Installing new cable on 3 pt hitch logging winch?

[John Mc]

Somewhere on here I read a post about installing a new cable on a 3 Pt Hitch logging winch. There was some trick to which way you wound it or something that was supposed to save you a lot of hassles during installation or during use (I forget which). 

I can't find that post now. Anyone got any good tips before I dig in to this?

[Straightgrain]

I wouldn't dare without a tech manual for your particular model; but laying-out the cable and letting it spin as it is fed and adding a little weight (like any winch) seems appropriate. 

Addendum: that area between the winch and the tractor is technically a confined space; if your PTO driveline is not equipped with a safety sleeve; take extra precautions (no loose clothing etc).

[g_man]

Here you go john mc - this might help.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/340856-i-mangled-my-winch-cable.html?highlight=winch+cable

gg

[thecfarm]

Once you hook it to the drum,I would hook it up to something not too heavy,but enough to keep it tight. I unwound the cable to let it wind onto the drum straight.

[Maine372]

how the end of the cable attaches to the drum is specific to your make and model.

the trick to keeping it 'unsnarly' is to make it look like a cassette tape (am I dating myself?). reel it on the winch the same way its reeling off the roll. work with the memory in the cable rather than against it. typically we run a pipe through the cable reel and hang it off something so it can freespool.

the other trick, once its on, is to hook the cable to a tree and drive away. then winch the tractor to the tree while dragging the brakes.

[John Mc]

Thanks guys. I have the manual, and already knew how to attach it to the drum. It was the spooling trick that G_man linked that I had read and couldn't remember. That description is actually much more detailed than the one I remember reading a while back.

[John Mc]

Found out the hard way today that unwinding cable when it is not on a spool is a royal pain in the behind (mine was just a tight coil with about a 6" I.D. and no spool). I wanted to unwind it, rather than just flipping it off the end, so it wouldn't get twists in it. I put a pipe through the middle, supported the ends and tried to unwind. It made a real rat's nest around the pipe. Had to get my wife to help me unwind it as I spooled it onto the winch drum. Hopefully, I won't have to do this again any time soon.

[pwrwagontom]

Here you go john mc - this might help.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/340856-i-mangled-my-winch-cable.html?highlight=winch+cable

gg

Just had to go through this the past week and the link was a huge help!