Snowsquall's homemade arch and winch

[shinnlinger]

Hi,

Snowsquall unassumingly posted a pic of this beauty in another thread and I had to know more and  he gave me this very complete rundown.  SInce I thought other might benefit from his knowledge and experience here you go.

The project began with the towable arch - I towed it behind a John Deere 1010 dozer with winch.  It worked well, but you had to winch mostly straight on as it would tip as soon as a strain came on the cable if you were pulling to the side. So I switched to plan B and put a winch on the little trailer.  It's pretty rusty in these pics – it sits for 11 ½ months a year as I only use it to cut firewood now.



Here is a list of parts:

Item

Trailer

1.            Front axle out of 1950ish GMC truck.

Of course anything strong enough to handle the load would work - 1 Ton pickup rearend if you cut the guts out of it so the wheels would turn freely. Maybe the rear wheels off a front wheel drive car or van would work. Rear hubs off a 99 pontiac grand am would also do the trick as they would bolt to your frame – just weld the regular 15 inch rims inside some bigger rims/tires.

2.            tow bar                                4" I beam - about 6 feet (you can put a trailer coupler on the tractor end or just make up something to hook to the lower draw bar)

3.            wheel braces     1/4" plate 12x12" (Make braces to keep wheels from turning on kingpins – weld between frame and inside of wheel hub) (See Picture 5)

4.            two braces          1 ½ angle iron – about 6 feet

Arch

5.            4" channel iron - about 15 feet.  Make the arch and drum support out of this.

6.            1/2" plate about 12x12" (on top of arch to hold It together)

7.            Make a roller fairlead (or something similar)



Winch (I made the following winch because that was what I had for materials. You can substitute any winch.  The arch is the real reason for building this)

Drain grease and cut off rear end housing 2 inches from where it transitions from round to tubular.

Cut one axle off so it protrudes slightly from the cut off housing.

Take a piece of the 4" channel that will cover the cut off housing and cut a hole in it and weld it on the bottom of the cut off housing  so the cut off axle will protrude through it. Weld the axle to it so that it will not turn and all the rotation will go up through the other axle when in use.

Mount rear end pumpkin on the trailer so open end points up. Align it so the side of the drum is in the middle of the arch fairlead (A) in picture 5.

Cut off the second axle at the wheel hub end.

8.            Rear end out of 1953 International school bus (( anything will work but it can NOT be a Posi ))

9.            4 speed Chevy trans with granny low

10.          6 or 8 inch Well casing (1 foot long)

10A.       (2  pieces) 1" plate disks the diameter of the inside of the well casing with holes in the center the size of the axle.

11.          1/2" plate 12x18" (transmission support)

11A        Misc steel for rear trans support

12.          (2 pieces) 1/4" plate 12x12" ( cut round for ends of winch drum)

13.          drive shaft between trans and rear end (I had the drive shaft from the Chevy 4 speed and the driveshaft from the school bus.  Weld them together. I was lucky that they were close in diameter and one fit inside the other. Low speed so don't worry too much about wobble.

Take the 1" plate (item 17) and draw the max diameter circle possible on it.  Draw teeth all the way around the circle (like the gear on the cable drum of a come-along) Cut a hole in the center of the plate. Cut the teeth.

Put the remaining axle down through the open end of the rear end. Slide the gear you just made down the axle until it is about 2 inches above the cut off housing. Mark the axle so you know where the gear goes.  Remove the axle and gear and position the gear in the position marked above.  Weld the gear onto the axle. Top and bottom and get good penetration as the welds will receive a heavy load.

Make the winch drum out of the well casing. Put the two 1" plate circles inside the well casing on each end. Weld into place.  You may put a third circular plate inside the middle of the drum if you are worried about the drum crushing (depending on the strength of the well casing).  You can weld the inside of the first disk easily through the open end, but the second one will have to be welded though the hole in the disk already installed. Weld two welding rods together to reach.

Take the 2 pieces of ¼" plate (12 above) and cut the biggest possible circle out of them.  Cut holes in the middle slightly larger than the axle.  Press these pieces against the ends of the drum to make sure they sit flat.  Slide one round piece over the cut off end of the axle and let it fall against the gear.  Slide the well casing onto the axle until it is about  2 inches above the gear (or whatever distance will allow you to get a welding rod in between the gear and the well casing.  Weld both ends of the well casing (winch drum) to the axle. Take care with the welds – prob the most important welds on this winch.  Put the ¼ circular plate against the bottom end of the drum and weld into place.  Put the second ¼" plate on the top of the drum and weld into place.

Stick the drum/axle down into the rear end.  You can take a piece of tractor tube and cut a small hole in the center and stretch it on over the splined end and slide it up under the dog gear – it will keep snow/debris/water out of the rear end.



Picture 2. I used a lathe to cut a recess for the bearing race to press into. Cut hole in the center of Item 15, slide it over axle and weld to top of drum.  Slide bearing down onto axle onto the top of 15.  Set item 16 on the top of the bearing so race matches bearing.  Item 16 is bolted to the top structure. Place the top structure over the bearing assembly to hold the winch drum assembly down in the rear end. See picture 5. There isn't much pressure upward unless you are winching down a steep hill, otherwise the load is transferred through the channel iron to the top of the arch.  The axle on this one is 2 inches in diameter so most of the load is taken by the axle carrier in the rear end anyway – the top frame just keeps it steady. I don't have measurements for the support frame – keep cutting and grinding or adding metal until it fits.

14.          Thrust bearing that will slide over axle

15.          1/4" plate 4x4"

16.          1/2" plate 4x4"

Cut the 1/2 " 12x18 plate to slide on over the I-Beam and drill holes for transmission pattern.  Mount the transmission to it (see Picture) and slide it along the I-beam from the hitch end.  Install the drive shaft and shim/twist/lift as required until the driveshaft turns freely. Weld the 1/2 " plate to the I-beam and the braces (11A).

The winch drum lock works like a come along.  Cut a gear out of item #9 and weld it on the axle before you put the drum on. See pictures 3 and 4 to set up the locking dog.

17.          1" plate 12x12" (winch locking gear)

18.          1" square stock about 8 inches long (drum dog)

19.          spring

18.          light chain

18A        Channel iron with slot

20.          rope

21.          pulley

The idea is to pull the dog onto the gear as you winch and latch it using the rope, pulley and chain – the chain will lock in the slot in the channel iron welded to the left side of the drum support.  It will make the click, click, click sound like a come-along when winching in.  When you have the load winched up off the ground, press on the clutch and the load will go back out an inch or so until the dog locks.  Take the PTO out of gear and head for the wood yard.

To drop the load, loosen the chain on the dog lock.  Put the PTO in gear, release the clutch until the drum turns and the spring pulls the dog away. Step on the clutch again and the winch will free spool and the load will drop to the ground.

23.          PTO drive shaft – cut center out of clutch and weld onto u-joint so it will slide onto trans input shaft.  You could also mount a hydraulic motor assembly to the input shaft of the transmission.

Add braces as you see fit.

[shinnlinger]

More pics

[treefarmer87]

that is cool 8)

[isawlogs]

I really like this winch, farmer enginering at its best  8) 8)

  I like that you/he kept the trany on it to have control of speed on cable .. 

[rockman]

Interesting..........

[tjdub]

Needs a slip clutch  or at least a shear pin 

[isawlogs]

Shear pin can easily be put on one of the drive shafts,  just like a snowblower. Dat be fairly easy.

[Mooseherder]

Yabutt, maybe he didn't put one in because he didn't want no shearing. ;D

[GDinMaine]

Get a few things that were designed to do something and turn them into something else that functions well.  Fantastic!!! 

[Ironwood]

Cool. Ironwood

[Meadows Miller]

Gday

I Like It  ;) ;D ;D 8) 8)  but I do seem  like any old bit of gear too    ;)   :D ;D ;D

Regards Chris

[thecfarm]

A really good idea.I bookmarked,just in case.I have a few old Ford rear ends kicking around here.Nice detailed parts lists too.

[shinnlinger]

Yeah, keep in mind he originally built it for use behind a dozer.  I would think if your using it behind a 40 horse tractor, lighter duty duty stuff from mere civilian vehicles would be fine....

I like the idea of a tow behind arch for a smaller tractor also as it is not as limited by the amount the 3pt can lift and if you are going with a tow behind unit you now have the space for a transmission which gives you reverse if you need it on top of 4 speeds.

...and you can probably build one of these for about 3 grand less than a farmi.....

[isawlogs]

I think that going with the trany will give you neutral, wich will give free spooling out.  ;)

[shinnlinger]

Good point,  it is more convenient (and less drag) to neutral the tranny than climbing on the tractor.  YOu could also shorten the other axleshaft and keep both brake drums intact and tighten the opposite shaft to get the winch to turn.  I envision using a master cylinder and a rope as remote control and this way you have a deadman safety.  Keeping a brake on the winch side could be another way to lock a load or lower a load up in a tree.

I think I would try to shorten the whole rig some and put the U joint right over the hitch to help with tight turns.

[Hilltop366]

Shinnlinger thanks for posting!

Nice backyard engineering!

The problem see with using the transmission shifter and and/or a brake as a clutch is the unprotected drive shaft, where as if you have to get on the tractor to operate the winch it keeps you clear of that danger point. A drive shaft guard would be the answer.

I think I would try to shorten the whole rig some and put the U joint right over the hitch to help with tight turns.

I not sure I understand, I have a dump trailer with a drive shaft set up like this and the U joint on the tractor end of shaft is above the pivot point of trailer.

[shinnlinger]

shaft guard is a good idea.  I believe your dump trailer is set up the way I think they should be, can you post a pic or two?  Snowsquall's arch has the U joint a foot or so away form the pivot and I believe that could create problems on tight turns.  That said, his is 30 years old and has hauled some serious stuff so perhaps it is a nonissue.  Hopefully we can get him to chime in here.

[red]

this is a little off topic but on Toms web page

www.tomssaw.com

there is a picture of a Pulpwood Truck

kinda similar 

[shinnlinger]

That truck was part of another thread which helped shaped my vision of using an open diff axle as a pto winch.

[snowsquall]

shaft guard is a good idea.  I believe your dump trailer is set up the way I think they should be, can you post a pic or two?  Snowsquall's arch has the U joint a foot or so away form the pivot and I believe that could create problems on tight turns.  That said, his is 30 years old and has hauled some serious stuff so perhaps it is a nonissue.  Hopefully we can get him to chime in here.

Hello, everyone.  As someone said about it once, it ain't pretty, but it works.

We have used the arch with two 35 hp JD 1010s, both a 4 wheel drive with a loader and a plain old 2 wheel drive.  Both handled it well, but of course the 4 wheel drive with the loader is heaver and handles it better.

Putting the trans in neutral permits it to free spool when pulling the cable out.  I put it in 1st or 2nd gear when winching, depending on the load. 

As far as the length of the trailer toungue and drive shaft goes, I never had it bind up that I can remember.

A shear pin or slip clutch would be a good mod and make it a little safer.  I only have the pto engaged while sitting on the tractor but a guard that covers the shaft would prob make the safety inspector feel better.
 
Knowing what I know now, I should have tried to use the brake drums - maybe attempt some kind of single lever/dual action that engaged the open end and relased the drum in one position and engaged the brake on the drum end and relased the open end in the other.  But, I was only 16 or 17 when I started making this thing - have learned some since then.

The best homemade skidding device I ever saw was one that a guy in the next town over made - he took an old power trailer from the 4 foot pulp wood days, shortened it up and mounted a Farmi winch on it. The cable passed over a roller arch just like a skidder.  I think he ran the Farmi off a PTO on the power trailer transmission.   He only had a 2 wheel drive tractor so his power trailer skidding arch was quite an improvement.

Kevin

[snowsquall]

We have used the arch with two 35 hp JD 1010s, both a 4 wheel drive with a loader and a plain old 2 wheel drive.  Both handled it well, but of course the 4 wheel drive with the loader is heaver and handles it better.


Make that two 1050s