gearamatic whinch cable?

treefarmer rick · March 11, 2014, 11:14:18 AM

hello folks I have gearmatic 19 winch anchored to a c5, it is in need of a new cable. It currently has a 9/16 fishing line on it which is no match for the setup. My question is should I go with 100ft of 3/4 or a 5/8 swedge. Also any american supplyers you deal with for your purchases of these products. Thanks for any and all input. Rick.

coxy · March 11, 2014, 11:27:22 AM

I have 3 gearmatic winches one a cat one case one pettibone with 6- 7 and8 sliders and run 9/16 on all of them with out any trouble ???

treefarmer rick · March 11, 2014, 02:59:34 PM

maybe it is just old, but it does not take much of a snag to snap the end. If I hook two /three 30inch full trees it is history. Cant see pulling one at a time.

treefarmer rick · March 11, 2014, 03:03:50 PM

I was wrong just measured the dia it was 1/2'' at most

BargeMonkey · March 11, 2014, 03:49:40 PM

Comstock Logging supply. I buy all my cable and log supplies from dick, his website doesnt show everything, best to call. Dont know where your from, he services NY-MA-VT. Personally I run the good swaged 3/4 down to 5/8. Little bit heavier but lasts a bit longer.

coxy · March 11, 2014, 05:52:46 PM

on my cat I pull 8trees 18- 23in with all the wood and never had a prob I don't winch in 2nd gear or stand the skidder on one wheel or do wheelies with them so my be that's why I have good luck with it and its a hole lot easer to pull 9/16 up the hills I work on

;D ;D

treefarmer rick · March 11, 2014, 07:59:05 PM

thank you

jwilly3879 · March 11, 2014, 08:27:11 PM

A lot of making a cable last is how you are hooking up the trees. We usually try to leave the last slide open to pick up a piece along the road, pull the first tree up to the next and hook to the slide ahead of the first tree and so on. Seems to work for us and we usually run 9/16 crane cable.

UN Hooker · March 11, 2014, 10:20:10 PM

That 9/16 crane cable is some tough. In the early "80"s, at an auction I bought a 4' dia. reel of it. Still got about 3/4 of it left. I've never broken it, but after a long while it will fray and my wife doesn't like getting her hands stuck >:( so I pull it off and put on a new one.

UN

HiTech · March 12, 2014, 07:01:35 AM

I run 9/16" cable and love it. Easy to pull and use 5/16" 100 grade chokers also easy to carry. The 9/16" cable is over 40,000 lb. breaking strength so it will take some abuse. 3/4" swaged 65' long will work good if you are a cowboy and just slam bam everything. You can hang your skidder on that stuff. Over 70,000 lb. breaking strength. It all depends on how you treat stuff.

treefarmer rick · March 12, 2014, 07:31:01 AM

I am pulling up a steep banking, cant really see what is going on down below. I am only pulling on an idle or just a little throttle, so there is no hot rod tree pulls going down. It just seems that if I happen get into a spot the needs a little grunt to get the butts up and out , the end of the cable snaps like butter. Like I said not wide open pulling. J ust seems to be to underated of a cable for what it is hooked to. I measured the cable and It looks like 3/8 -7/16. thank you for your info

Stephen Alford · March 12, 2014, 10:24:10 AM

Hey Rick , just to throw something in the pot ;D , I use 1/2'' skidder cable. It works on tractor and skidder both. I know most lads on here use heavier cable. Our wood is smaller but I run 12 sliders about 3/4 cd per twitch. I look at cable as a "consumable" but at 125 each a great price for what they can do. Sounds like the one you have is past its due date. ;) With a bit of chain oil on the fairlead ,reversing after 5 months then end up replacing at about 8 months. If your working side hill fatigue will be less with the 1/2". Oh and if that is a detroit in your c5d best not to idle any more than you have to. Stay safe.

treefarmer rick · March 12, 2014, 11:45:09 AM

thank you.

coxy · March 12, 2014, 07:25:23 PM

Quote from: Stephen Alford on March 12, 2014, 10:24:10 AM
Hey Rick , just to throw something in the pot ;D , I use 1/2'' skidder cable. It works on tractor and skidder both. I know most lads on here use heavier cable. Our wood is smaller but I run 12 sliders about 3/4 cd per twitch. I look at cable as a "consumable" but at 125 each a great price for what they can do. Sounds like the one you have is past its due date. ;) With a bit of chain oil on the fairlead ,reversing after 5 months then end up replacing at about 8 months. If your working side hill fatigue will be less with the 1/2". Oh and if that is a detroit in your c5d best not to idle any more than you have to. Stay safe.

what do you mean by reversing take it off turn it around ???

Stephen Alford · March 13, 2014, 08:24:12 AM

Exactly. My "ol doll" is a 79 so thats 35 years working in the woods. I have found that when your yankin cable your body is under load so injuries and fatigue make a difference. The 1/2" is so easy to work with especially if your a tad older than most of the young bucks on here. When the cable goes get another. ;D Its like an ol timer told me once " boy if you would only learn to file that saw you would not have to lug so many cc's" :D