3 pt Winch

MossRoad · Mar 3, 2018

Their website leaves, how should I put this.... hmmm.... MUCH TO BE DESIRED! :laughing:

That 9K comment in the video had a dollar sign in front of it. $9K. That is not correct.

Here's a link to their pricing page. It shows $1475.

http://www.norwoodsawmills.com/sites/norwood/files/price-list-english.pdf

MossRoad · Mar 3, 2018

But they list no specs on it.

iointerrupt · Mar 3, 2018

I looked long and hard at that Norwood winch. Best I could tell they didn't seem to be for sale anymore. I then spent a long time doing the math on a hydraulic capstan winch, and it didn't pencil out well.

On my small tractor, with only 4 GPM of flow, I could only get about 5 HP out of the hydraulics. The total pulling power then was something like 1500lbs. Crummy little electric winch could beat that.

So in the end I went with the same idea as the original post here, use the PTO, through a gearbox. I have 20HP out the PTO, then through a 4:1 gearbox. I forget the exact numbers, but netted something like 4000lbs of pull. Still not a insane amount of power, but good enough to get real work done.

If there is enough demand, I can probably do a longer post about it.

MossRoad · Mar 3, 2018

iointerrupt said:
I looked long and hard at that Norwood winch. Best I could tell they didn't seem to be for sale anymore. I then spent a long time doing the math on a hydraulic capstan winch, and it didn't pencil out well.

On my small tractor, with only 4 GPM of flow, I could only get about 5 HP out of the hydraulics. The total pulling power then was something like 1500lbs. Crummy little electric winch could beat that.

So in the end I went with the same idea as the original post here, use the PTO, through a gearbox. I have 20HP out the PTO, then through a 4:1 gearbox. I forget the exact numbers, but netted something like 4000lbs of pull. Still not a insane amount of power, but good enough to get real work done.

View attachment 542385

If there is enough demand, I can probably do a longer post about it.

Good gravy, man! Of course there is demand! :laughing:

That looks really interesting. :thumbsup:

flingwing1969 · Mar 3, 2018

Indeed there is interest here as well. Lovely and well thought out - you can pull from either side as well. I have (claimed to have anyway) 31 hp at the PTO so there should be a lot of grunt. We need to know sourcing and cost especially - but I'm dying to see your fabrication as well - very nice looking unit. Also, how does she pull with your little tractor compared to the video of the Skid Winch? Thanks.

flingwing1969 · Mar 3, 2018

Just for interest sake, this is the portable logging winch I've used a couple of times - just to play with. It pulls around 2k lbs. Your strap it to a handy tree and off you go - often used with a snatch block. It seems there are a couple of nice features on it that could be incorporated onto the TPH model.

teg · Mar 3, 2018

iointerrupt said:
...If there is enough demand, I can probably do a longer post about it.

I'll speak for the rest of TBN... HECK YEA!!!!

ericm979 · Mar 4, 2018

iointerrupt said:
If there is enough demand, I can probably do a longer post about it.

Yes please.

PILOON · Mar 4, 2018

Like the idea of that capstan winch. Might make one mainly as a project.
I'd PTO drive it, as no clutch is needed (simply ease off pulling) and could use any rt angle gear box (like used on snow blowers or bush hogs).
Web search's show a variety of ratios are available.
The example depicted has 2 drums to provide 2 speeds but be accomplished otherwise.
Preference would be the vertical drum as U could pull from the sides, perhaps exchangeable drums for different speeds.
The down side and limitation is the size and strength of woven rope available which is I believe marine anchor or docking rope. Also limited is the rope diameter that one can grasp comfortably vs the drum size to handle it.
I'd suspect that such a capstan 'logging winch' would generally be limited to one tree at a time and not all that large a one at that.
Speed would necessarily be limited to how fast a person could keep that line taunt going 'hand over hand'.
Main downside would be that the woven tow line would have to be kept VERY clean and totally free of grease oils etc, heck wet soil* would allow slippage.
LOL, I think my last sentence just shot down this project.
OK, some 'tooth' or suitable surface preparation could offset wet slippage but that would subsequently chew up the tow line.

* we all know that clay soils are very slippery., shucks you almost need chains in the summer.

iointerrupt · Mar 4, 2018

Alright, did a full write up here: http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/build-yourself/392375-pto-capstan-winch-scratch.html

flingwing1969 - I consider the Norwood Skid Winch video to be...how shall we say, less than impressive. Skidding over clear, leaf-covered ground, is as easy as it gets. The videos of Farmi winches are typically much more interesting, stuff like pulling three trees at once through nasty terrain.

Originally I set out to just build my own clone of the Norwood, it looks so simple, anybody could build that. But hours of shopping for hydraulic motors came out with nothing that made sense.

High speed, low-torque hydraulic motors are readily available, but useless in terms of pulling power.
Slow speed high-torque motors are also plentiful, but all require massive flow rates, like 15-20 GPM. On the hobby-end of the tractor market, nobody has tractors flowing that.

I have no idea what Norwood picked for their unit, but given the video, I suspect they had to make a compromise in the end, and the unit lacks pulling power. Pretty sure my PTO winch easily out pulls it.

PILOON - If I didn't have a dual-shaft gearbox, I would have done vertical mounted drum. Working out the mounting for this gearbox in a vertical configuration was hurting my head too much to attempt, so I just went with horizontal.