Homemade logging winch

[sdunston]

If the second brake set up was intact it would allow you to lower a weight with the cable using those brakes only. A definite advantage to the drum on the axle style but how do you keep the oil in the differential without a place for the seal to ride on?

Narrowing is not that hard, the first step is to get the housing the length you want by cutting a hunk out of the tube and welding it back togather,then cut the shaft the same amount you have taken out of the tube. This way you still retain the outer seal and flange for the backing plate.
Sam

[shinnlinger]

Sam cutting  and rewelding axle tube is relativley easy.  Cutting and rewelding axle shaft in a maner that is straight and confidence inspiring is another story. That is why I suggest 4x4 front axles on the first page of this thread.
HOwever, I can see cuting the axle tube down and inserting the uncut shaft throught the drum and attaching the brakes in the stock position on some sort of frame work.  As for the oil, I could see rewelding the ouside axle seal inboard of the drum.  Even if the shaft tapers some, it should work reasonably well.
Dave

[r.man]

Sorry I didn't make myself clear. If you shorten the housing but not the axle, since you want to build the cable pulley on it, how do you seal the end where the axle leaves the housing.

[shinnlinger]

 Reweld the outer seal end where you cut the tube near the axle.  You may need to replace the rubber after welding.  I also could see a large washer coming into play if necesary.

[sdunston]

I should have explained that I first take out the taper of the axel on a lathe,then cut them down,then taper the ends that are to be but welded. Remember this is for slow speed and if it has a little wobble its no big deal. I agree that a 4x4 front diff would be the way the go but they are just a bit more money then I would spend ;). The truth of the mater is you dont have to narrow the diff to make this work, it would just look nicer 8)
Sam

[Puffergas]

Next question, would a garden tractor rear end, hystat or other wise be able to do something similar?

You might want to look at an old Cub Cadet rear end. About in the 60's, say a 125 series. No wheel brakes though. Google garden pulling tractor or something like that. That's the rear end the pullers use. Should out pull a chain saw type winch.

But don't be hacking up those old Wheel Horses they're too nice of a machine and the Cub has a heavier rear end anyhow.

Jeff

[r.man]

Back to what Paul Case had to say about a temporary winch, my father used the rear wheel of a IH W4 farm tractor to pull itself out of a mud hole when I was a kid. He had what he called a decking line which was a fairly small chain about 100 ft long. He managed to get the chain around the rear wheel of the tractor and then through a pulley attached to a tree in line with the rear hitch and then back to the draw bar. This doubled the power and the tractor pulled itself out as the wheel slowly reversed. If you look in the dictionary under "make do" I think there is still a picture of my father there.

[paul case]

if your dads in that picture its because my dad couldnt make it for the update picture. lol pc

[swamper]

     The cable winches made from an auto differential were used a lot around here.  My brother's father in law worked for an oil company as a welder.  From the time he ate supper until he went to bed, he could make two of these winches, so they are not that difficult.  I cut and welded my first differential when I was in the 11 th grade in shop class.  It was a Studebaker rear that my uncle gave to me.  It is still going strong. 
     The differentials were made as narrow as possible.  I have seen the axle tube as short as 3" on each side of the center section.  They had to be narrow enough for the cable spool to be in the center of the frame.  The cable spool was bolted on where the wheel used to bolt on.  Then a large sprocket was drilled to match the four holes in the yoke and bolted onto where the universal joint used to fasten.  I liked them better when both brake drums were left on.  That way you had a lift handle, and a hold handle. 
     Sometimes, depended on how it worked out, one axle was left longer and the diff was set on top of the frame.  The spool was in the center, the axle tube was on the frame, and the other brake drum was just outside the frame.  A regular billet truck winch would pull a lot, but one with a rearend winch would easily flip the truck over.
     I have picked up a lot of wood, but I have also picked up a fairlane, complete car, completely off the ground, and backed a trailer under it.  All that was done with the truck engine at an idle.  You could use it to pull the truck out if you were stuck, but that was kinda dangerous. 
     The cable never snapped, with us it always started fraying and breaking just one strand at a time until it finally fell in two.  I have even pulled pipe out of a  few wells with this thing.  Most of them that are left around here have been converted to load and haul saw logs instead of billet wood.  You can grab a 2' diameter log 20' long and just grab it 5' from one end and pull the short end up against the boom and swing it around and load it on the back of your truck.
     When I cut the axles, I shaved them with a torch until they both had ends like a chisel.  Then, I put the calibrated eye on them and welded them together.  Kept that eye on them as I welded.  Remember, you remove a section of the axle and a section of the axle tube.  Both the same amount.  My favorite was the Ford 9" rear end.  The pinion support is better when driven with a side loading sprocket.  I have seen all flavors though. 
     One guy here has a pulling unit.  Used for pulling pipe out of oil wells.  The winch on it is made out of a two ton differential.  Been on that truck working since 1958 and is still in good shape. 
     The main pro about these winches for moving wood is that when you stop making them pull, you can freely pull the cable out.  Worm gear winches are not like that, you have to release the dog on them to pull out, and engage the dog, and so on.  The differential winch, it can pull in and you can pull right back out, a handy device.

[Don_Papenburg]

If anyone is interested I have an old jeep front axle one hub/drum missing

[JP135]

Snowsquall has a pic of a similar winch setup run thru a transmission posted in this thread:

https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?topic=46929.0

[tractormanNwv]

If I could ever figure out the picture downloading thing I would share some pics of exactly what your describing, found it hooked to a minneapolis moline U just south of Richmond, Va. It looked as though the owner just walked away from the mill and never came back, His winch was set up on a frame to use as a skidder and the tires appeared to be aircraft style, the rearend was a model A ford I believe, and could also be operated from the tractor seat.

Jim

[captain_crunch]

ifn you can find a old worm drive winch of any form saves lots of work worm drive dont reguire brake to hold load There should be a few Bradens about (G I ) surplus about

[swamper]

I live down here in oilfield country.  They are drilling 612 new wells right here around my house, within a 5 mile radius.  So, worm gear winches are plentiful.  I live in a junkyard and have several of those winches loose and maybe a half dozen that are still on trucks.  What I have seen done that works well is when using the differential winch, people use chain chokers.  They take a cable hook and put it on the chain and weld a piece from the tip of the hook almost back to the eye, leaving just enough gap to get the chain through, stays on the log better.  Then, on their cable, they have several chain hooks that just have eyes on them, not the clevis type.  The top of their winch bracket has slots so when they winch the chokers to the tractor, they just drop the loose end of the chokers in the slots.  Then, when they pick up the lift, it picks the end of the logs up, and the tractor pulls the logs by the chokers and not just the cable.  You can bunch this way and get another grab and maybe tow two or three pulls at a time.  I am telling from experience, the differential winch is much faster for this, but if you want a worm gear winch....they are tough, I will concede on that.
I have picked up loads so heavy with worm gear winches that I had the accelerator on the floor and side stepped the clutch and it pulled one front wheel off the ground just from torquing up so much.  I was pulling a cutter blade for a D-7 up on the back of a 1 ton, sliding it up the gin poles that were laying on the headache rack.  I always keep some healthy expanded metal between me and that cable in case it breaks.

[Taylortractornut]

Afew  years ago a friend of mine William Davis was telling me about the bad old days of logging and stick wooding as he put it.    He worked for a man that  repair logging equipment and logged to.   He built some loaders ta teven went on twin screw trucks.     He  had a  job one time converting a 9000 Ford over to a log truck.  He put a 4 speed 1 ton trans mission off the  pto.     Then ran it into a light 3/4 ton rearend.       That day that day he showed me how to build the axle shaft type winch.   He  made a frame to bolt the   axle down where the spring pads  went.    THen he  mounted a support to the   chunk to steady it.    He  then  cut a section of the housing from the  spool side of the axle.       Then he would make  spool drum from pipe and  plate.  Then     pull the axle shaft and  set the drum in place and reinsert axle and weld it to the spool.        Its pretty narrow and  makes great winch.    I have seen some pics of  small draglines and clam bucket cranes made on a few small barges that were ome built from car axles.