I got the winch and weight bracket mounted on my Vermeer Trencher to be Skidder.

PDakin · February 20, 2011, 09:50:07 PM

Only problem so far is the hydraulic winch is REAL slow winding. I still have to fabricate the fairlead rollers and bracket and a lift boom to those trencher cylinders on the back there. Paul

mjeselskis · February 20, 2011, 10:05:23 PM

Looking good. I was wondering if that hydraulic winch would be slow. It seems like most of them are. How much weight is that?

treefarmer87 · February 20, 2011, 10:14:34 PM

looks good

i like all the weights

Banjo picker · February 21, 2011, 08:01:56 AM

Is the hydralic motor mounted directly to the winch? I coldn't tell from the pic angle..Tim

isawlogs · February 21, 2011, 08:13:10 AM

Those wrecker winches are slow , dad has one that he recycled into a tractor winche and it is slow but very strong.

I like this thing really 8) 8)

PDakin · February 21, 2011, 02:07:13 PM

Those are Ford tractor weights, 94 lbs each x 14 of them = 1,316 lbs. plus the steel in the brackets and winch, so pretty heavy but the trencher tail was 2500+ lbs. itself. Paul

PDakin · February 21, 2011, 02:08:09 PM

Forgot, the Parker hydraulic motor it direct to the winch end. Paul

shinnlinger · February 21, 2011, 03:23:45 PM

If your gunna be hauling that hoe around in the woods, drop the bucket and put a grapple on it or ad a thumb and get an old hay wagon and use it as a forwarder. Keep your logs nice and clean.

jaybe_2 · June 19, 2011, 09:54:18 PM

I just found this post and it cought my eye, I have just finished doing the same thing. I cut the chain bar off and welded a cable arch to the trencher lift cylinders. I cut the chain drive sprockets off and turned that into my winch drum. That gave me a 4 speed winch with reverse. 8) I have only pulled a few trees with it.the winch has a lot of power in first gear and is very fast in third. The winch will not lock so I made a bracket on top of the arch to grab the chokers. I just pull the logs in tip the arch all the way down hook the chokers and lift the arch and logs, it gets the butt of the tree about 3 feet off the ground. Im only going to pull about 15 cord of fire wood for my own use so I think it will work good.

Banjo picker · June 19, 2011, 10:15:26 PM

Welcome to the forum. I built a winch to go behind my tract...a pic. is worth a thousand words...Tim

jaybe_2 · June 19, 2011, 10:41:39 PM

It took me a while but I got my pics up!

mad murdock · June 20, 2011, 01:41:41 AM

Welcome to the forum Jayebe_2. That is a cool contraption you got there 8) 8) I bet it will do you just fine. how big is the engine it your machine?

Banjo picker · June 20, 2011, 07:20:31 AM

Good job on the machine and the pics....I guess I was too quick on the trigger asking for them... ;) Tim

jaybe_2 · June 20, 2011, 09:03:04 PM

The engine is a 3 cyl. diesel JD. From what I find on the net it is around 50 hp. It has some nice gearing for in the woods.

jaybe_2 · June 21, 2011, 09:43:26 PM

PDakin Your trench/skidder seems to have a taller tire than most I have seen. What size are they? They look to still have the 15" rim but a bigger side wall.