Farmi JL351P winch

[Skeeder1964]

I have been looking to buy a Farmi winch for many years. I just bought a new one, and I am very disappointed. I had to adjust the clutch right off the bat. I still cann0t get enough power out of it. It hardly tightens the cable and just a little more pressure and it stops pulling. I don't think this unit has much pulling power. Any others have same problem. Wondering if I should have bought a Norse winch.

 

[willt1981]

id contact the dealer who sold it to you or farmi directly. a new winch ought to almost pull your tractor backwards if a tree gets stuck. sounds like the clutch isnt adjusted.

 

[FrogLick]

I'd definitely contact the dealer you bought from and maybe also try to contact Farmi. Something is definitely not right and if they can't correct it I'd see if they'll replace it or maybe even allow you to return it if they can't get it working correctly. I've got a Fransgard winch of about the same class as your Farmi on a B3030 and it'll pull almost anything even uphill without any problem.

 

[Deerlope]

I have a Fransgard V-4000 and if I pull sideways it can tip the tractor (M-5040) over. I have seen one rear wheel off the ground.

 

[Gordon Gould]

Something is definately wrong.
I've used a Farmi winch for seven years and if
there is one thing that it will do -it will pull and pull hard.
Call the dealer.

 

[SFish]

I have the 351P winch on a JD 3320 with a loader. It will lift the front wheels off the ground in a hard pull.

Steve

 

[maine mark]

Try pulling the rope and watch the arm the pulley is on.see if it is hitting the cage or maybe support leg,mine was when I bought it new..same one as yours.got lots of pull now after I bent the arm out to clear stuff. be carefull pull only straight back blade down brake on&stand off to the while your at it.good luck regaurds..

 

[GE222]

I have never heard anything bad about Farmi winches, so I would contact your dealer. Something is definitely not right.

 

[Skeeder1964]

I have adjusted clutch on it, it does pull a little better, but not convinced it pulls all it is able to. Called dealer, take it back to them this wednesday. Hope they can help. It is adjusted as far as I can, it actually wants to free spool back in. Hope they can help. Thanks for the replies guys.

 

[Tractorganic]

The distributor has told me that for the winch to run at peak pulling power to:
1.)Run the cable out almost all the way.
2.)Put a heavy load on the end.
3.)Reel in the load using the winch maintaining tension all the way.
I can accomplish this by chaining the cable to a standing tree 160' away, putting the tractor in neutral and winching the tractor (5000lbs.) backwards to the tree while sitting in the driver's seat with one hand on the wheel and one hand on the activator rope. Yes; I do have a safety screen. To make it even tighter you could press the brakes (lightly). This method is best done on level ground.
You do know that to get full power you need to pull the rope hard, right?
The cable needs to be run out (from the load) as far as possible to get the greatest pull. Park the tractor as far away as you can. Shorter runs create less power when there's more cable on the spool.

 

[tawilson]

A trick I saw on Ice Road Truckers is to pull the cable out all the way, then clamp 2 boards together around the cable then reel it in.

 

[Skeeder1964]

I pulled the cable all the way out on the very first hitch and winched back in with weight on it. I was pulling as hard on the rope as I could. I looked on here this morning and one of the guys on the post mentioned the pulley hitting guard, guess what, that is just what it was I think. I put a heavy hitch on today and it did pull it in. I want to put it under another heavy, and hard hitch to make sure though.Thanks for the information though.

 

[Skeeder1964]

Thanks for the reply Maine Mark. I went home and looked at the winch and it was hitting the guard on the back. I put a screen on the back for safety and when I put it back on I wasn't sure what side the tab on the little screen went. Put a hitch on and it did pull better because I could pull the pulley up farther. I want to put a heavier hitch on it and see how much harder it can pull. Thank you for reply, I talked to the company and they didn't even mention that could be a problem. Thanks for the help.

 

[maine mark]

Hey skeeder glad that worked for you! Ya gotta have your new winch for the long weekend...Be safe. Maine Mark.

 

[AndyMA]

I'm glad you've gotten it resolved. I've had Farmi 351 aqnd 501 winches and they have always worked great. The other brands mentioned certainly may be as good but aqre not any better. I have heard from many dealers that the clutches in the Farmi's are3 the best in the industry. My 501 pulls at 11,000 pounda adn that will certainly pull a tractor over.

Andy

 

[Skeeder1964]

Thanks for all of your help guys. Really helped. Have a good holiday everyone.

 

[sugarmaple]

I have heard similar complaints about a new Norse winch, so it is not a brand issue, but luck of the draw issue, and the dealer should be willing to remedy the problem. There is nothing intrinsically wrong with the Farmi winch. What it seems to boil down to is the need to get into the machine, understand how it works, and inspect the crucial pieces. I am in the middle of renovating an ancient JL 303 from the '70s and it is interesting how similar it is to a 351 in terms of design and parts application. I now know a whole lot more about winches than I did and would not be intimidated by any of them. They are simple machines, and the manual for the 351 is very complete. I have downloaded it for the information it has that is applicable to the 303! My guess is that so long as the clutch can fully engage, the issue must be glazing or surface contamination. It is quite possible that some paint got on the pads or some oil from the chain found its way to the clutch, or that the metal half of the clutch has not properly mated to the clutch pads. Good luck, and chin up; you will love it once it is sorted out, and learning about the machine in all its aspects is half the fun.

 

[Dead Horse]

I bought a used Farmi 601 a year ago and it has been fantastic! the whole thing needed servicing but nothing major, just adjustment and tweaking. the thing pulls like a champ! I am running it off the back of a 100 90 Hesston and do not need any more than 1,000 RPS for it to do an unbelievable amount of pulling. I echo the dangers of pulling any direction but straight back........ you do that at your own and your tractor's risk.