Norse 290

[weekendlogger]

 Hello everyone
I've been on the hunt for a logging winch for my Kubota l3800.  I've been looking at the Norse 290 at a local shop. I get the impression sometimes that the people selling them only repeat what they read in the brochure and don't really have any real experience with the winches they sell. Does anyone on here own a Norse 290 and if so what are there thoughts. Thank you. 

[thecfarm]

Welcome to the forum.
Any of those 3 point winches will do what you want. And yes on some of the sales people. Some have never used one. I have asked them before as they are trying to get me to buy something bigger or smaller,how much have you seen or been around one? As long as it will fit your tractor and it's not too big or too small it will do fine. I have the Norse 450 on a 40hp NH. Not much to go wrong with one,on any brand. I've had mine since 1993. Yes,they are pricey now,but once you get one,you will like it!!!!

[bulldozerjoe]

My buddy has one, good winch.. pulled a lot of firewood with it

[weekendlogger]

Thanks for the info fellas. Brother had a 351 farmi on his 75 hp new holland. He decided to go larger and purchase a skidder. I passed on buying his farmi as i thought it was a bit large for my tractor. I have decided to go ahead with the purchase of the norse 290. 

[mitchstockdale]

@weekendlogger 

Not sure where in New Brunswick you are or where you are getting your winch from, but, If you are close to Hampton, NB there is a fella that sells Norse winches just off the highway and he has the best price I have found ...about $500 less than Nova International in Moncton....  The place is Maritime Rigging and Supplies.

I was looking at getting a Norse 350 from him but ended up finding a used Norse locally.  He quoted me $3200 +tax.  I stopped in to pick up choker hooks and chain the other day and he had a brand new shiny 290 sitting in the yard for someone....made me somewhat regret not getting a new winch  :D 

[weekendlogger]

I am the proud owner of the shiny winch you seen. Had it out in the woods some yesterday. 

[weekendlogger]

You are correct. his prices are good. great to deal with to. 

[weekendlogger]

I almost bought the 366 you have but ya just beat me to it. haha

[mitchstockdale]

I am the proud owner of the shiny winch you seen. Had it out in the woods some yesterday.

thats funny what are the chances of this now.  Nice winch btw I was looking it over  ;D

[mitchstockdale]

I almost bought the 366 you have but ya just beat me to it. haha

Yes used winches go fast so i jumped on it, the fella selling it was right up the road from my in-laws.
How did the new 290 work for you over the weekend...what are you pulling out? 

[weekendlogger]

small world eh. It works good. I am happy with the amount of reach it has. 165 feet is a long way. The winch is well suited for my 38 horse kubota. I cut a couple of hardwoods yesterday and half a dozen cedar. The cedar were a long pull id say around 150 feet. it pulls fast so ya have to be carefull and get used to it but the power is impressive. Like always when making a purchase, i hummed and hawed on buying it but after yesterday afternoon no regrets. 

[weekendlogger]

I only cut about 4 to five cord of hardwood a year and a bit of softwood. I plan on doing another food plot for deer so this proves to be an important tool for land clearing. Yesterday was so nice in the woods. I wish i could be there now. haha

[g_man]

small world eh. It works good. I am happy with the amount of reach it has. 165 feet is a long way. The winch is well suited for my 38 horse kubota. I cut a couple of hardwoods yesterday and half a dozen cedar. The cedar were a long pull id say around 150 feet. it pulls fast so ya have to be carefull and get used to it but the power is impressive. Like always when making a purchase, i hummed and hawed on buying it but after yesterday afternoon no regrets.

Congrats on your new winch. There is no need to run at high RPMs. The torque your tractor supplies is pretty even over a large RPM range. Torque is what gives you the pulling force not speed. So don't be afraid to turn down your RPMs to slow the winch down as you learn. You will not loose pulling force and much safer that way. Easier to see what is happening so you can react. You can save a ton of extra work by learning to react at what you see happening.  Good luck, have fun, and work safe.
gg

[weekendlogger]

thanks you for the kind words g man. 
I think your correct about running at the lower rpm. lot more controlled. 

[thecfarm]

I run six chockers on my winch. Sometimes all six are used, sometimes only one. Sometimes I have 6 trees that are no bigger than 6 inches across. I would make up some short chains too. If buying new all the 3 pt winches comes with 8 foot chains. Not going to haul out much needing 2 eight foot chains. When I bought mine it came with 6 eight foot chains, I think most are down to 4 chains. I bought 3 eight foot chains and 3 hooks. Cut each chain in half and put the hooks on and made 6 four foot chains. I should've done that years ago!! Much easier to pull 2 feet of chain through a chocker than 6 feet of chain. Than you have to pull it back out too. I think I use my short chains more than the long ones. I have even doubled up on my chains and hauled out 2 with one chain. I hook up one tree and make a loop for the next one.
Use the rope to control the winch, keep away from the tractor. That can slide back quick. Watch the tractor and watch what is winching towards you. Yes the log,tree, but brush and slash too. I have poles that wanted to take me of my feet come at me.
Do not pull at a sharp angle!! You can flip the tractor over doing that. I had a small tree,maybe 6 inches across that I did that with. Come up against a root and I just pulled harder on the rope when it stopped.  That tractor came up on 2 wheels quick when that small tree did not move. I was pulling at a very sharp angle and the tractor was tipping over sideways.
I like to put a rolling hitch on any tree that I have felled or a good size one. Meaning put the hook as close to the ground as you can so when you winch it in the hook will be on top and any limbs you missed will be on the top and you can saw them off now. Saw your limbs off close,don't want a stub acting like a plow. Cut your stumps low,Yes,hard on chains and bars,but easier on a tractor and tires.
Don't look behind you too long. That front end could be coming up and you would not even know it.
I cut up anything that I am going to leave in the woods really no longer than 2 feet. Been working my tractor in the woods for more than 20 years,no damage from a limb yet. I am even so fussy I run the saw up and down the limbs to make it lay flat on the ground. This takes a lot more time, but my land is hard to get around on. With the leave trees, knolls, rocks, wet holes, it's hard to get a road through my land.
Set the brakes and lower the FIL loader when you are winching.
No need to run the rpm up when winching. If I am winching in something big, bigger than 2 feet across I will run it up some, but for most winching a fast idle is all that is needed. Play around with the rpms to get what speed you want,slow can be good by the way.
When I get ready to release the winch, at the landing, I put a stick of wood under the logs. Helps on getting the chains out because the logs are up in the air. If I am doing firewood I put a bunch of sticks under the tree to hold it up off the ground. I have a piece of ½ inch round stock about 4 feet long, with a point on it, on my winch to pry apart the logs to get the chains out. When I haul out 6-7-8 trees, it can be a mess at times. A peavey would do it too.
I try not to haul something that hangs back 40 feet. If you have a twitch and it's just about all the tractor wants and that tree that is forty feet long, comes up against another tree, probably you will stop. Than you have to back up and set over, which takes time. Might just as while cut that 40 footer in half and save the bark of the tree you would of hit.
Be aware when you release the twitch. The cable can become loose on the drum and cause a snarl or a bird nest on the drum. I can tell when this will happen, but sometimes I think that will be ok. Instead of taking the minute to check, I have taken the mast of twice, which is about an hour job to get at the mess.  :

[weekendlogger]

Thank you cfarm for the great tips. Much appreciated. I'm glad I stumbled upon this sight. 

[Rhodemont]

I have a Norse 350 on my JD4720 with 50Hp at the pto.  Love it.  Couple things on top of what thecfarm explained.  Shortly after getting the winch I ordered the pulley for attaching to a stump and pulling logs to the side.  You just can not get through rocks and stumps that look like no problem until the log rams up against it and comes to a halt.  Also, I had to weld the brake lever back on.  It got frozen up in an ice storm and I whacked it to break the ice off and the hole thing broke off.  Not much of a weld holding it onto the shaft originally but there is now. 

[thecfarm]

One more thing, I do not engage the lock until my twitch is close to the winch. But I always leave the twitch hooked onto the cable. I never use the slots on the winch. I might hook a log on, but I do not unhook from the cable to hook to the slots on the winch.
I have hooked a chain to a tree and hook the chain to a chocker to pull a log sideways. But a snatch block would be better.

[g_man]

One more thing, I do not engage the lock until my twitch is close to the winch. But I always leave the twitch hooked onto the cable. I never use the slots on the winch. I might hook a log on, but I do not unhook from the cable to hook to the slots on the winch.
I have hooked a chain to a tree and hook the chain to a chocker to pull a log sideways. But a snatch block would be better.

Here is a picture of what Ray and Rhodemont is saying. I have a snatch block down in the tractor road behind the tractor so I don't have to pull at a angle. I need to pull that hung up tree over between the two stumps so I can pull it down and out. I used a slider as a temporary pulley by hooking it high on a tree with a choker. Like Ray says a snatch block would be better for two reasons. Won't damage the tree which I don't care because I am going to cut it and secondly it is easy to damage your cable if the angle is to acute or the pull is to heavy. It can kink the cable and put a curly-cue in it. I always carry a peavy/cant hook with me. Often that is enough to lever a log side ways to avoid a jam and is easier than setting up a snatch block.


 
gg

[thecfarm]

g_man, you at the Master at a snatch block. 
I rarely ever have to do that. If I did I would have a snatch block. Seems like 99% of the time I can get a straight pull to the winch.

[Rhodemont]

Many times I have looked at rocks or roots and figured the log will go right over them.  But those logs are heavy and dig in if the ground is not really frozen (which it has not been at all this year), then that little rock sticking up becomes an iceberg to get by.  So usually I end up pulling out more cable and setting up the snatch block after the fact.  Have thought about one of those log butt nose cones but they only go 20 inch and would not fit many of the logs I pull out.

[Lostinmn]

Thanks for the info fellas. Brother had a 351 farmi on his 75 hp new holland. He decided to go larger and purchase a skidder. I passed on buying his farmi as i thought it was a bit large for my tractor. I have decided to go ahead with the purchase of the norse 290.

I'm also looking at a norse 290 and was wondering what size log it can pull in real world application.  Initially I'll put it on our ford 8n, which is only about a 25 hp tractor although we are looking at moving to a newish 40-50 hp unit with 4 wheel drive this spring.  
I'm milling on a woodmizer lt 15, so 16 foot log with up to 28" is my max anyway. Mostly pulling tamarack, pine with the occasional red oak which which can weigh in 2,000 to 3,000 pounds. the 290 states 6500 lbs pulling capacity.  But i'm wondering about real world with branches, stumps, ground uneven and etc.  
What have you been able to pull with yours?

[Hilltop366]

In my experience with a 390 pulling power is not a issue as I usually run the engine a little above idle around (1200- 1300 rpm) so the tractor is only making a fraction of the rated 35 hp diesel, I have never tried it on a gas tractor so it may not have as much torque as a diesel. 

The issue I did have with the 390 is it does not have a top pulley and I found that logs would catch on stumps or rocks often, I did manage to find a top pulley kit which greatly improved the winch in my situation.



 

[thecfarm]

I have a 450,pulling power of 10,116 pounds. Sounds good.  ???  I have no idea what exactly that means as it's digging up the ground and tipping over rocks and digging up roots.    I have seen it do all this with a big log and keep coming. Than I have a smaller log and it has a hard time winching it in.  ???  Where's all the pulling power than? I have winched in eastern white pine 3 feet across, and bigger, must of been at least 10 feet long and probably longer and it did it. My Father and me logged the land that I live on now. Three feet across was normal, even had some that went 4 feet across. I always put a rolling hitch on mine. I think I mentioned this in this thread. Put the hook low, so when you winch the log in, what was on the bottom is on the top. You don't want a stub sticking out no matter what. That will dig the ground up and make a mess. Stumps need to be cut down low. Not going to cowboy any tractor over high stumps too many times. Don't be afraid to use that cable to get over a rough part. I just haul in rocks in any rough spots I have.
Read my reply #14, read it a couple times.
You don't have a skidder!!! Always remember you have a tractor and remember you won't get out 5 cord in a day. Take your time, you get done what you get done.
I only do firewood for myself now.

[Stephen]

 


My experience is the winch will pull more than the tractor has traction to pull - add a hill and some snow, this was all I wanted on 45hp.

[thecfarm]

A nice picture of a tractor and winch. Yes, looks like a load on it.

[mike_belben]

My experience is the winch will pull more than the tractor has traction to pull - add a hill and some snow, this was all I wanted on 45hp.

That is my experience too.  The winch can bring you 2x more log than you can pull.  
If you can raise the butt up you have all the ballast weight for traction and now cant spin the back tires.  So instead you wheelie and cant steer.  Add weight to the front like a blade or loader or a grapple and some stubby logs, now you cant spin or wheelie.  So you pull wood until you snap something.  And this just scales up the whole way, from lawn tractors to 8x8s id bet.

[dougtrr2]

My experience is the winch will pull more than the tractor has traction to pull - add a hill and some snow, this was all I wanted on 45hp.

That is my experience too.  The winch can bring you 2x more log than you can pull.  
If you can raise the butt up you have all the ballast weight for traction and now cant spin to back tires.  So instead you wheelie and cant steer.  Add weight to the front like a blade or loader or a grapple and some stubby logs, now you cant spin or wheelie.  So you pull wood until you snap something.  And this just scales up the whole way, from lawn tractors to 8x8s id bet.

I found that out also.  I had dropped a Red oak and cut it into 9' lengths.  It was 20-24" in diameter.  I could winch the log up to my little BX 24 but couldn't lift it to tow.  I didn't have far to go so I drove ahead to the limit of my cable (about 180') and winched the log to me.  Then I drove ahead and repeated the process.  About six or seven pulls later I had the 3 logs (one at a time) to the place where I was going to get them milled.  Then I felt like I had to chip all the bark off the trees so the dirt wouldn't tear up the sawmill blade.  I had hired a member here to do the job and knew that dirt was not a good mix with saw blades.
Doug in SW IA

[thecfarm]

Any brush that I leave in the woods I try to cut in pieces no longer then 2 feet. Yes, takes time!!!! But I have worked my tractor in the woods since 1993 and have no damage from limbs. This also allows the brush to get on the ground and rot quicker. A limb sticking up in the air 2 feet will dry out and be there for a while.
My land is hard to get around on and doing this I can drive through what I leave for limbs.

[Kodiakmac]

g_man, you at the Master at a snatch block.
I rarely ever have to do that. If I did I would have a snatch block. Seems like 99% of the time I can get a straight pull to the winch.

And if the angle isn't too great, hooking a choker-chain around a tree and using the slider as snatch-block substitute makes a really quick way to get your skid around an obstacle.

[AndyVT]

 

 

  Not great pics but I was hauling smallish, 12 inch, tree length Hemlock maybe 60-70 feet and big pine 24 inch 30-40 feet. The M has no trouble moving that stuff with the Norse 450