Skidder cable ferrules.

[Firewoodjoe]

Is there a way I can stop that curl at the end of the cable where all the bells pull on the end. It's needs cut off again. It's starting to brake wire already. 

[BargeMonkey]

Is there a way I can stop that curl at the end of the cable where all the bells pull on the end. It's needs cut off again. It's starting to brake wire already.

I try to leave my cable stretched out hooked to a heavy hitch 1-2x a week, put 3/4 of your wire out and pretty tight over night, helps avoid the curl. 

[teakwood]

near the ferrule there will always be the worst spot, some cables start to brake and eventually it needs to be shortened 

[Firewoodjoe]

I'll I cut a foot off August 14th and it's almost a 90 and brakeing. Is the cable just old?

[BargeMonkey]

When I cut them back its normally 6-8' at a time, that's what takes all the abuse, 1' still has the memory of the curl in it. I've got to cut the one on my 450G tomorrow, dozer cable takes a beating compared to a skidder cable, just thrashed. 

[ehp]

what length of cable do you guys run, for me it depends on where Im cutting but 125 or 175 ft in normal 

[BargeMonkey]

100ft, 5/8 swedge on small skidder and dozer, normally I will cut my 440D cable 2x or so and put it on the dozer. I've got 7/8 swedge on my 460 right now, if I buy that 640D I will move it over and hang 14-16 slides, i think that machine would handle it. 

[Firewoodjoe]

Mines a 100 foot I think. Or was anyways. I'll cut off another short chunk and order a new main line. Keep cutting it off and it wouldn't be much good. And it will be longer. 25 feet would be nice. 

[ehp]

Barge I use to run 1 1/4 inch mainline on the 740 bottom winch and 1/2 inch on top winch ,All we can buy is swedge or double swedge cable here . If you buy that 640 do yourself a favor and rebuild the motor and put another 100 hp in it , its unreal how that changes the skidder . Do not put a cowboy on driving it cause it will break driveshafts but on long skids the production increases alot with the more power, but you will have to stop at lunch and top the fuel tank up . Biggest thing that surprised us is how the skidder worked in snow , pull 2 more trees and twice as fast

[mike_belben]

To heck with reeling out out 1-1/4 cable!  


Id hafta hire an amish choker setter and his mule to tug out the freespool.   ;D

[teakwood]

I run 165' of swaged 1/2" and sometimes it's too short. but otherwise it's the perfect cable for me for the small diam teaktrees. would i love to have a euro style double drum winch with remote, they can hold around 280-360' 1/2" cable on each drum, so shortening wouldn't be a problem.

Dito on the 1 1/4" cable, i tried 9/16" swaged before and it was already too heavy to drag in our temps, i'm way happier with the 1/2"

[BargeMonkey]

To heck with reeling out out 1-1/4 cable!  


Id hafta hire an amish choker setter and his mule to tug out the freespool.   ;D

Yeah but it's all bunched wood, back in and just hook and go, i rarely pull more than 30' of cable, pull 14-16 slides out thru the woods will kill someone 😂 I've had 6 on that 440 forever which isn't bad, went to 8 on that 405 and that got heavy, 10 on the 460, anything over 8 you really need a loader sitting there and you pick the pile apart to get unhooked. 

[Firewoodjoe]

9/16 swedge is plenty for these smaller skidders. It's rated for more that the winch, which is rated twice what the machine weighs. But maybe that why my end keeps going bad🤔

[Firewoodjoe]

If only something could be added to the last two feet or so to take the abuse. Kinda like my air hoses in the shop I use a hydraulic hose on the last two feet. 

[ehp]

the 740 was real heavy , we had other 740's but they were just the normal skidder , this skidder had the twin winches plus the blade that angled left to right . I built alot of roads with that machine . I use to run 14 chokers on bottom winch and in deep snow pulling that plus that nice mainline it made a man or a fool out of you . 2 hitches from that machine was more than what a log truck with pup trailer could haul . Cutters and landing men hated that skidder cause when it showed up you had to go to work 

[BargeMonkey]

 ☝️☝️, I want it for these long skid jobs, bunch to the road and go. A grapple is fast but in a day with the right wood on a long skid a big cable will stomp a grapple around here. 

[ehp]

Barge I use to skid a mile very common with that machine and I skidded off the stump or out of bunched trees , what most skidders could skid at a 1/4 of a mile I could east skid at a mile but their under powered quite bad stock but once up to 280 plus hp it moved wood pretty good and fast , in deep snow we use to use 3 cutters a head of it 

[Dale.NZ]

An easy way to match spiral ferrules with rope is the letter relates to your fittings, I.E: b = bantam (3/4") and L = light (7/8"). The number relates to rope I.E: L7 = for Light fittings and 7/8" rope. B6 = for bantam fittings and 6/8" rope. 

You gents running 1/2" could look for m4 (midget fittings for 4/8").

Otherwise, I'm with the rest-- 1-1/4 would even scare the kiwi skidders away. 

[BargeMonkey]

Electric tape, saw wrench, cable cutter, ferrule. 15mins. Go back to work. 


 
I like to set the wedges in, pound the wedges / wire deeper in ferrule, leave about 5/16-3/8 sticking out, hook to something and gently set it. 


 

 
 

[Firewoodjoe]

Electric tape, saw wrench, cable cutter, ferrule. 15mins. Go back to work.


 
I like to set the wedges in, pound the wedges / wire deeper in ferrule, leave about 5/16-3/8 sticking out, hook to something and gently set it.


 

 

Yeah it's easy. I now keep one in the truck but at this rate I'll have to change the main line every 6 months or it will be to short.