Skidding Winches

[bitternut]

Well you got the tree on the ground and your safe so that's what counts I guess. I saw that you had the tree cabled up and tension on it. There usually is more than one way to skin a cat. Be safe.

 

[Gordon Gould]

Well you got the tree on the ground and your safe so that's what counts I guess. I saw that you had the tree cabled up and tension on it. There usually is more than one way to skin a cat. Be safe.

That is so true.
I am not saying your method was not good or would not have worked though you would have had to fall the tree the other way. It was not a difficult or tricky tree. I was just trying to explaining why I did what I did good or bad. Don't forget that the main point on that tree was to take it down with the winch because of danger associated with working under the dead top up in adjacent branches. When you use a winch to hold a tree steady during the cut you need to set it up to hold against the natural lean of the tree, in this case back lean, and there needs to be some tension in the cable to do that - but not too much.

gg

 

[Gordon Gould]

I made a small clear cut on the hill to enhance our view to the north. I set my self releasing snatch block in the lower corner by the trail and cleared left to right. Every thing came out the same way - never moved the snatch block. The clearing is deeper than it looks because of the way the hill drops off. You can't see all the tops down below. This is a typical hitch. Our snow is mostly gone but the ground is froze solid.









When I came around the loop I would stop at the snatch block, hitch my cable to the tree, and unload my saw. Then I would drive up the hill letting the cable play out and park. I would grab the cable and pull more out as I walked down the hill to the snatch block so I would have plenty of slack. Then it was easy to drag the hook and chokers to where I was going to cut the next hitch, get it cut and hooked up. Then walk back up to the tractor and pull it out. One trip down and one trip up. Went pretty well.

I got a pile of poles and a pile of logs from it.



gg

 

[groundcover]

Looking good Gordon ! I have been working on a view cut on a steep drop but it seems like I end up walking up and down half a dozen times for each hitch , amazing how the buts can find every rock and stump ! Caught one at full pull and the tractor tried to go over the edge ,figured if I pulled forward a bit and let the chains dig through the ice the tractor would have a purchase and not slide down the hill. Sounded like a plan till the wire rope pulled out of the winch ! Had a friend give me a hand getting it back together . Like trying to stuff a noodle up a wildcat's ***** ! Won't try that again without a couple of wraps on the drum !

 

[Gordon Gould]

Cut your stumps off as short as you can. Sometimes after the tree is down I will cut the sump again at an angle making sure the side the logs approach is very close to the ground. Things go better with snow though.

gg

 

[Sawyer Rob]

Cut your stumps off as short as you can. Sometimes after the tree is down I will cut the sump again at an angle making sure the side the logs approach is very close to the ground. Things go better with snow though.
gg

That's always what I do too, as I'm after firewood along with saw logs and those pieces that come off the stumps make pretty good firewood. Although I'm all about cutting the tree as low as possible in the first place, as the best lumber all most always coming from the butt log... You may as well get as much of it as you can...

Great picts, Gordon...

SR

 

[Greenland South]

I got to use the winch today. Had a few leaners that were eying up the house. Thought I should get rid of them before they leafed out this spring.

 

[Greenland South]

Messed that post up. Sorry about the sideways pics

 

[Gordon Gould]

I got to use the winch today. Had a few leaners that were eying up the house. Thought I should get rid of them before they leafed out this spring.

Must be hard getting around on that vertical ground
Looks like a wise move on your part. A winch is tailor made for that job. What is the choker strap that you are using made out of ? Is it webbing ?

gg

 

[CDN Farm Boy]

Must be hard getting around on that vertical ground


gg

The upside is it pretty much guarantees which way the tree will fall :laughing:

 

[Greenland South]

Must be hard getting around on that vertical ground
Looks like a wise move on your part. A winch is tailor made for that job. What is the choker strap that you are using made out of ? Is it webbing ?

gg

It was a lifting strap I pulled from the trash at work a few years ago. it had a small nick in the webbing I guess.

 

[CobyRupert]

Those back leaners can be tricky. Too much tension and it might barberchair. And at some point during the cut the tree moves and the tension goes slack, then it can fall anywhere. So don't rely on the cable when cutting.
I found cutting with wedges up to the hinge and then pulling it over from a distance best.

 

[Greenland South]

Poplars are pretty spring at this time of the year, the sap is beginning to run. I just pulled them close to vertical, cut the notch and a back cut and the pulled em over with the winch.

 

[CobyRupert]

I just pulled them close to vertical, cut the notch and a back cut and the pulled em over with the winch.

Backcutting when there's a lateral strain (either due to pulling with a cable or gravity (leaner)) on the trunk is when you get a barber chair. Look up the Youtube videos. Very dangerous.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

I have a tree jack, I like it and it does help, but I don't always use it...

Like using the skidding winch to put a bit of "pull" on it, it just "all depends"... lol

SR

 

[Mikejeakins]

What kind of Winches do you all have?

 

[Oldpath05]

Once a pawn a time, I winch a log out from between a rock and a hard place...

Big Hemlock log pt.2 - YouTube

 

[Greenland South]

What kind of Winches do you all have?

Mine is a Wallenstein FX85

 

[Gordon Gould]

What kind of Winches do you all have?

Mine is a Farmi JL 290 on a 30 hp tractor



gg

 

[Oldpath05]

I have a (07) Fransgard V3004 winch, heavily fortified and modified. One of best things to look for in a pto tractor winch, is back end bottom plate ground clearance, I have 16 inches when it's up, very important in sticky situations. Another good thing to have is a straight steel bottom edge for back dragging to smooth out the ground, good for evening up the tree butts by backing into them, if you want two trees together for one chain, I do that a lot.
I give it 4 out 5 stars and recommend it to anyone.