Logging arch build-finished & tested!

[OneWithWood]

There is always cause for celebration when a plan comes together  8)

good job

[timber tramp]

Very nice work Ed. 

[wi woodcutter]

Looks very nice. Good job on the welding and fab work.

[Ironwood]

Nice.

Those Rangers can really haul. One of the estates I deal w/ has two for moviing sap out of the "sugar bush". I played with one just for fun one day.  ;D

Ironwood

[Ed]

Thanks guys!

Ed

[Darin]

Hey Ed

I need one of those. I have the sawmill and the atv, but my method of moving logs isn't working very good. Could you give me the sizes of the materials that you used, so I don't build something that ends up being to small for the task.

How is the arch working and would you do anything different?

Thanks
Darin

[Tim L]

nice job Ed and I have the same questions as Darin.

[isawlogs]

With that much wood sticking out past the arch , I think tongue weight could be an issue ... lack of . There cant be much weight on the rear wheels . Hope you dont have many hills to negotiate .

[Ed]

Hey Ed

I need one of those. I have the sawmill and the atv, but my method of moving logs isn't working very good. Could you give me the sizes of the materials that you used, so I don't build something that ends up being to small for the task.

How is the arch working and would you do anything different?

Thanks
Darin

So far I haven't used the arch since it's initial outing. I've been cutting very close to my landing area and skidding out the logs with the tractor. With the snow & ice in the woods, skidding is faster. My firewood supply isn't what it should be, so there haven't been any sawlogs.

Much of the material for the arch was on hand or "scrounged".   :D The hubs are from the rear of an old full size GM fwd car. 5 lug, 115mm bolt circle, that converts to 4.5". I used old Mopar wheels (15x7) instead of fwd reverse offset rims. Tires are old LR78-15's, nice & wide for better flotation, replacment size will probably be a 31-10.5 15.
The arch itself is 2 1/2 x 6" rectangular tube, 3/16 wall. Maybe a little big, but I had it. I did buy the tube for the tongue, 3" square 1/4 wall. All the gussets are 1/4 minimum, If I had something a little thicker, I used it. The winch is from Harbor Freight, eventually It will be replaced with a bigger/better one, I had to start somewhere.

With that much wood sticking out past the arch , I think tongue weight could be an issue ... lack of . There cant be much weight on the rear wheels . Hope you dont have many hills to negotiate .

That log was trying it's best to lift the Ranger. I only did that once, just a test.  :D Our ground is pretty flat, no hills to worry about.

As far as any changes, I'll probably add a second winch to the front for holding a log up into the heel bar, faster & easier than  binder. There will also be a way to secure and carry a cant hook for rolling the log a little to get the cable under it.

Ed

[shinnlinger]

Ed,

I love your arch and the fact you used a handwinch.  I have been holding off making one of my own because I thought a handwinch would be insufficient.  It sounds like you are thinking a winch in the front and one at the back is now the way to go.

Can you tell me more about how the winch line is run on yours?  It looks like it goes forward over a roller, but I cant follow it from there.

Thanks again for testing my ideas for me!

[Ed]

The winch line goes forward & around a small pulley, then feeds through the main tube and over another pulley at the back. When lifting a log, I run the line around the log then back to a clevis on the arch, basicially making a sling.
I tried to enlarge the back view so you can see it better.

Ed

[shinnlinger]

Ed,

THanks, that does help....How is that cable holding up wrapping around logs?  Could you use a short piece of chain on the end?

[Ed]

So far so good, but I can see the cable won't last long. The cable & hook was less than $10.00 at HF, so I'm going to get a spare and call it a "wear item".  :D

Ed

[metalspinner]

I run the line around the log then back to a clevis on the arch,

That puts the cable going around three different loops.  Doesn't that halve the weight twice?

[Ironwood]

The way he has the cable wrapped is how I do it, this runs the log tight to the arch and is IMHO the best way to do it. It keeps the log from swaying and enables you to carry a log of max diameter. Additionally, the inverted "Y" at the front of his makes ALOT of sense to"capture" the front as to not sway. Please note he also made it remavable via a hitch style receiver, another good design idea. You can see the removable wheel at the front of mine below and you cannot see the is the foldaway handle that swings parallel to the rising front tube, this enables some degree of hand jostling as it rolled around as needed.

Metal spinner, in actuality the final loop give 2x pull, and the others appear to only be redirecting the cable , so no loss.

Ironwood

[Ironwood]

FYI all,

Fulton sells (all catalogs, as they are a wholesaler) a two speed 3200 lb winch that is noce when lifting and winding in unloaded. That is what is o my large arch.

Ironwood

[Tam-i-am]

Future Forestry and now Logrite has been using hand winches on their arches for over 10 years.  They work great.  As a matter of fact we used to use the Fulton 3200 lb winch. We found that Shelby made a 3200 lb hand winch with a bigger drum so the drum will put less strain on the cable.  And we found Shelby's rachet mechanism to be more robust.

Tammy

[Ironwood]

Tamiam,

Is that a 2 speed? I talked to your predesessor awhile back, and he opted out of the two speed for durability issues (I understand), but the two speeds makes all the difference for quick spooling. What are the specs on the one you now offer (if two speed).

       Ironwood

[Lud]

On my homebuilt arch, I always chain the log up to keep the strain of travel off the winch cable.

Brought a 16' x 22" cherry back home about 7 miles on the back roads from a friend's house. Hung my SMV on the end.   A little nervous as I drove past the county mounties but they were busy with a teenager in a convertible.

(They probably assumed an old guy with a tractor is less dangerous and knows what he's doin'!)  :D :D

[Ed]

Future Forestry and now Logrite has been using hand winches on their arches for over 10 years.  They work great.  As a matter of fact we used to use the Fulton 3200 lb winch. We found that Shelby made a 3200 lb hand winch with a bigger drum so the drum will put less strain on the cable.  And we found Shelby's rachet mechanism to be more robust.

Tammy

Thats good to know! The drum on the HF winch is very small, it makes it almost impossible to get the cable spooled correctly in level wraps.
As I've previously mentioned, I had to start somewhere on this project and I fully ecpect to make a few modifcations as time goes on.

Ironwood, 2x is correct on the mechanical advantage.

Ed

[Ironwood]

I too chain and cable my log once up tight to the arch. See the second pic on my post and you can see the two ton Red Devil comealong and chain and binder at the front. You can see the handle flipped down (greenish) at the front, it is 1" solid bar w/ a stainless spring pin to hold it in the two positions. The HD swivel wheel is removed in this picture, the only one heavy enough I cold find was a military surplus item. I tried many wheels and bearings, including custom weldments, and this VERY HD military unit was the only thing strong enough to handle the crazy loads, funky angles and general stress generated. 





          Ironwood

[Banjo picker]

What size is the cable on the winches?  I tried the one my son had built the other day.  It worked fine  (structually).  But the winch was waaay to hard to use, at least for my body.  And then when I had to stop and re hook.  (The front of the log had been a little too short to fit in the yoke he had built, so the log moved.)  I had to winch it up off the chains, and just as it cleared where I could unhook them to let it down.  The cable started breaking,  all but one strand.  I let it down and picked the log up later with the tractor.  If we don't change the winch we will have to upgrade the cable.  It had been out in the weather a few years on another piece of equipment before being put on the arch but think it might need to be a little bigger.  Tim

[Ironwood]

My cable (replaced by me) is 1/2" and WAY overkill for what the winch can lift. None of the hand winchs will be easy unless you pulley way down, then it will take a gagillion turns. If you can try and electric winch like Future Forestry used to put on there Hugo (discontinued model). Everytime I use mine, I swear to change it to a removable elctric winch (one of mine is on a Reese style reciever mount that I built and it can be used in various ways on various eqipment (see it on the bulk head in this pic) 



          Ironwood

[Banjo picker]

My cable (replaced by me) is 1/2" and WAY overkill for what the winch can lift. None of the hand winchs will be easy unless you pulley way down, then it will take a gagillion turns. If you can try and electric winch like Future Forestry used to put on there Hugo (discontinued model). Everytime I use mine, I swear to change it to a removable elctric winch (one of mine is on a Reese style reciever mount that I built and it can be used in various ways on various eqipment (see it on the bulk head in this pic) 



          Ironwood

It has the gagillion turns.  Starts out from the winch which is mounted on the sloping part that goes to the hitch up to the top runs to the rear, goes around a pully comes back to the front along the top, around another pulley then goes back to the rear around another pully then down to pick up the log.  That in itself is a little agrivating when you are free spooling the cable to hook it up.  No problem once the preasure is on.  How big of an electric winch would be needed to pick up a 1500 lb. log?  I was looking at some at a supply house yeaterday, and it don;t seem to be as straightforward as it should be.  Diffrent ratings for different amounts of cable on the same winch.  How big is the winch in your pic.  Tim

[Ironwood]

That  unit is a is a Warn 8000lb commercial oil gear bath. It is a brute. I got used from a caretaker on a local estate, it was on their old International p/u. It is one of those things you wonder what you used to do before I owned one, kind of like my HD pressure washer. I would reccommend a worm gear like this one as it is less likely to have the undesireable "spool reversing" under load as the planetary geared ones do on occasion. Ramsey sells a 9000 lb and 12000lb  worm drive also(I have those two here as well but never put them on a reciever yet). Try asking around your local Fire Dept, sometimes they have those pulled off there units, that is where my 9000'er came from.


Ironwood