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Log-Skidder Fitted With Home-Built Winch
When Stefan Steiner used a tractor and chain to haul logs out of his woods, there were places he couldn't get to because of rocks and gullies. Now, the Thurso, Quebec, farmer is able to pull logs out of the steepest ravines, thanks to a 3-pt. mounted winch-type log skidder he built.
The skidder is anchored by a 6 1/2-ft. wide blade. A big winch made out of a rear end from a GM 2-ton truck mounts in a heavy-built frame above the blade.
The skidder has 150 ft. of 9/16-in. dia. 12-ton logging cable that wraps and unwraps on a free-wheeling drum that Steiner built out of a car rim. The rim was fitted with a 3-in. lip on each side to make a 6-in. deep drum. Ratchets, made from square stock and flat bar, were welded on the rim so it can be locked in position with a lever. The differential's original brake, which was loosened to allow it to free-wheel, remains on the right side, and steel cable connects to a hand brake cable which runs to the lever in front.
Steiner built two self-aligning pulley blocks for the pulleys that bring the cable from the drum to the center of the winch. He mounted a pto shaft on the truck rear end to drive the machine. He built a housing with metal from an old fuel tank.
"To operate, we engage the pto on our 100 hp tractor, pull on the lever that makes the drum turn, and wind up the cable," Steiner says. "The harder we pull on the lever, the faster the cable pulls. If the log hits a stump, the brake simply slips.
"Once the log gets up to the winch, we pull on the ratchet rope to lock the drum, and then raise the 3 pt. and drive away.
"There isn't much it won't handle. We've used it to haul 30-ft. long, 36-in. dia. oak logs."
Out-of-pocket expense was $330 (Canadian), including two commercial pulleys. He'll make plans available if there's inter-est.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Stefan Steiner, 332 Route 148, Thurso, Quebec, Canada JOX 3BO (ph 819 985-0421).


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1997 - Volume #21, Issue #4