Thread: chainsaw slabber winch 12v

Originally Posted by jouster

probably been done before, or maybe not a good idea,

Yeah seen winches like this before on the ArboristSite in the US. Whether it's a good idea or not is debatable. Some users like em, other find they are not necessary.

Originally Posted by jouster

i had troubles pushing it through big logs on my own . . . .
. . . . . you sort of see-saw through on big stuff.

My experience is if the operator has to push an alaskan mill to the point where they have problems or need to use a see saw action through even big stuff then . . .

a) the chain just aint sharp enough (operator not touching up the chain often enough)
b) the saw is too small - but it can't be that - the 3120XP should have more than enough grunt even in dry redgum.
c) The mill and log rails aren't slippery enough, (try using log rails on every cut, and line the mill rails with polyethylene)
d) the mill is bogging down on the side of the log (try wheels on the mill) - in one of your photos it looks like you are bracing against the side of the log with your right leg. Is that to stop the mill bogging down against the side of the log? If so that is a sure way to knacker yourself in about 5 minutes. Westford mills and most conventional Alaskan mills are notorious for this - wheels on the mill means the operator won't need to so this.
e) Try putting the log on a slope and mill downhill The operator should only have to lean with their own body weight on the mill and if the slope is steep enough the mill should almost go down on its own.

I'm 55 and can manage my big (33kg 880 and Alaskan mill with 60" bar) mill on my own up to about 50" logs. Guys here would know I'm mr gadget man when it comes to milling gear, if a winch was useful, or needed, or even close to being needed I would have one in an instant. The problem with the winches I have experimented with is they can put (unnecessary) stresses on even a big saws - it's much better if the operator is in total control of the saw so that way they have instantaneous tactile feed back in case any kind of problem arises.

Hi Jouster and welcome to the forum,
Another fine bit of "this is what I have, lets see if I can make it work"
I get a kick out of seeing what the others come up with so good stuff!

I have the same setup as u, no winch tho and it can be a challenge at times to get thru the bigger stuff by ones lonesome.

Do u have wheels on ur mill? BobL on this forum put wheels on his mill and recommends them, the other week I put some on my mill and based on the little bit of milling I did on the next day they worked a treat, unfortunatley my log dissapeared the next morning b4 I got back to it so testing is incomplete....some pics will be forthcoming but getting them from camera to forum is a bit of a drama atm.
From what I did observe is the wheels help to stop the mill on the head end riding up and off the rails that r bolted onto the log especially on the first few slabs where the skids/wheels r up against the rounder part of the log and wheels don't bite into the log like the skids do, BobL may have some obs here as well.

Did u know that the rails that the westford uses are what they call road sign channel and should be available from any good aluminium supplier and upto not sure but say 6m longish, usually they will cut to ur required lengths, It wasn't too expensive if I remember, I bought a full length and if u have it on hand it will come in handy for other projects requiring a bit of something .... just like.... ah yes a bit of this stuff.... road sign channel.
I found this out one day when I was looking at a sign that was down at ground level and was looking at the end of the al section used to hold the sign onto the posts, I thought, I recognize that shape....

Peter

Ahh Bob's on the ball with some good points
I did wonder what u were doing with ur leg what looked like up on the log, must say it looked a bit odd.

Originally Posted by pjt

Ahh Bob's on the ball with some good points
I did wonder what u were doing with ur leg what looked like up on the log, must say it looked a bit odd.

Something else that will be "on your balls" with a leg cocked up like that is the exhaust from 3120! Its the same with the 880 and 660. The best mod on my 880 was to redirect the exhaust out the bottom of the saw. It also helps blow the sawdust away from the operator so I don't having to continually tromp through the stuff.

Something else that will ease operator strain are good handles. The handles provided on those westford mills do absolutely nothing for the operators back.

Sorry jouster I re-red my first post and it sounded a bit grumpy and didn't even bother to welcome your aboard this crazy forum. We always like seeing people experiment here, maybe they can get it working better than the previous boffin that tried to get it working and couldn't.

Originally Posted by pjt

Did u know that the rails that the westford uses are what they call road sign channel and should be available from any good aluminium supplier and upto not sure but say 6m longish, usually they will cut to ur required lengths

Yep it's 6m. I got mine from capral aluminium. Its called Highway sign Unistrut. There are two kinds, regular and heavy duty. It costs a lot less than what the milling companies charge and you can get two sets of rails from one 6m length.

gidday jousterhave been thinking of doing similar thing with a gb mill. i have trouble keeping the depth adjustment where it is supposed to be. doesn't seem to matter how tight I do it up, it frequently opens up, particularly on the saw end. thought a winch with the cable running from as low as the skids will eliminate any downward pressure from my part. Alternitavely, bob can we have a look at your wheels. please.

hey, thanks for the replies, the wheels do sound like a good idea, particularly when you are cutting over the steep radius at the start of a log. and a slabbing rail every cut is something i've considered but need to make a better setup to get onto that.
. as for the stance, i have a bad back and am also notoriously fidgity so i change my possy every 10 seconds probably and am not going to be fighting that saw too hard. i have a sleeperback log on the forks and stand on that for a higher ground level on big logs so its either standing or kneeling, in this instant awkward standing- sort of.
as for load the winch would enable you to persist a little longer with an incorrect or blunt chain without getting stuffed, but it would still be awfully slow and hard to watch, so like anything it needs to be used correctly. i ideally wanted to keep just 10kg or so on the other end pulling steadilly so my first try had a rubber tensioner in the pull line. that idea worked for about 5 seconds. the preload gave you no control of the saw, if it began to labour a little you had no chance of releasing some pressure. i thought it was idea over. but without the tensioner, you just try to get the speed pretty close and let the winch walk along. what i meant by see-sawing is that if the winch speed is a fraction fast/slow i can just vary my speed to keep the saw running steady. if the angle gets a little steep i will just press the remote to start or stop to even up. i realise ideally you probably shouldn't need it but it was quick, simple and horribly cheap and works pretty well for me.

Originally Posted by jouster

. as for the stance, i have a bad back and am also notoriously fidgity so i change my possy every 10 seconds probably and am not going to be fighting that saw too hard. i have a sleeperback log on the forks and stand on that for a higher ground level on big logs so its either standing or or kneeling

If you have a bad back then you definitely more and better handles on the mill/saw and a remote throttle for the saw. A remote throttle means the operator arms do not need to be spread out reaching for the trigger (that's a real back killer) and if placed strategically can lead to a more upright stance. I'm exactly the same in that I need to shift my stance on a regular basis so I have two vertical handles attached to the full length horizontal handle on the mill. The horizontal handle is also 75 mm higher on the mill than the Granberg or Westford mills. Those 75 mm make some difference but the vertical handle handles and the remote throttle attached to the wrap handle make the biggest difference.

I also always lift small logs up off the ground (and bigger logs too when slabbing the lower half) so I can lean on the wrap handle of the saw with my hip or upper leg or knee, that way I'm never kneeling and do not always need to leaning or push on the mill with my arms or back.

Great Aussie ingenuity