3-Point Hitch Log/tree skidding with your quick-hitch

[Hermio]

I finally tried out my quick hitch for logging. (It doesn't fit any of my implements, but since it cost me leas than $100, it is a cheap way to attach some grab hooks.) I pulled an oak section 18" diameter by 40' long, and then pulled the top, which was another 40 long. It had no difficulty doing that. Next, I tried pulling a smaller tree but it got hung up on a stump. My tractor could not budge it, so the relief valve opened and the tires slipped a little. I tried pulling at a different angle and managed to break my 3/8" proof coil chain. That amazed me, because, although such a chain has a working load rating of only 2700 lb, that same chain stopped a John Deere 450 doze and a Komatsu D31, both of which weigh around 15000 lb. And I easily broke a nylon tow rope rated at 10,000 lb breaking strength with the dozers. I guess the chain had a lot of safety factor, but years of overloading it finally took their toll. I finally pulled the tree out from the opposite end.

 

[drizler]

I'm glad you found a use for that POS HF quick hitch. I have one sitting out in the grass doing nothing for 10 or more years now. You are right. Absolutely nothing fit's that thing, what trash.

 

[Grandad4]

I finally tried out my quick hitch for logging. (It doesn't fit any of my implements, but since it cost me leas than $100, it is a cheap way to attach some grab hooks.) I pulled an oak section 18" diameter by 40' long, and then pulled the top, which was another 40 long. It had no difficulty doing that. Next, I tried pulling a smaller tree but it got hung up on a stump. My tractor could not budge it, so the relief valve opened and the tires slipped a little. I tried pulling at a different angle and managed to break my 3/8" proof coil chain. That amazed me, because, although such a chain has a working load rating of only 2700 lb, that same chain stopped a John Deere 450 doze and a Komatsu D31, both of which weigh around 15000 lb. And I easily broke a nylon tow rope rated at 10,000 lb breaking strength with the dozers. I guess the chain had a lot of safety factor, but years of overloading it finally took their toll. I finally pulled the tree out from the opposite end.

Hermio, I just noticed this thread and your earlier posts, and wanted to pass along a couple of comments for you to think about. First, your earlier posts regarding the 3 point links helping to prevent a tip-over if a log gets snagged when pulling or is too heavy... don't think that's quite correct. That's because the 3 point hydraulics can only apply lifting force; they can't put downward force on the lower 3 point arms, which is what would be needed to stop a tractor from doing a backflip. You can test this yourself because you can easily lift the lower arms manually even when the tractor is running (well, it's probably easier to do it if the quickhitch is off, unless you spend time lifting weights at the gym!). If you ever watch a tractor pull at the county fair, you'll see the tractors have brackets on the back to prevent a backflip, but those brackets are fixed in place and don't swing up like 3 point hitch linkages do.

Second, I wanted to comment about pulling logs with the quickhitch setup itself. Pretty neat idea, but I think it puts a lot of strain on the tractor to use it, particularly with large logs relative to the tractor, because it looks to me that nearly all of the pulling load will go through the hook-up chain to the top of the quick-hitch and then into the top-link. If you pull something heavy or hit a snag, that load is going to go right into wherever the top link attaches to the tractor, usually on top of the differential/transmission case. As you have seen, the pulling forces can be tremendous... enough to break something. Fortunately for you it was the chain, not the tractor, that was the weak link with that big log. You may not be so lucky every time. This is different from a logging winch, where the pulling cable has a transport position that puts the pulling load on the lower links that are more strongly mounted somewhere near the axle. Please use great caution if you continue pulling with that quick hitch! A broken tractor or tractor operator can ruin your day!

 

[rd_macgregor]

A skidding cone might also make the stress loading of a sudden hang-up less likely.

 

[Hermio]

Hermio, I just noticed this thread and your earlier posts, and wanted to pass along a couple of comments for you to think about. First, your earlier posts regarding the 3 point links helping to prevent a tip-over if a log gets snagged when pulling or is too heavy... don't think that's quite correct. That's because the 3 point hydraulics can only apply lifting force; they can't put downward force on the lower 3 point arms, which is what would be needed to stop a tractor from doing a backflip. You can test this yourself because you can easily lift the lower arms manually even when the tractor is running (well, it's probably easier to do it if the quickhitch is off, unless you spend time lifting weights at the gym!). If you ever watch a tractor pull at the county fair, you'll see the tractors have brackets on the back to prevent a backflip, but those brackets are fixed in place and don't swing up like 3 point hitch linkages do.

Second, I wanted to comment about pulling logs with the quickhitch setup itself. Pretty neat idea, but I think it puts a lot of strain on the tractor to use it, particularly with large logs relative to the tractor, because it looks to me that nearly all of the pulling load will go through the hook-up chain to the top of the quick-hitch and then into the top-link. If you pull something heavy or hit a snag, that load is going to go right into wherever the top link attaches to the tractor, usually on top of the differential/transmission case. As you have seen, the pulling forces can be tremendous... enough to break something. Fortunately for you it was the chain, not the tractor, that was the weak link with that big log. You may not be so lucky every time. This is different from a logging winch, where the pulling cable has a transport position that puts the pulling load on the lower links that are more strongly mounted somewhere near the axle. Please use great caution if you continue pulling with that quick hitch! A broken tractor or tractor operator can ruin your day!

I do the hard pulling from a drawbar mounted to the bottom of the quick hitch. That will transfer the load pretty much directly to the lower links. Once I get the logs onto the trail, only then do I transfer the pulling point to the top of the quick hitch, so I can lift the log butt up off the ground. This will reduce the drag force considerably. I know what you are saying about the top link, though I don't think the Mahindra would be easily broken. It is very beefy in that area. Also, though logging winches have the ability to pull from either a low pulley or from slots near the lower pulley, many of the videos the manufacturers publish show them pulling and dragging from the top pulley, which places most of the load on the top link. Same problem as the quick hitch.
I also understand what you are saying about 3-point hitches having no down pressure. However, they do have a limit to the possible travel, and that limit is reached before the tractor goes vertical. Still, I am a big proponent of HST drive in the woods, precisely because no positive action on the part of the operator is required to prevent a flip over. All that is required is to stop pushing down on the HST pedal. You can even stop the tractor at a 30 or 45 degree angle and keep it there. I have done so on my Kubota (which I have now sold) when its ROPS got hung up on a low branch.

 

[Hermio]

A skidding cone might also make the stress loading of a sudden hang-up less likely.

I have been using a cut-off plastic olive barrel for that. It sort of works. In this particular case, however, the hang-up was due to a fork, not the butt end of the log. The tree had fallen into the crotch of another tree, and I pulled from the top end due to location. A fork got caught on another tree while turning a corner. I thought I would just break off the tree, as it was a small sapling, maybe 3-4" diameter, but it was tougher than it looked, and the hang-up was at ground level. After the hang-up and broken chain, the log was in a position that I could pull it from the butt end in the opposite direction, which is what I did.

 

[jimmysisson]

Hermio, when I run into that fork situation I often cut most of the way through the branch from the jammed side, just toward the tractor from the in-the-way tree. The branch will fracture at the cut but stay attached to the tree/log so I can complete the pull without having to go back for pieces.
Jim

 

[Hermio]

Good idea. I will have to try that.

 

[Grandad4]

I used a logging winch for several years (always used the lower pulley) and found taking it slow and easy was the best approach. You're correct about the advantages of HST for this work. Still wouldn't trust those 3 point links to save a back flip if the worst happened. Glad you've thought the safety aspects through, Hermio.

 

[MortOz]

... it looks to me that nearly all of the pulling load will go through the hook-up chain to the top of the quick-hitch and then into the top-link. If you pull something heavy or hit a snag, that load is going to go right into wherever the top link attaches to the tractor, usually on top of the differential/transmission case. As you have seen, the pulling forces can be tremendous...

Have to agree there Grandad, about putting the top link mounting at risk. I would also be concerned about the top link itself. Top links are engineered to withstand a reasonable amount of tension, but nowhere near as much as the bottom links. The top link will hold up the weight of a hitched implement like a plough or mower when it is lifted, and they can take some compression load e.g. when the plough hits something and tilts forward, but if that compression load is too large, you end up with a bent top link (I have a couple in the shed). If the tension load is too high, you are also putting too large a component of the force well above the rear axle and increasing the chance of a backward tip. I always see the top link as being a poor third choice for any "pulling" load. The bottom links are the ones that should be second choice for doing all the pulling (held low, not lifted so the pull is above the axle), with first preference for a heavy pull always being the drawbar.