Finished the log winch with grapple

[Rustyiron]

I finally finished, ended up buying the grapple instead of making one. The "plumbing" worked out fine by using 2 diverter valves. I have 3 remotes but need 5 to avoid the diverter valves. I "split" the winch & the grapple, they will never be used at the same time. And the blade circuit got split with the rotator and this valve is within reach while seated. I left the top link by it's self, it works perfect to lower, more like rotate the grapple down on the logs.
The winch and grapple compliment each other well. Trees that I can't drive to are drug with the winch up to within reach of the grapple and get skidded out well off the ground. Last weekend I moved some smaller logs (12-14" across) with the butt end up under the rear blade and "grabbed" with the grapple, this completely picks the log off the ground and out of the dirt. They were 22' long! This will be a big help bucking firewood also.

 

[andy1981]

Very impressive, you do some quality fab work, I often wondered how come some company hasn't put out a product like that

 

[Rustyiron]

Thanks Andy, but it's not my idea. I saw something like this years ago for a skid steer, and there are several tractor rear log grapples available, but I havn't seen one with a winch.

 

[Wnc3]

Well Done!
I don't need one, but that looks perfect for what you are doing.
Nice work.

 

[andy1981]

I've seen a skid steer one by Ryans manufacturing, but not one on a tractor. How is the line speed on the hydraulic winch compared to a pto winch like a farmi or walenstein ?

 

[Rustyiron]

Nothing like a PTO winch, if I remember right, about a foot a second at full gpm & psi. I've never had a regular pto winch, but friends do. I can not understand why they make them so fast. Maybe I'm just a chicken, and I am deffinetly in not that big of a hurry:laughing: I'm content with (this) winch speed with the tractor at an idle. Maybe a log flying across the ground at 10 mph would tend to bounce off stumps & rocks, (of which I have plenty) instead of hanging up, but like I said, I just don't have the experiance with one.

 

[roadhunter]

Nice Work! That is a serious log pulling setup.

 

[skyhook]

Very nice Rusty, whats the make and pull capacity of your winch?

 

[BigBoyToys]

Some quality fab work there!!!
Looks like a great setup.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

Nothing like a PTO winch, if I remember right, about a foot a second at full gpm & psi. I've never had a regular pto winch, but friends do. I can not understand why they make them so fast. Maybe I'm just a chicken, and I am deffinetly in not that big of a hurry:laughing: I'm content with (this) winch speed with the tractor at an idle. Maybe a log flying across the ground at 10 mph would tend to bounce off stumps & rocks, (of which I have plenty) instead of hanging up, but like I said, I just don't have the experiance with one.

Just idle the tractor down and the pto winch slows down too, and at fast idle, the logs are moving at a totally and completely manageable speed... On most pulls, I run my tractor at about 1200 rpm's, but on loooong pulls I may idle it up to 1400 or a bit more...

SR

 

[Oldpath05]

When I first started using my new Fransgard pto winch, I thought wow why is the line so fast, but after a few months of use I think the line speed is just right, I usually do heavy winching at 1500-2000 rpm and yes at 10 mph logs do tend to bounce off stumps & rocks better/easier. Light winching is around idle-1,000 rpm. Then after I get the logs winched up to the tractor I like to use my make believe grapple, LG. :cool2:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=la4kWL3Kh_k

 

[rswyan]

Great job !

Very professionally done :thumbsup:

 

[Mysfyt]

Where did you get the grapple from?

 

[varmint]

As a hack fabricator, I appreciated your project! Very nice, and ought to get the job done! A video would be enjoyable, if you could post one.

 

[Rustyiron]

Where did you get the grapple from?

Request Rejected
There is a local dealer and he sold me the rotator & grapple, sometimes called a bypass graple or log "bucket" locally.
edit; google Hakmet forestry machinery & equipment

Thanks Varmint, but with my internet service, it would take me ????? to upload.

 

[Gordon Gould]

What I nice piece of functional equipment. So well thought out. The close up of your fab work shows some very impressive work.

gg

 

[Sodo]

Rusty that's real nice. Great project.

 

[Rustyiron]

Very nice Rusty, whats the make and pull capacity of your winch?

Sorry skyhook, I missed this one.
The winch is a Ramsey 8000# hydraulic. Around $1300 @ AW Direct, a towtruck type mail order supply place. That rating, like all winches is the "1st layer" (of cable on the drum) and it falls off with each additional layer.

 

[TxDoc]

Like others said, I am amazed at the factory-produced result you got (or really better than factory---purely custom work). From the time you decided what you needed and wanted, can you guess at how long it took you to acquire the pieces and try it out for the first time?

Very impressive. :thumbsup:
Thanks for posting.