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Did anyone pick up a Wallenstein FX90 recently?

Started by Piston, July 29, 2014, 04:49:18 PM

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Piston

I'm often looking for a logging winch on Craigslist.  I've been looking for a while now but many that I come across are either very beat up, the wrong size for my tractor, or too close to the price of a new one. 

Ideally, I'd like to buy a new FX90 or Farmi 501, however with my second son just born, and the wife on the hunt for a new vehicle, I don't have the extra cash to be able to afford a new one. 

This past week an incredible deal came up, an almost brand new Wallenstein FX90 skidding winch, in perfect condition with extra chokers.  The guy was asking $1,500 for it.  I emailed him and told him I'd buy it sight unseen for his full asking price.  Unfortunately I didn't see the ad until it was posted for 7 hours, and I was too late, someone already grabbed it. 

I'm hoping it was someone on here  ;D  That way I won't feel so bad about missing out on it  :D

I've been looking for a logging winch or 3 point logging grapple for close to 2 years now.  I know I should have just broke down and bought one new, but there always seems to be somewhere more important for the money to go. 

.....One of these days I'll pick one up.   ;D
-Matt
"What the Lion is to the Cat the Mastiff is to the Dog, the noblest of the family; he stands alone, and all others sink before him. His courage does not exceed his temper and generosity, and in attachment he equals the kindest of his race."

John Mc

I looked for years for a used one in the Farmi 351 size range. Ran into the same problems that you did - either junk that had been just about twisted into a pretzel, or so close to new in price that I might as well have bought new.  While I was looking, steel prices skyrocketed, so the price of both old and new shot up.

I ended up buying a new Uniforest winch from Hud-son in Barneveld NY. One of their dealers in NH drives right by my house, when he picks up equipment, so I acually bough teat from the NH dealer, and he dropped it off on his way by.  The Uniforest was a bit cheaper than the Farmi, and included a few things standard that Farmi wanted extra for.  I do have to admit that the Farmi is probably a better winch, but the Uniforest is solidly built and has held up well.  I'm not making a living with it, so it hasn't had the workout that some folks might give a winch, but it has held up to a lot.
If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.   - Abraham Maslow

Piston

I'll probably have to bite the bullet and purchase one.  It won't be this fall/winter though if I have to buy one new.  Like you, I'll only be using it for personal use so it's tough to justify the new cost.  I've been getting by with just using the front end loader grapple to carry my logs off the ground, but now I'm starting to get into thicker woods where I can't maneuver an entire tree through the woods, unless it's the "long way" like in a 3 point hitch grapple or skidding winch. 

It sure seems like it would be handy to have, especially on my land where I have a lot of relatively steep areas as well as a couple sections of soft ground.   
-Matt
"What the Lion is to the Cat the Mastiff is to the Dog, the noblest of the family; he stands alone, and all others sink before him. His courage does not exceed his temper and generosity, and in attachment he equals the kindest of his race."

thecfarm

Yes it will be worth it. It will be like your grapple. You will wonder why you just did not bite the bullet earlier and buy it.  ;D  I have worked mine hard and so far no problems with it. Make up some 4 foot chains for the small stuff. I run 6 chokers on mine. Sometimes I use all 6 and double up on a few trees and sometimes only one slide is used.
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

47sawdust

Piston,
$1500.00 winches are hard to find that are still serviceable.As mentioned above,I looked for a used winch for quite sometime and finally bought new.I ended up with a Tajfun 3.5k winch and it is a very impressive piece of equipment.OESCO in Conway,Mass is where mine came from,couldn't ask for better people to deal with.It cost about $3250.00.Family first the rest will come in due time.Good luck.
Mick
Mick
1997 WM Lt30 1999 WM twin blade edger Kubota L3750 Tajfun winchGood Health Work is my hobby.

John Mc

The best way to find a used one in great condition at a great price is to buy yourself a new one.  Within a week or two, several good used ones will then pop up on craig's list in your area.

Speaking of Craig's list, have you tried SearchTempest?  It's a site that lets you search multiple Craig's list locations at once. You put in your search terms, a zip code, and a radius to search, and it checks all the Craig's list sites within that radius
If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.   - Abraham Maslow

Piston

Quote from: John Mc on July 30, 2014, 07:36:58 PM
The best way to find a used one in great condition at a great price is to buy yourself a new one.  Within a week or two, several good used ones will then pop up on craig's list in your area.
:D :D :D  That is so true! 



Quote from: John Mc on July 30, 2014, 07:36:58 PM
Speaking of Craig's list, have you tried SearchTempest?  It's a site that lets you search multiple Craig's list locations at once. You put in your search terms, a zip code, and a radius to search, and it checks all the Craig's list sites within that radius
I've tried searchtempest and use it quite regularly.  I have a small list of equipment I'd like to buy over the next few years to help with working on my land.  My budget is semi limited so what I do is keep my eyes open for one of the items on my list, and if I come across a good price on a good condition item I will buy that first.  I've crossed off many items on my list this way (and ended up with a few that weren't on my list ;D).  So far it's worked well, but I'm getting to the last few items on the list now and they are the hardest ones to find (obviously the reason they are still on the list!)

A few things left are the winch/3 point grapple, a good quality log splitter (self contained, I"m sick of my 3 point hitch model), a dump trailer, and snowblower. 


Cfarm,
I can't imagine it coming anywhere even remotely close to as useful as the grapple is  :D
-Matt
"What the Lion is to the Cat the Mastiff is to the Dog, the noblest of the family; he stands alone, and all others sink before him. His courage does not exceed his temper and generosity, and in attachment he equals the kindest of his race."

thecfarm

I compare the winch to using the hyd arms and a chain. Or I really should say chains. Hook 3-4 16 foot chains together,drive forward 10-12 feet and rehook. Try doing that 3-4-5 times. ;D Than only taking one log at a time.  ::)  Now I can get 6 at one time without having to move the tractor.
A grapple on my loader would come in handy too.
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

Piston

Quote from: thecfarm on July 30, 2014, 09:20:22 PM
A grapple on my loader would come in handy too.





WAIT A MINUTE!  You don't have a grapple?   smiley_eek_dropjaw
-Matt
"What the Lion is to the Cat the Mastiff is to the Dog, the noblest of the family; he stands alone, and all others sink before him. His courage does not exceed his temper and generosity, and in attachment he equals the kindest of his race."

Peter Drouin

And a winch will reach out a long way , Like my 120  I can go 165'
Can't do that with a grapple. :D :D :D


  

 
A&P saw Mill LLC.
45' of Wood Mizer, cutting since 1987.
License NH softwood grader.

thecfarm

I keep checking Craigslist for a grapple.  :D
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

Piston

Quote from: thecfarm on July 31, 2014, 05:10:25 AM
I keep checking Craigslist for a grapple.  :D
Do you have skidsteer style quick disconnect?  I'll keep my eyes open and let you know if I come across one.


Peter,
That's a nice setup.  I'm curious about the hp rating of the FX120.  I think they need a minimum of 60hp or so.  Is that rating due to needing the power to spin the winch and make it pull?  Or is it more related to the weight of the winch and needing the extra weight of the bigger tractor to take advantage of the additional capacity?

I'm asking because I came across an FX120, and looking at the specs, it's not much different than the FX90, it only weighs 100 lbs more which wouldn't make much of a difference.  I know it would be way overkill for my 40hp PTO tractor, but I'm wondering if it would work just as well aside from losing an additional 100lbs on my lift capacity. 

It would make good ballast as well. 
-Matt
"What the Lion is to the Cat the Mastiff is to the Dog, the noblest of the family; he stands alone, and all others sink before him. His courage does not exceed his temper and generosity, and in attachment he equals the kindest of his race."

Peter Drouin

The 120 is a 6 ton pulling winch with a ½" cable. John is 80 horses.
I don't think 40 will turn the 120 to pull 6 tons. :)
A&P saw Mill LLC.
45' of Wood Mizer, cutting since 1987.
License NH softwood grader.

Piston

Quote from: Peter Drouin on July 31, 2014, 10:19:53 PM
The 120 is a 6 ton pulling winch with a ½" cable. John is 80 horses.
I don't think 40 will turn the 120 to pull 6 tons. :)

No I know it wouldn't pull 6 tons, but that's what I was curious about, is if it's rated more for turning the pto, or if it's more rated because of weight/size limitations.  Sort of like a super heavy duty 5' brush hog, they might say you need a 60hp tractor to run it.  That is referring more to the actual weight of the cutter, vs what it actually takes to turn the blades.  A 25hp tractor could turn the blades, it just couldn't lift it. 

For instance, if the winch is rated for 60-80hp, it doesn't take 80hp to pull the full 6tons. 

It's hard to go by hp ratings, they are all over the place.  However I think your right, my tractor is too small for something that size.  I have a little toy compared to yours.
-Matt
"What the Lion is to the Cat the Mastiff is to the Dog, the noblest of the family; he stands alone, and all others sink before him. His courage does not exceed his temper and generosity, and in attachment he equals the kindest of his race."

thecfarm

Yes,I do have skidsteer style quick disconnect. No way I could buy anything at this point and time. We all know how that is at times.  ::)
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

g_man

Piston, The way I look at winch/HP ratings is that you want your tractor HP (which produces the  PTO torque ) to be stronger than the winch clutch. That way if you stall the winch the tractor will be strong enough to slip the winch clutch. If the tractor is to small the motor will stop dead - it won't have the grunt to slip the clutch. Of course a careful operator could overcome this with careful control of the clutch rope if he understands the problem. But you wouldn't want to run the clutch at slip or near slip all the time. This is more important for bigger wood that would make your tractor really work while the winch loafed.

The stronger winches are bigger framed for bigger tractors with higher mounting points etc. You might not get as much lift hieght.


John Mc

If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.   - Abraham Maslow

Dave Shepard

I think the rating has as much to do with anchorage as anything. You might pull six tons, or you might get pulled. If you can pick the winch up, you can run it, however you might not be able to use the full capacity. On my Farmi, there is no slip clutch. You have to be mindful of how much you are pulling or you will stall the engine.
Wood-Mizer LT40HDD51-WR Wireless, Kubota L48, Honda Rincon 650, TJ208 G-S, and a 60"LogRite!

John Mc

Quote from: Dave Shepard on August 01, 2014, 09:56:10 AM
On my Farmi, there is no slip clutch. You have to be mindful of how much you are pulling or you will stall the engine.

Dave, the Farmi winches do have clutches, and they should be adjustable. Here's an old thread [urlhttp://www.forestryforum.com/board/index.php?topic=27935.0]How do you adjust a Farmi logging winch clutch and brake[/url]   You were one of the posters who explained how you adjust your clutch.
If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.   - Abraham Maslow

Dave Shepard

I've had my Farmi completely apart. Yes it does have a clutch, but it does not have a slip clutch, the pto is directly attached to the winch. A slip clutch is what you find on a rotary mower or post hole auger. You should be able to feather a Farmi, but properly adjusted, it should be full lock if you pull on the rope all the way. Not stalling the engine is up to the operator. If you have it adjusted so that it will not stall the engine, then you do not have it adjusted properly, according to my manual.
Wood-Mizer LT40HDD51-WR Wireless, Kubota L48, Honda Rincon 650, TJ208 G-S, and a 60"LogRite!

dvrwjh

I would love to have one. I cheeped out and just got the largest skid plate. It works ok but very light.

The FX 90 might be in the budget for next year.
2014 Cord King M 2030 Wood Processor
2013 Ford F 550 Dump truck, Switch N Go System
2008 Ford F 350
2014 Kubota L45 TLB
2014 Split-Fire HT 3265 Custom Splitter
2009 6x10' 5T dump trailer
2014 20'  7T float trailer
Stihl M660
Stihl M260
Stihl  AV 032, 034.

Cummins802

g_man, Im also from VT, do  you have a winch on your kubota ?
Kubota M6040, 372xp, 346xp

John Mc

Welcome to the Forestry Forum, Cummins802.

What part of Vermont are you from? (I'm in the Champlain Valley - Monkton).

You may want to fill out your profile (it's one of the options at the top of the page) so folks know where you are from.
If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.   - Abraham Maslow

g_man

Welcome Cummins802 - where are you located? I'm in Waterford.

Yes I have a winch. It is a small set-up. Great for firewood and small sawlogs.



 

Cummins802

Thanks, Im from St.George, not too far from monkton. We own a m6040 and i am debating between the fx120 and fx90 for our tractor. Recommended hp for the 120 is 60-100 the 6040 is 63 hp with 56 pto hp. I know the fx90 is within recommended hp for our tractor, but is it too small for the tractor? Any thoughts would be great.

-Ryan
Kubota M6040, 372xp, 346xp

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