have water when it would be to wet to work. We cross theses all of the time with other equipment,The reason that a log trailer would be so handy is that the skids could be quite long, over a mile. thanks

Norm

Something that I do is use an old running gear behind my tractor for a cheap log trailer, mine's an old one from anhydrous tanks. You could put some bunks on it and carry some on it. I put a couple of logs on my fel forks and some on it and can move a lot of logs pretty cheaply.

xtenon

Woodhog,

Your thorough and to-the-point advice on tractor/winch logging is exactly why I visit this forum.  After a few short seasons using a farmi winch I can see the wisdom in each of your suggestions.  Nothing better than getting hard-earned advice without charge, injury, or damages.  Thanks


Gleaning from these conversations reminds me of a favorite quote from Will Rogers...
QuoteGood judgement comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgement.

wiam

My tajfun did not come from the factory with a receiver.  It has one now. ;D  There is a hitch that comes with it that has a drop pin it it, but I took it off because it was in the way of winching.  It bolts on with a 5/8" bolt so when I want it on I use a 5/8" hitch pin.

Will

Hans1

 Thanks to all that responded.I have changed my plan and found a 1970s TJ skidder from a friend. Skidder is in minnesota I have used it and it is perfect for my needs. I have to figure out how much it weighs and how to get it from northern minnesota to southern Iowa. The cost is almost the same as the farmi 601. My main reason for going this way is to save the tractor it has a full glass cab and that worried me in the timber. I think that the reason my friend is selling it he is now cutting with a feller/buncher and doesn't have use for a cable machine. The TJ is a 240.

Thank You Sponsors!