Don't have or want to spend upwards of $3k for a decent small logging winch for my 35 hp tractor. Got the bright idea that I could adapt some kind of winch mounting bracket and hardware to a box scraper. It's got plenty of weight to act as an anchor against the pull of a winch. My major concern would be powering a winch. I have three options - figure out how to adapt a winch to the tractor's PTO (not very likely); find some kind of hydraulic winch and run it off the aux hydraulics at the rear of tractor; or use an ATV winch and a 12-volt deep cycle battery and find some way to keep the battery charged. I also like the idea that I could still use the box blade for earth work and the hitch/winch portions act as extra weight. I can't be the first guy to think of this. Has anybody seen something like this done, and give me any good reasons why it wouldn't work?
I have looked into this many times and I think it is completely doable. My problem has been finding a winch I want in the price range I want. The hydraulic ones I have found that I was interested in were much more money than I wanted to spend.
Hydraulic powered off the power beyond port of the tractor would be my first choice. That way you can mount an open center valve on the winch rig accessible from the ground. Otherwise I would go electric but with a 35 HP tractor, why not a bigger winch than an ATV unit?
A few random thoughts,,, + You need a decent shield close to the rear of the tractor to protect it. + Check the flow on your hydraulics to see if they will support the demands of a winch. + Many winches on rollback trucks are hydraulic (powered by a PTO off the transmission). See if you can find one off a 1 or 1.5 ton truck. + check with Agri-Supply to see if there is a PTO driven pump that may work. + Log skidders are heavy, you may need to add weight to the front of your tractor.
Calling Dascro Here's a pic of the setup if this works Firewood tractors | Page 8 | Firewood Hoarders Club
If you wanted electric you could go with one harbor freight sells. Can't think of the name right now. They seem to get great reviews and have a fairly low price. I'm going to get a 12k for my truck and a 6k for a utility trailer. For as little as I will use one I can't see paying for a Warn or Super winch. I might grab one for my tractor too.
Cnice_37, Yep, that's my homemade, electric logging winch fresh out of the shop last winter. It's been painted and some niceties added since then but the set-up is the same. It works great for me. In fact I just used it this past weekend to fell an old dead standing cherry. It adds a degree of safety and usefulness. And can't beat the price to get this type of capability. Assuming you already have a welder, shop and other metal-working equipment and tools. About two years ago I also converted my box blade to a logging winch set-up prior to this purpose-built one. I used the same winch and battery adapted to my box blade. Worked well. But I like this one so much better. More compact and keeps the CG much closer to the tractor.
That's what I was wondering... I have a Smitty Built 10k in a winch cradle that you can stick in a 2" receiver bolted to a drawbar. I plan to make a better 3pt rack with battery box for 2x deep cycle batteries and receiver. This way you can still use the winch in the receiver of another vehicle too!
I used a TSC electric winch on my set-up. It was on sale at th time. It's either an 8k or 10k rated winch. It pulls!! I also configured it via receiver tube and winch cradle so I can use it on the truck or anywhere else I want. Used a deep cycle battery too.
I bought a brand new Ramsey 8000# hyd winch for around $1200, then another $120 or so for the 3/8 cable. It works great with the tractor's valve off of the rear remotes. I have had electric winches before on pic emup trucks and they are super amp eaters and you'll need at least one extra battery on long hard pulls.
The only problem I have with using the remotes instead of the power beyond port is that you can build up extra heat in the system on constant duty/high flow loads. A typical winch motor may be ok as it is not a load on the system 100% of the time like a backhoe would be, but it is something to keep in mind when you design your own attachments. Also, using the remotes puts the operator in the line of fire should the cable or rigging fail. The lines, valves and couplers on the remotes are all sized for intermittent use. The power beyond connections are typically larger and have more flow available to them than the remotes. The most common applications for a power beyond connection are backhoes and splitters but can, and should be used whenever the attachment has it's own control valves.
Last fall i picked up a 10k hydraulic winch off a wrecker on craigslist to do basically the same thing...planned on mounting it to my grader blade for pulling logs. paid $100 and drove 2 hrs one way to pick it up. I bought the 3/8 winch line with safety hook this spring but still havent had time to get it mounted.
