Thread: A winch for loading logs

That will save some spinal damage.
Regards
John

What you need now is a beam over the top with a pulley installed directly above the mill so you can also use that winch to turn you log. Ideally the winch line for that has a hook one end and an eyelet the other so you just run the line under the log and hook the cut face, hook your current line to the eyelet and she'll roll her against the backstops as neat and as soft as anything.

That used to be a very common arrangement for turning logs too big for cant hooks in the old days pre hydraulic turners, and it's still the best way when your log is better then your turners today.

I agree with John. This is a very simple way of turning a log. I use the electric winch on my Landcruiser...no need to leave a comfortable seat and air conditioning. My kind of milling.

Nice,

and thanks for a new word in my vocabulary )

TasSculptor

You can rig up a FWD type winch to both haul the logs onto the saw bed and to rotate logs that are too big for your cant hook. Before that however the first step for the cant hook is to make up one that has an adjustable hook position and/or long enough. My cant hook is about 1.8m long. I say this because it is ten time quicker than organising a winch.

However, too big to move is too big to move and you are left with no alternative. The pic below is the winch set up I used originally. The winch was 2500Kgs from memory, but I sold half the saw ( circular saw and the bed). I retained the band saw and made up a new bed. You need two things for this to work. One of them is not the old tractor and chain. In fact I was using the tractor to slow down the rotation as it let go. A heavy log that size makes quite a bang as it falls. later on I didn't bother as the bed was plenty strong enough to withstand the weight. You need a stand that fixes rigidly to the frame of the bed and some folding brackets that allow the log to be easily set at 90 degs to the first cut. The right angle stops also prevent the log rolling too far and serve as positioners.

After selling off part of the mill I bought another bigger winch (12,000lbs) but this is quite heavy at nearly 40Kgs and is a bit of an effort to lift into the pipe stand (a bracket is fixed to the underside of the winch with a piece of pipe to locate into the stand) and I have another smaller winch to use for smaller logs. You could also use the 2000lb boat winches that only cost about $100, but clearly it cannot dealwith larger logs and will depend on your requirements. All of these winches are 12V and will run from your motor vehicle battery as the power source. They all have a remote device to run the winch so you can guide the logs too if neccessary.

FRG 4.jpgFRG 6.jpg

This pic shows some ramps to allow the log to be rolled up more easily onto the bed. The cable is placed around the log and anchored at the foot of the standpipe to roll the log onto the bed but for rotation the hook is fixed back onto the cable and pushed down to the underside of the log. It does damage the cable over time, but doesn't really present a danger when used in this situation. Nevertheless always make sure no part of you is under the log at any time.

timber milling 004 (Small).jpg

This is a link to a thread on the Laidlaw mill, but unfortunately many of the pix went missing when the Forum had a melt down some years back.

Laidlaw's Bandsaws and Swing saws

Regards
Paul

Originally Posted by Bushmiller

TasSculptor

You can rig up a FWD type winch to both haul the logs onto the saw bed and to rotate logs that are too big for your cant hook. Before that however the first step for the cant hook is to make up one that has an adjustable hook position and/or long enough. My cant hook is about 1.8m long. I say this because it is ten time quicker than organising a winch.

However, too big to move is too big to move and you are left with no alternative. The pic below is the winch set up I used originally. The winch was 2500Kgs from memory, but I sold half the saw ( circular saw and the bed). I retained the band saw and made up a new bed. You need two things for this to work. One of them is not the old tractor and chain. In fact I was using the tractor to slow down the rotation as it let go. A heavy log that size makes quite a bang as it falls. later on I didn't bother as the bed was plenty strong enough to withstand the weight. You need a stand that fixes rigidly to the frame of the bed and some folding brackets that allow the log to be easily set at 90 degs to the first cut. The right angle stops also prevent the log rolling too far and serve as positioners.

After selling off part of the mill I bought another bigger winch (12,000lbs) but this is quite heavy at nearly 40Kgs and is a bit of an effort to lift into the pipe stand (a bracket is fixed to the underside of the winch with a piece of pipe to locate into the stand) and I have another smaller winch to use for smaller logs. You could also use the 2000lb boat winches that only cost about $100, but clearly it cannot dealwith larger logs and will depend on your requirements. All of these winches are 12V and will run from your motor vehicle battery as the power source. They all have a remote device to run the winch so you can guide the logs too if neccessary.

FRG 4.jpgFRG 6.jpg

This pic shows some ramps to allow the log to be rolled up more easily onto the bed. The cable is placed around the log and anchored at the foot of the standpipe to roll the log onto the bed but for rotation the hook is fixed back onto the cable and pushed down to the underside of the log. It does damage the cable over time, but doesn't really present a danger when used in this situation. Nevertheless always make sure no part of you is under the log at any time.

timber milling 004 (Small).jpg

This is a link to a thread on the Laidlaw mill, but unfortunately many of the pix went missing when the Forum had a melt down some years back.

Laidlaw's Bandsaws and Swing saws

Regards
Paul

your middle pic.... off topic I know but whats the convertible... european ...Fiat 124 perhaps

Tonto

That's what a Toyota Corolla station wagon with the roof cut off looks like.

Regards
Paul

oh of course, silly me not recognising that, and you do the weekly grocery food run, all registered and insured

Japans answer to the Austin Healey Sprite.

Originally Posted by Bushmiller

Tonto

That's what a Toyota Corolla station wagon with the roof cut off looks like.

Regards
Paul

Correction. It was a Toyota Corona.

Regards
Paul

Originally Posted by Bushmiller

Correction. It was a Toyota Corona.

Regards
Paul

And a very nice Yamaha TY Trials bike.