Capstan winch (portable!) options

[oifla]

Hello all,

Have been looking into getting a portable winch. I know there are other options but the site here (steep hills and valleys, not great on equipment access) and my limited needs (I'm not looking to turn this into a business, this is all for personal and home use so not a lot of volume is needed). 

Those caveats out of the way, a portable winch will do well for us. Tried buying one from folks at Portable Winch (in Canada) but could not work it out with them.

I still think a portable (capstan) winch is a good option for what I'm trying to do. Wondering what else is out there that I haven't found yet. 

Thanks all

O.

[John Mc]

Portable Winch Company is one of the better options for portable winches out there. I'm curious what cold not be worked out with them. They ship to a number of countries.

[oifla]

Portable Winch Company is one of the better options for portable winches out there. I'm curious what cold not be worked out with them. They ship to a number of countries.

The product looks good but there are a number of problems with their setup but two big issues that lead to one giant wormhole:

1: "Dealers" : They claim to have dealers. Well, not really. They have a phone list. No actual dealers with anything in stock in my area. Also, dealers all stated that they would not warranty products not sold by them (meaning if you buy directly from Canada, no warranty).

2: Pricing is all over the place. They have multiple prices everywhere and no consistency. Their Canadian website has the same product for much cheaper. When I inquired if I could pay in Canadian dollars they said no and came up with all sorts of stupid excuses (including US tariff on Chinese goods - but wait, I thought your product was all Canadian? Hmmm).

I don't like paying more than I have to for stuff. If the price is $2 somewhere, why do I have to pay $4? They never could come up with reasonable answers to anything. Basically, the two people I dealt with were just not good salespeople and managed to turn me off. I would rather buy an American or (Canadian!) mule than send those guys my cash.

O.

[peakbagger]

I bought a Simpson Winch from the folks out in Portland Oregon. US made (Honda motor) and a nice design. I managed to break it, but it was my fault, they sold me the parts and I repaired it. It is a slick design internally, built far better than cheap chi com gear. 

If you haven't used one, it's a slow process if you are solo and dragging logs out of the woods, lots of walking back and fourth. It goes a lot quicker with two folks.  Buy a couple of snatch blocks and nylon straps. A skidder cone is another very good thing to have.