Log wagon hydraulics

I have a swivel hoist. The idea is to raise the log up and then swing it onto the wagon. It will have uprights like a log truck so I can stack 3-4 ft high.

 

cool. Leave that Badlands on your truck. Your looking for at least 4500lbs of quality, 5500 is better. Every layer of line on the spool decreases the pulling power of a winch considerably so it will be weakest when you need it the most.

 

I was going to remove most of the cable anyway. I only need about 12 ft of it

 

Don’t cut yourself short
You may think you only need 12’. Once you start using it you’ll use every foot available. It’s easier to winch them in than reposition the tractor and trailer for every log. Can’t always get in a perfect position, gotta drag them to the trailer.
You need to leave about six wraps on the spool or you’ll just rip it off. Friction is what holds the line to the spool.

 

I could get some amsteel rope. That would let me get more per wrap and it wouldn't birdnest like steel cable.

what brands of winch would you suggest?

 

im not brand specific Stihl/Husqvarna. The top names are Warn, Smittybilt and Superwinch. There are Australian winch’s that lead the pack but $$$$
If I were brave enough to homebuild a winch arm for fully lifting logs high in the air I’d be looking at quality foremost. Personally I’d be looking for a 6000-8000lb range winch too. Hoisting is different than pulling One eff up and you become the little doughboy encountering a giant rolling pin. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere near it.
I’ve pushed both mine to the limit on occasion just getting one end up at a time. White Oak is some heavy dang wood.
Then you can get into line speed specs. Faster is better. Faster costs money usually. It might not matter much if you’re stuck in the mud at midnight with a case of beer. It matters if your working with the line all day.

I thought I would hate synthetic line. Mostly because I thought it would fray FAST. I love it now. For full hoisting duty you’ll want to replace it before it weakens to the point of breaking on the job. Same with steel tho.
FWIW it’s recommended to never switch a winch that has been using steel cable to synthetic. Maybe new you can but not after any serious use. The steel roughens the spool to the point it will chew up rope. They also use two different fairleads. Never use one for the other.

what will you use for guide wheels on the arm? You’ll want the winch within arms reach to switch between freewheel and pull.

 

I'm not sure on the exact setup yet. Just trying to figure before putting the welder to the steel.