New Tractor and Winch

[Turkeyslayer]

Here are some pics of the pile ready for splitting

I will sleep good tonight thats for sure!!

 

[Walt41]

TS, I think the pup is claiming that pile for himself, you better get your own!

 

[Turkeyslayer]

TS, I think the pup is claiming that pile for himself, you better get your own!

If she can split it, she can have it. lol. She spends most of the day dragging away anything I cut that is small enough for her to carry. I just need to train her to drag them up to the house and pile it.

 

[Turkeyslayer]

Self releasing snatch block

Here are a few pics of the self releasing snatch block I had made. Hope to try it out in the morning. I am still blown away by the way the winch pulls, it works awsome!!

I hope to take some more pics of the work I am doing tomorrow if I can remember the camera.

 

[Curlycherry1]

Here are a few pics of the self releasing snatch block I had made. Hope to try it out in the morning. I am still blown away by the way the winch pulls, it works awsome!!

Nice fab work, how did you make the round part? Did you use a CNC? Also, how is the cable going to pop out of the pulley when you want it to release?

The ones I used had a leader on the cable that basically hit the pulley and caused it to flip open and release the cable.

Oh, and could ya find a less manly color to paint it? Maybe pink would have worked.

 

[Turkeyslayer]

Nice fab work, how did you make the round part? Did you use a CNC? Also, how is the cable going to pop out of the pulley when you want it to release?

The ones I used had a leader on the cable that basically hit the pulley and caused it to flip open and release the cable.

Oh, and could ya find a less manly color to paint it? Maybe pink would have worked.

I had a friend that is a machinest make it, I posted the link to the instructions a few posts back (#96). He made the pully with a CNC machine out of a piece of plate he had kicking around. When using the block you face the pully down and being it is a 1/2" smaller on the bottom, when the keyhole sliders (for the chokers) get to the block they ride up and out poping the cable out. The only problem with this that I can see, is that I will have to choke the logs before running the cable through the block, keeping some tension on the cable to hold it on the pully. I hope to test it out tomorrow, so time will tell how well it works, but being alot cheaper than the store bought pullys designed to handle as much pull, I figured it was worth a go.

You like that blue colour? I bought a few spray cans of it on sale at TSC and painted most of my chains aswell, that way they dont get left in the bush by mistake.

 

[Curlycherry1]

You like that blue colour? I bought a few spray cans of it on sale at TSC and painted most of my chains aswell, that way they dont get left in the bush by mistake.

That's a good theory. Of course just saying that on an internet forum is going to p off the wood gnomes and they will be scattering your chains far and wide the first chance they get.

 

[stihl sawing]

Nice tractor, you ought to be able to tackle anything now with the attachments you have on it. Really nice.

 

[war-wagon]

nice tractor, nice chessie

jealousy is a four letter word

 

[Turkeyslayer]

Road trip

Well I'm all sadled up for my first big road trip with the tractor. I have about an 1 1/2 hour drive to one of the bushlots I am cutting. Hope everything goes smooth, and I have the camera so there should be some more pics tonight. I'm in for a long day but it should be fun!!

 

[Curlycherry1]

Well I'm all sadled up for my first big road trip with the tractor. I have about an 1 1/2 hour drive to one of the bushlots I am cutting. Hope everything goes smooth, and I have the camera so there should be some more pics tonight. I'm in for a long day but it should be fun!!

I used to move my tractor by driving it up on the back of my truck if there was a lump of dirt around to serve as a ramp. I had some contracts where there was nothing but flatlands so there I would raise the bed all the way up and with a chain/come-a-long attached to the front of the bed I would hand crank the tractor up onto the bed and then let it down (it had power down hydraulics). Easy peasy and I did not need a trailer for moving the tractor and winch.

My truck had a 16' bed so it was easy to get onto there. I did once move it using my brother's F450 and it barely fit onto that truck bed. The back wheels were barely onto the bed, but it held.

 

[Steve NW WI]

Brrr, sounds cold! Anytime I've gotta run down the road more than a mile or two on an open tractor in winter, I go with full snowmobile gear, helmet included. It makes a much nicer experience, even if it does look goofy.

Not sure if you could find a "heat houser" style soft cab if you've gotta road it a lot, but they help quite a bit. The woods would tear them up quick, but they're pretty easy on and off.

 

[Turkeyslayer]

Well made it home safe and sound. Had a good day over all. When we made it up to the bush the tractor didn't like the -12 C or 10 F + wind chill ride on the trailer, it is lucky I have a cousin that lives a couple of miles from the bush lot. He let me plug in the block heater for an hour while we had coffee and got caught up.
I had a friend up to help me today so we still had a productive day. Got to try out the snatch block (only once) and it worked really well for redirecting the skid path around some trees. Only took time to shot a couple of pics at the end of the day, they are the days work and the tractor loaded on the trailer.

 

[Curlycherry1]

When we made it up to the bush the tractor didn't like the -12 C or 10 F + wind chill ride on the trailer, it is lucky I have a cousin that lives a couple of miles from the bush lot. He let me plug in the block heater for an hour while we had coffee and got caught up.

I learned my lessons for cold weather long, long ago. Start the saws before driving to the woods and walking in to where the cutting is. Start the tractor and leave it running on the truck/trailer before leaving. And woodsplitters need time to warm up when it is really cold. That is a good time to start them up, and then go get breakfast.

Oh and you did a nice day's work. Them is nice poles that will cut and split easily into quick finishing of the pile.

 

[Turkeyslayer]

I learned my lessons for cold weather long, long ago. Start the saws before driving to the woods and walking in to where the cutting is. Start the tractor and leave it running on the truck/trailer before leaving. And woodsplitters need time to warm up when it is really cold. That is a good time to start them up, and then go get breakfast.

Oh and you did a nice day's work. Them is nice poles that will cut and split easily into quick finishing of the pile.

Next time I will leave the tractor running for the trip, I had it plugged in this morning before we left but the 1 1/2 ride had it plenty cooled off. Live and learn I guess

 

[mercer_me]

Why did you cut your hinge off? That is an extremely dangerouse thing to do. When you cut your hinge off you can't control the tree very good.

 

[Turkeyslayer]

Why did you cut your hinge off? That is an extremely dangerouse thing to do. When you cut your hinge off you can't control the tree very good.

I didn't, hard to see in the pic but there is about a 1 inch strip of "fiber" (hinge wood) all the way across the stump at the bottom of the notch (conventional notch) where it broke off and went with the spar.

 

[mercer_me]

I didn't, hard to see in the pic but there is about a 1 inch strip of "fiber" (hinge wood) all the way across the stump at the bottom of the notch (conventional notch) where it broke off and went with the spar.

Oh, like yousaid you can't se the hinge in that picture. I just didn't want you to get hurt or killed becouse you cut the hinge off.

 

[Turkeyslayer]

Its all good, thanks for caring, and trust me I've got to much to live for to #### it all up. I have cut with experienced people as well as taken the Ontario cutter/skidder course. I still have alot to learn, but getting home alive and uninjured is my #1 priority in the bush.

 

[mercer_me]

Its all good, thanks for caring, and trust me I've got to much to live for too #### it all up. I have cut with experienced people as well as taken the Ontario cutter/skidder course. I still have alot to learn, but getting home alive and uninjured is my #1 priority in the bush.

:agree2: I was 16 when I started working in the woods. I thank God that the guys that I was working with had lots of experience and they tought me well.