Wire Rope

[bcp]

For getting your chain choker under a log, make a 16in or so 1/4 inch rod with an eye on one end, connected to one end of the chain.

Bruce

 

[jyoutz]

I have to disagree with people recommending chains for skidding logs. A wire rope choker has long been the standard for log skidding in the industry. The bell makes it really quick and easy to choke and release the log. And the cable slides nicely over obstacles.

3/8" x 12 ft Cat Choker w/ Eye - 11000 lbs Breaking Strength

Made from 6x19 class wire rope, IWRC EIPS specification End fittings are professionally swaged (aka pressed) according to industry standards Includes a Micro-Midget choker hook Place nub into choker bell which creates a choking action around the log Ideal for skidding / moving logs NOT FOR...

www.westechrigging.com

 

[Trackerjoe]

For the log end, I prefer this style choker hook. I have not have any problems with it becoming disconnected from the log. Amazon.com

I don't know if this style can be found preinstalled on a chain you can buy. I had to change out the hook ends on mine.

edit: there is this choker chain with the hook preinstalled: Amazon.com

I use the spring latch style you posted to connect to the tractor clevis on the drawbar.

There is also this style latching hook which I think may be more resistant to bending than the spring latch on the other type of hook, but I haven't used it to be able to say for sure. Amazon.com

Had never seen that third link before. Clip looks much more durable and it's there when you need it and out of the way when you don't. Can you buy the clip separately when you. misplace it?

 

[2manyrocks]

I doubt you can find the clip separately, however, it has a spring engagement on it and it's made of much heavier material than the thin metal spring clasps they put on other hooks. So I don't think you'll lose it. It is more fiddly to engage, IMO.

 

[WinterDeere]

Had never seen that third link before. Clip looks much more durable and it's there when you need it and out of the way when you don't. Can you buy the clip separately when you. misplace it?

See my post #22, oval connecting link. This is an easy way to add a second grab hook anywhere in the middle of the chain, when you need to effectively shorten a chain for the odd job. I always have one or two either in my winch toolbox, or dangling from one of the chains I always carry.

Depending on the chain and the connecting link, you sometimes have to drop down one size to get the threaded bit to pass thru your chain's eye, if hooking in mid-chain. Since this method is almost always used when doubling the chain over to hook to itself, stress on that link is only half the load, so the diminished strength of a slightly smaller link isn't going to be a limiting factor.

 

[BlueKnife]

Just go to harbor freight and buy a winch cable. Hook already on the eye. Or cut the hook off if you just want the eye. Been doing that for years. But I'd use chain for your purpose. Maybe a cable with two eyes, chain on one end.

You should give a cat choker a try. If you've been using a winch cable for skidding logs for years, you'll be amazed at how much nicer it is.

 

[jyoutz]

You should give a cat choker a try. If you've been using a winch cable for skidding logs for years, you'll be amazed at how much nicer it is.

Yep. I posted a link for professional logging cat chokers. They’re specifically designed for the job, professional loggers use them, and they’re not expensive.

 

[BlueKnife]

Yep. I posted a link for professional logging cat chokers. They’re specifically designed for the job, professional loggers use them, and they’re not expensive.

For sure. Folks don't know what they're missing. I beat you to it with that link. We posted the same thing. Westech is great.

 

[WinterDeere]

For sure. Folks don't know what they're missing. I beat you to it with that link. We posted the same thing. Westech is great.

I used cable previously, but found chain both works and holds up better for dragging logs over rocky creek beds and steel trailer tailgates. Not only does chain not fray and stab me, but it rolls over the terrain better.

Again, there's no one perfect tool for all jobs and situations. Loggers running a skyline overhead to skid logs up a hill have very little to do with the way most of us are skidding logs with trailer winches and tractors.

 

[jyoutz]

I used cable previously, but found chain both works and holds up better for dragging logs over rocky creek beds and steel trailer tailgates. Not only does chain not fray and stab me, but it rolls over the terrain better.

Again, there's no one perfect tool for all jobs and situations. Loggers running a skyline overhead to skid logs up a hill have very little to do with the way most of us are skidding logs with trailer winches and tractors.

To each their own. Loggers used to use cable chokers all the time for tractor skidding, not just skylines. Nowadays, there’s not much tractor skidding anymore; it’s mostly big bucks feller bunchers or forwarder machines.