Yeah, I added one behind the rollover frame on my 25HP China Special 4WD diesel when it got stuck axle deep in Spring mud by the creek. The 12K LB electric Harbor Fright winch pulled it out while in gear and throwing mud all over. My son rolled the tractor over and the winch pulled it right back up. I can run the synthetic cable through a snatch block that hangs from the top of the rollover frame, when some height is need to lift the end of a log. I also built an A-frame with a sheave at the end mounted to the 3-point arms on a quick hitch to lift logs and pull forward. Have had no problems with duty cycle on the winch. No problems with tractor alternator and battery. Go for it!
Adding a "bumper" winch
- Thread starter Mtsoxfan
- Start date
- Views: 16308
So I came across this set up, looking to use for dragging down logs as well as pulling a tree down that is leaning wrong way. Ropes look to be 1". Can anyone identify its possible rating? I have been using a comealong and recovery strap, but my anchoring tree is further away. Tree is a yellow birch? that is 16" at base and 40ish feet with minimal branches at top.
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oosik
Epic Contributor
You will be disappointed with the way a 12V bumper winch will perform. Very likely to damage the charging components of your tractor also. A 12V winch is a recovery implement - not a logging tool.
Use chains, cables or ropes and snatch blocks.
Use chains, cables or ropes and snatch blocks.
John_Mc
Elite Member
- Joined
- Aug 11, 2001
- Messages
- 4,540
- Location
- Monkton, Vermont
- Tractor
- NH TC33D Modified with belly pan, limb risers & FOPS. Honda Pioneer 520 & antique Coot UTV
I agree with SR. The duty cycle is 5% on the Harbor Freight 12,000# ZXR. From the manual on their website: "45 seconds at Max Rated Load; 14 min, 15 sec rest". Of course, it's rare the OP would be pulling at Max rated load (especially with that tractor - I own the almost identical TC33D), but it does give an idea of the limitations of these winches.
The current draw estimates are also off. From the same manual:
0# line pull, it runs 15.5 FPM and draws 101 Amps
3,000# pull: 9.5 FPM and 173 Amps
6,000# pull: 7.4 FPM and 244 Amps
9,000# pull: 5.7 FPM and 311 Amps
12,000# pull: 4.0 FPM and 359 Amps
These tractors have a 40 Amp alternator, and a moderately sized starting battery. Extended pulls or repeated pulls without plenty of time in between to allow the tractor to recharge the battery are a good way to kill the battery.
These winches are good for recovering a stuck tractor, or occasionally moving logs short distances, but you'd need to be very careful - and very patient - if you were trying to use this regularly for logging. Even at a relatively light 3000# pull, it would take 5 minutes of winching to go 50 feet. Durng that time, you would be drawing more than 4 times as much from your battery as the alternator was putting back in (assuming you kept your RPMs cranked up to get full alternator output).
If a 3 pt hitch logging winch is not in the cards (tough to justify for just a few logs), I'd be more inclined to just hook up a length of cable or chains and drive the tractor to pull it out. A cable with a snatch block would let you redirect the pull, if you did not have time to drive straight away from the logs: for example, pulling a log perpendicular to a trail by driving down the trail.
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oosik
Epic Contributor
That HF winch must be a real wimp. When I built our cabin in AK - had a Warn winch on my Jeep. Over the process of pulling some 145 logs up to the cabin site - burned up two DieHard batteries. At FULL load the Warn winch drew 700 amps.
On the positive side - never burned up the Winch. It would get so hot it would steam and smoke. Thank goodness - Sears never questioned the replacement of the DieHard batteries.
Long, hard pulls with an electric winch are designed to be RECOVERY. Not what I was doing with the winch. I was just lucky.
Also - it was a couple hours between each log being pulled up to the build site. Four logs per day.
On the positive side - never burned up the Winch. It would get so hot it would steam and smoke. Thank goodness - Sears never questioned the replacement of the DieHard batteries.
Long, hard pulls with an electric winch are designed to be RECOVERY. Not what I was doing with the winch. I was just lucky.
Also - it was a couple hours between each log being pulled up to the build site. Four logs per day.
Sawyer Rob
Super Member
That's the difference between a cheapo winch and a quality winch!
I have a Warn too, it's a MUCH better winch that will take abuse, compared to the HF turd.
SR
LittleBill21
Elite Member
The HF turd was rated better then some Warn winches, by several Off road magazines a while back.
Sawyer Rob
Super Member
I have both, I don't need a magazine to rate them or their opinion... lol The HF is a turd compared to the Warn.
Another point, I own HF's top of the line winch and Warns's upper end winch, so it's apples to apples.
SR
LittleBill21
Elite Member
They only have 1 line of winches, unless your not talking about the badlands.
and I have seen enough blown warn winches in my offroading days, to not be warn and cozy about them either. at the end of the day for a recovery winch the HF is fine, using it for tree recovery, probably not.
Sawyer Rob
Super Member
The 12k HF is supposed be their top of the line, and that's what I have.
I've also blew a Warn winch, their 8000 model, and the way I did it, was to chain my truck to a tree and pull with the winch until it striped the drum from the keyed shaft it was on. I never smoked the motor on one.
The 12K Warn I have now, has done some amazing pulls, and it to this day still works like new. It's faster than the HF and has never overheated, not even when I drug a fully loaded (with construction lumber) 3/4 ton pu across a couple big swamps.....and back out again.
They are NOT even close to having the same build quality.
SR