Skidding Winch on Subcompact Tractor

[Doug in SW IA]

I have a 9 acre lot that is primarily forest. I have been heating with wood for over 20 years. I have a Kubota BX24 and I am thinking about getting a Farmi JL290 skidding winch. Up to now I have dropped the trees, cut them to firewood length in place and carried or rolled the pieces out to the trail or openings. This last year I got hit with straight line winds over 100mph or the edge of a tornado and lost 65 trees. Or more correctly there are 65 trees that had the potential to be sold. There are more that are snapped and too small to sell. So I have some major thinning and improvement ahead of me.

I am getting older so I am thinking a skidding winch might be worth considering. Drop the trees and then skid them out to the open so I don't have so much carrying. Another issue I have is that my little forest is fairly dense and I have problems getting trees to drop. They tend to get hung up and don't go all the way down. Could a skidding winch help me pull the butt of those trees out so they would go down? I am also thinking the winch with a snatch block could be used to better direct the direction of fall.

Thanks for the input.

Doug in SW IA

 

[dancan]

Some reading here on winches
https://www.arboristsite.com/community/threads/skidding-winch-for-the-tractor.292767/
You'll be amazed how much more productive you're tractor will be .

 

[woodfarmer]

Buy it, you’ll wonder how you ever got along without it. I have the 501, it’s a 2000 and it works!!

 

[northmanlogging]

a winch is invaluable in the woods.

Fer sure use a snatch block to redirect back to your winch when pulling trees over, especially with a light machine, helps keep said machine on the ground where it belongs.

as for pulling out hung up trees, hook em low, and put a wrap on it so it wants to twist out of the trees its hung up in, but be very careful as it can dig in and pull over on top of you, one of the reasons for hooking the tree low is the idea is to pull the butt out and drag the tree out of the standing timber. Hooking high can and likely will cause it to pull over rather then slide out.

If yer pulling with a small tractor keep in mind you likely do not have a cage around it, and lots of random junk can and will get kicked up by moving logs, or you will knock over standing trees with it.

go slow and keep yer eyes open.

 

[Ted Jenkins]

Doug do you need a winch? Are you able to drive close to your logs? You may need a A type frame on the back of your tractor to skid. I use a portable winch with a tractor or truck which ever is most appropriate. Thanks

 

[SliverPicker]

That's a very small tractor. Be extremely careful.

 

[Deleted member 117362]

View attachment 616232 Buy it, you’ll wonder how you ever got along without it. I have the 501, it’s a 2000 and it works!!

Do you have a picture of the backside showing winch? Brand, manufacturer? That has to make skidding easier. Never seen one.

 

[Doug in SW IA]

Doug do you need a winch? Are you able to drive close to your logs? You may need a A type frame on the back of your tractor to skid. I use a portable winch with a tractor or truck which ever is most appropriate. Thanks

I am trying to decide whether I need one, hence this posting. In most cases I cannot get close to the logs because of other trees or the hilly terrain. I saw the Aframe type grabber, but in my case I don't think it would be as useful. I do appreciate the input.

Doug in SW IA

 

[hseII]

View attachment 616232 Buy it, you’ll wonder how you ever got along without it. I have the 501, it’s a 2000 and it works!!

Do you ever wish it was bigger, or has it always been big enough?

 

[hseII]

Do you have a picture of the backside showing winch? Brand, manufacturer? That has to make skidding easier. Never seen one.

That’s a Farmi 501

 

[Deleted member 117362]

Thanks hsell.

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

That's a very small tractor. Be extremely careful.

What I was thinking, though I have used a 6x6 ATV as a "skidder" on a really small job and that only weighed maybe 1100lbs.

We had to cut the logs to about 12-14ft so that sucked (vs skidding tree length), but it was better than nothing.

If it were me, I'd leave the baby tractor in the shed and shop around for a dozer.

 

[dancan]

I've got friends that have run a JL351p on the back of a b7200 and a b8200 , I run a Norse on the back of my MF1020 , if you've got a lot of logs to drag out you'll not regret you purchase .
Snatch blocks are very handy , the self opening ones are awesome .
A skid cone also comes in handy .
You'll learn the limitations of your setup fast .

 

[dancan]

Good info

 

[woodfarmer]

Do you ever wish it was bigger, or has it always been big enough?

You sound like the women in my life, lol.

I owned an old john Deere 3130 when I bought the winch, I have thought about getting the 601 but I pull some big beech and have never had an issue. With the tractor larger than the winch no problem but I might be conserned if the winch was too large for the tractor.
Anyone that questions why you want one, has never owned one. I’ve 150’ of cable, with the snatch block I can get a tree out from just about anywhere with very minimal damage to the surrounding trees.
That’s my 066 sitting on the log, it was a biggun.
I have a video pulling this log but I got a message the file is too big, what do I do?

 

[KiwiBro]

You'll learn the limitations of your setup fast .

Guilty, your honor.
Bad things happen quickly if the operator is not switched on.

 

[hseII]

You sound like the women in my life, lol.

I owned an old john Deere 3130 when I bought the winch, I have thought about getting the 601 but I pull some big beech and have never had an issue. With the tractor larger than the winch no problem but I might be conserned if the winch was too large for the tractor.
Anyone that questions why you want one, has never owned one. I’ve 150’ of cable, with the snatch block I can get a tree out from just about anywhere with very minimal damage to the surrounding trees.

Maybe you Should be Picking in a Different Market?




I want one, I just want to buy Once.

 

[Ted Jenkins]

Wow never have seen flat ground like that for some time. The orange beast seems to be comfortable moving your logs around. Are those average size or do you get larger ones more than not. Thanks

 

[hseII]

Wow never have seen flat ground like that for some time. The orange beast seems to be comfortable moving your logs around. Are those average size or do you get larger ones more than not. Thanks

The camera man was holding the phone on a bit of a tilt: it’s hard to find good 7 year old camera operators.

That’s on the small side: 16” & 18” on the butt, & 19’ long.

That loader is rated for 2,900lbs, & attainable with Wheel weighs.

 

[Ryan'smilling]

A winch is indispensable if you're using a tractor in the woods. Also, you can use it for ten years and sell it for almost what you paid for it.

I have the same problem getting trees to drop in my dense hardwood stand. What I do is climb up my extension ladder and set a choker and hitch the cable to it before I start cutting. That way if it gets hung up, I'm already in position to winch it over.

Yes, that BX is small, and for skidding you will be limited, but you can always cut logs down to a more manageable size. Just start small, and approach the limit slowly and with caution. A loader bucket full of gravel, rocks, or firewood rounds will help keep the front end down. A BX is limited by clearance, so having the winch to reach into the woods will help keep the tractor on the trail.