Thread: Getting serious!

Good one Ash
You wont regret the decision as they are a fabulous Mill
Enjoy the journey...MM

I like it when people are "serious" - good luck with it!

Things are getting even more serious now! I've ordered an MS 880 magnum.
I've been wanting one for a long time now, and I'll use it around the farm for lots of jobs other than just prepping logs for the mill. I got a free bar upgrade, two chains, two stump vices and some wedges thrown in for the same price.
My little ms192 and ms390 just aren't going to do the job.

Since I've splurged so much in the last week, I've had to downgrade the winch I wanted for the truck. I got an EBay special Chinese 17,000lb 24volt winchmax. All the reviews I found are pretty good. Time will tell. I've got an idea of mounting it centrally in the headboard of the tray, then having a snatch block in the centre of the tray so I can run the cable in any direction, then roll the logs up a side or rear ramp.
I have no idea if this will work or if there are possible issues that I'll encounter? Any advice is very welcome.

How do people load chunky stumps without a crane or front end loader?

Well.... I may very well have a job for you. We may be taking down a rather large silky oak at a house in Morphett Vale and if we do we will want it milled. Not sure of the actual size but it is about 1.5m at the base and probably 20-30m tall.

Let me know if it is something you would want to do and I'll get in touch when we decide.

John

Its all or nothing. This is something I wanted to do years ago so i'm envious.

Originally Posted by Yanis

Well.... I may very well have a job for you. We may be taking down a rather large silky oak at a house in Morphett Vale and if we do we will want it milled. Not sure of the actual size but it is about 1.5m at the base and probably 20-30m tall.

Let me know if it is something you would want to do and I'll get in touch when we decide.

John

Hi mate, yes I will definitely be interested in doing the job for you. I will need to do a bit of practice and get to know the saw first, then I will definitely be in contact with you.

Cheers,
Ash.

Winch needs to be mounted either to the chassis or you'll need to reinforce around the mount significantly: otherwise the day comes when the winch departs the truck to go to the log instead of vice versa.
Winch needs to be out the way or log will one day roll on it.
If its an electric winch you need to look at the size and length of the leads to it... voltage drop needs to be considered.

Were it me I'd be looking to mount it on the passenger side in against the chassis rail, then have a fairlead on the side of the tray so the rope can go back to the drivers side over the tray. Then all you need is some bolsters that drop to ground level and you can parbuckle anything that truck can handle aboard. Drivers side loading makes it easier to get the truck in the right position in relation to the log first time every time. Passenger side load is do-able, but sometimes you might need to get out of the truck and walk around a couple times to be in the right place is all.

Just like this dude: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0T9dz-lvMY

Driver side loading takes a lot of the guesswork out of positioning the truck.
As john has already said, headboards aren't made for winch mounting. The strongest part of your truck is the chassis, so why not use it?

Hi all, some great advice regarding the placement of the winch, some food for thought. I should have said that I panned on mounting it on the tray, through the headboard, not just to the headboard! sorry for the confusion.
I plan on extending the tray about 300 mm towards the cab, I'll reinforce the hell out of it and make a box to protect the winch from the weather or something falling on it. This way it'll be right next to the batteries so I get maximum power and I think it'll be the most universal place for it. Kind of like a tow truck I guess?
The other reason I wanted it here was for recoveries. I figure I could tow myself out backwards if I get bogged in a paddock, which is highly likely in wet old South Australia.
I'm still not sure about the winch block idea though? Does running a cable through a pulley at right angles reduce its pulling strength? would this force be too great for the pin to handle? I do have a metal lathe so I could make it way oversize just in case!
I might need a few holes for the winch block to go into as I imagine the centre of the truck probably isn't the most practical spot?
I'll add a picture of what I'm imagining, but if it's a silly idea I'm more than happy to change the plan, I really haven't built anything like this before.
truck.jpg

I'm obviously terrible at art/drawing, But you get the general idea!

feedback is very welcome (of the idea, not the artistic ability...)

Cheers,
Ash.

Hi Ash,
Using a snatch block in the centre of the truck is not a silly idea, to save cutting holes in the tray, you could use a short drag chain with a loop and hook on each end. Some inner tube off a motor bike slipped over the chain will prevent some paint coming off the combing rails when the hooked end is dropped over the edge, in between the tie rails, under the main beam of the chassis and back between the tie rail and combing. A couple of snatch blocks would be better,
one on the end of the chain to give the angle required, and another on the cable to halve the load on the winch.
Let me know if you need assistance with learning to use a winch and setting it up, as it can be dangerous, to add merit to what I'm saying, I have a certificate 1V (4) in 4WD training and recovery work.
Kryn

Fantastic, thanks for the assistance. I really didn't want to drill into the tray, your idea is great. I never even thought of using a drag chain.
Once the winch arrives I'm sure I'll have more questions.

Cheers,

Ash.

Ash

This is all a bit nostalgic for me. I used to have a Mazda T3500 when I was milling.

Regards
Paul

Originally Posted by Bushmiller

Ash

This is all a bit nostalgic for me. I used to have a Mazda T3500 when I was milling.

Regards
Paul

That's great Paul, I have a feeling it'll be pretty slow going in the little Mazda, but hopefully it'll do the job. I read that a turbo will give it at least 30% more power, but the budget is stretched as far as its going to be for now. I'll admire the view as I go up the hills in 3rd low range!
Cheers,
Ash.

Ash

I am not familiar with the T4100 except that I think it was a 6 cylinder model. Mine was only 4 cylinders with a smaller capacity (3.5L), but it had a two speed diff and exhaust brake. Aggregate weight was 6250Kg giving a bit better than three ton loading capacity. It had sufficient power for me at the time back in 2000. Top speed was 120Kmh and the two speed diff gave 10 speeds.

I am not sure if you model had this feature (I think the very similar Ford Trader did not).

Regards
Paul