Bobcat 865 winch

[jerry shannon]

Has anyone out there ever mounted a winch to their Bobcat. I have an 1855 with a grapple I use to clean brush and trees out of my fence rows. I was thinking of making a plate to mount on the front of the skidsteer and mount a 10,000 # winch for widowmakers and the occasional times I get stuck in the mud. I also thought of mounting a quick attach plate onto the bucket to mount the winch to as well.

 

[jerry shannon]

Sorry. My Bobcat is an 856. My Oliver tractor is an 1855. Sorry.

 

[94BULLITT]

You could add a 2" trailer hitch reciever to make it easy to remove.

 

[jerry shannon]

Thanks Bullitt. Good idea.

 

[LWG]

I thought about doing the same thing. The 10,000 lb thing is a little misleading, though. Read some of the manuals. That figure is only for the first wrap around the shaft, where the mechanical advantage is greatest. By the time you've pulled the cable in, the torque is much less. And if it's electric, I don't think I'd run that current through a cigarette lighter, so that means a cable from the back of the machine. I know I'd tear that cable up. There have been some hydraulic logging style winches on auction sites that have looked interesting, but they've very expensive. I've decided to just get some cable and pull it with the machine.

 

[2458n]

I might be wrong- but I would be concerned about off center pulls. Would there be a danger of "racking" the arms on the front loader? Again, I may be over thinking this. Look at the abuse the loader takes using it as a loader. You are always ramming it into stuff and the load is rarely centered.

 

[jerry shannon]

Good points LWG. I was thinking of making a pig tail type of cord of the proper gauge. I was thinking of mounting an attach point to either center of my bucket, but as I use my grapple more than the bucket, I would make a mount on the front of the unit behind the bucket but on the front of the bobcat itself. you would be able to raise the bucket up and pull straight that way and not mess around with racking the lift arms. Just brainstorming at this point.

 

[jerry shannon]

I agree with you. I was thinking of using this only in the event I needed to pull myself out and I thought that if I had it mounted to the front somewhere and picked my battle I could limit trying to pull at angles too severe to the loader itself. Such as from the side. More straight on.