PTO Tractor Winch

This is a general overview of the construction and operation of my tractor mounted PTO winch. It still is and probably always will be a work in progress.

[@hanshaw1974]

You are amazing, the fact that you built and designed that on your own. Yes, the first draft, design is not perfect. But then again it is 10,000 times better than anything I could have built. Great work.

[@Bryce_Shuman]

Thank you, but it's not really my design. I just based it off a commercially available one. 🙂

[@alexmattyspac7605]

With everything there is a balance between risk and productivity. Manage what safety measures you can and keep your head in the game. Very nice work sir.

[@Bryce_Shuman]

My thoughts exactly, thank you for the comment!

[@raymondpetrovits2336]

I inherited a store bought rig that is almost exactly as the one you created. Cord wood business was part of income for the old farm. Sure is a handy tool especially when trees get hung up on each other in dense forest situations. Nice job on your rig.

[@Bryce_Shuman]

Thank you. I agree, it is an invaluable tool for snags. I don't really even try to put them where I want if they're leaning towards being snagged when I'm clear cutting for deer food plots. Just let them get hung up and winch them off the stump from 100' away.

[@keithjacobson4493]

Well done. Beyond my technical capabilities!

[@Bryce_Shuman]

Thank you, just have to put your mind to it and make it happen! :)

[@jkmcp45]

Your cable follower on your drum ditch the round stock and make a plate with a 22 degree bend to cup drum or there abouts with heavy compression springs take a look at wrecker winch you’ll see instantly I have made the same farm winch except I have a radio remote and I used a clutch plate that I disassembled I used half organic/metallic

[@davidsargood3228]

Looks great! Nice speed too. Should prove to be a useful tool on the farm for years to come.

[@Bryce_Shuman]

Thanks! I've come across your builds a time or two as well in search of builds. :D

[@brucerazor5202]

I’m very impressed, the best times in life are when your working on projects

[@Bryce_Shuman]

I couldn't agree more! Thank you!

[@OhioHillTopsHobbyFarm]

That is awesome! Nice work, I’m sure you will get many years of service from that winch. Thanks for sharing!

[@Bryce_Shuman]

Thank you, I hope so!

[@daveb8968]

Heck man, may I start the slow clap!!! I just welded up a subsoiler for my tractor and was, and still am feeling good about that. But you sir, wow, just wow.

[@Bryce_Shuman]

Thank you for that Dave, I really appreciate it. I wish I really knew what I am doing with a welder, I'm only good enough to make some parts stick.

[@sgtrod8807]

Realy Enjoy watching your vidéo Very detail explanation as well thanks

[@Bryce_Shuman]

I appreciate the comment, thank you for watching!

[@SKFarm666]

Nice winch! I like the drum-clutch engagement design.

[@Bryce_Shuman]

Thanks! I'm sure there are better, more efficient designs out there but this is simple and effective for my use.

[@tkalus5736]

Nice build! I had been thinking about something like this and your video popped up. Glad to see how it can be done.

[@Bryce_Shuman]

Well stay tuned this week I will be posting a more in-depth video of how things are put together.

[@throngcleaver]

B! That is a fantastic build! I absolutely LOVE the design. I've read all the comments, so I know you've made a tweak or two, and I'm sure you'll make more little improvements to suit your needs as they come to mind. I have a similar tractor (4720) and a need for a skidding winch on my property. I've been using a cable and a pair of snatch blocks to just drag logs out, but that involves a lot of trips on and off the tractor. Looks like my next big project will be to copy yours! Thanks for sharing this, B! 😁

[@Bryce_Shuman]

Thank you and check back here this weekend as I'm going to be making another video showing the individual parts, how they go together and a few things I did wrong :)

[@throngcleaver]

@B Awesome! Will do. I just subscribed. Thanks!

[@jonnyfischer4035]

That is very nice we have winches like that avelible in Austria all the tree guys have them they are not that pricy overhere but never seen one that was homebuild great job 👍

[@Bryce_Shuman]

Thank you Jonny. Used ones around here are $2500USD on up in decent condition. New they are $6000USD on up around this size.

[@jonnyfischer4035]

​@@Bryce_Shuman ohh i am from Salzburg here a good 6.5 ton costs 3000$ new here everyone youses them even without 4 x4 tractors i like to compare different styles of forrestwork in diffrent countrys

[@tangoseal1]

3400 hrs is not tired at all - I have a JD 5400 series from the 90s and it has over 9000 and running strong

[@Bryce_Shuman]

Yes, they can absolutely still run strong with that many hours on them if they were maintained properly. I bought mine with 27XX hours on it and it was tired then from lack of maintenance/care. The hydraulic pump still whines on cold start, the hydrostat pump needs changed and the injectors and pump need overhauled. I'm at a point where I could use another tractor on the farm and if that happened I could afford to have this one down for awhile but not until then, unfortunately. She's been a good tractor to us though!

[@jamesmorgan6782]

I just purchased a 254 Massey Ferguson. Wonder if you might share some plans for your clutch setup seems like a nice setup, thanks.

[@Bryce_Shuman]

I'll have to make another video for you. All of the parts I ordered from McMaster Carr. There really is nothing proprietary on it.

[@jamesmorgan6782]

@@Bryce_Shuman gotcha and thanks for your reply.

[@lbfishin2156]

Impressive! hope the Safety Sam's don't beat you up to bad 😃

[@Bryce_Shuman]

Thank you, there's always a few out there. I mean, I get it, but if some people had their way there would be no way to operate something like this. Just have to use your noggin, eyeballs and ears!

[@adnacraigo6590]

I think it is a fine piece of engineering.

[@Bryce_Shuman]

Thank you!

[@glenparks5175]

Very well done and thought out, and considering these things cost about 3,to 6 thousand dollars I'd say u did fine

[@Bryce_Shuman]

Thank you, it has done a ton of work and has paid for itself many times over.

[@jasonbeightol3620]

Looks great!! I have an old army truck winch to hook up to my tractor someday. I would like to add that I would make a removable cable that can be hooked up to the fuel shut off on the tractor and led back somewhere by your engagement lever incase you need an emergency shut down.

[@Bryce_Shuman]

I have plans to add another PTO on/off switch back there so I can kill the PTO if need be. Thanks for the suggestion!

[@thegreatnorthwoodswithbb2863]

I for one am very impressed great job

[@Bryce_Shuman]

Thank you!

[@robertwhite3207]

You should patent that and start selling them. I personally hate driving through the woods and dragging them out. With that idea, I can see dragging the furthest one closer to the next furthest one and dragging 1,2,3 all together and so on. A remote control lever would be effin fantastic you could operate from the woods.

[@Bryce_Shuman]

There are remote operated winches available using hydraulics to engage the clutch. I like to have my hands on the winch so I can feel the winch and be close enough to hear the tractor running. Helps me to feel how much it is loaded up and hear if anything may be coming apart.

[@patsquach4080]

Nice. Work. Very nice welds. That says A-LOT.

[@Bryce_Shuman]

Thank you, I'm no welder but I try.

[@MitzvosGolem1]

Excellent 👍 I like clutch drum idea . Awesome You may be able to put a solenoid to pull lever using radio control remote or a long wire .Have both manual and remote control.

[@Bryce_Shuman]

That is certainly an option. I might do something like that in the future but for now I like being right there so I can see what all is going on.

[@MitzvosGolem1]

@@Bryce_Shuman patent that idea . Take it off you tube before Chinese take idea sell at harbor freight etc

[@Bryce_Shuman]

@@MitzvosGolem1 well this isn't an original idea that's for sure. I based mine off of other winches already on the market.

[@williamchandler6151]

Well done!

[@Bryce_Shuman]

Thank you!

[@gordongravley2209]

Wow excellent work building that. You might want to perfect it and make those to sell, I'm sure others would like having such a useful tool. Good job.

[@Bryce_Shuman]

Thank you, it is based on a robust design that's been made for years by Farmi. I believe Norse makes this design as well. I am by no means responsible for this design that's for sure. 🙂

[@Olgi41]

It's pretty normal to find a few things you need or want to improve something like this after you get it together. I've been making changes to my bush tractor for a few years now and I'm sure not finished yet.

[@Bryce_Shuman]

One of the best parts about building something yourself is finding its shortcomings and making it better. It will never be a grand piano but I'm going to make every effort to come close 🙂

[@flightace1]

Nice done !! here in sweden we got a company named Väse that builds winches like this one, we use a 8mm cable on our and have never had any cable snapped on us so i think 7/16 cable is overkill so when you change cable next time go for a 3/8 or so,,mutch easyer to handle and you get more on the spool to,,Thanx for a great vid!!

[@Bryce_Shuman]

Hi Toni, I agree that 7/16 cable is overkill. I chose it as a happy medium between being too strong and just strong enough for what I felt to be safe. I am going to look into the winches you referenced there in Sweden. Thank you!

[@MJADoingStuff]

That was awesome I like the design. Very handy. Thanks for sharing and making a video looking forward to more. Have a good one😁👍🚜💨🍳

[@Bryce_Shuman]

Thank you! Hoping once the weather clears up a bit to do another video. 🙂

[@michaelwhiteoldtimer7648]

Really nice build you should be proud of your work.

[@Bryce_Shuman]

Thank you!

[@jimsmith6816]

Sweet, good engineering

[@Bryce_Shuman]

Thank you!

[@kurtreinhardt6789]

Great design

[@Bryce_Shuman]

Thank you, I merely put my own spin on an already proven design 👍

[@misterfixie6003]

Nice work. Definitely a skookum build! The only safety thing I would add is that your fairlead looks a little weak considering the wire diameter and HP/gear reduction of the system and of your tractor. It looked like there is a bit of delay between engaging/disengaging the control arm and stopping the wire. You arm/hand in that area gives me a little bit of a yikes(!) feeling. You might consider a piece of pipe suspended between 2 flanges of sufficient length to direct the wire into the drum instead of the pulley-like system you have. Perhaps a spring on the control arm that pulls it into the OFF position when you let go, thus stopping the winch? Again, great work!

[@Bryce_Shuman]

Thank you! You nailed it. My upper block pivot pin broke a few pulls after this video. It has been rebuilt with a much heavier design and has been bulletproof since. Yes the engagement mechanism needs changed to something safer as well. I haven't gotten around to it yet. 👍

[@misterfixie6003]

@@Bryce_Shuman Excellent

[@jimsutton9143]

Impressive machine!

[@Bryce_Shuman]

Thank you!

[@EmiAgriDiY]

Great job 👍🏻 👏 👍🏻 👏

[@Bryce_Shuman]

Thank you!

[@donvoll2580]

Good day U should make plans to build one & sell them. Looks good. Thanks

[@Bryce_Shuman]

Thanks!

[@michaelozment-co3mq]

Sweet rig! You could fab up shield to stand behind That mounts into your receiver hitch. May light angle with expanded metal so you could see threw it. May give some protection if something breaks and whips back.

[@Bryce_Shuman]

That's a great idea, thanks!

[@kimazbell460]

Very nice built.

[@Bryce_Shuman]

Thanks!

[@georgewelker853]

I probably would have “just” got a wrecker winch and figured out how to get it hydraulic power but I don’t have the know how or equipment to build that level of good stuff 👍🏻

[@Bryce_Shuman]

I nearly bought a 10t winch and did just that, I just don't like how you have to overdrive those winches to get the speeds I wanted. I've seen others build them and they flat out work though!

[@tomoaktree4951]

Nicely Done!

[@Bryce_Shuman]

Thanks!

[@greenshedfabrication9355]

Very nice work! A cover over the whole assembly would be good though

[@Bryce_Shuman]

It's definitely not a bad idea. 👍

[@sarashuman3890]

Great job!

[@Bryce_Shuman]

Thanks!

[@jamesmorgan6782]

Cool setup

[@Bryce_Shuman]

Thanks James!

[@dmoon3042]

Nice work

[@Bryce_Shuman]

Thank you!

[@BlueSwallowAircraft]

That is a fantastic job of designing and building your winch! Thank you for sharing.

[@Bryce_Shuman]

Thank you for that. :)

[@stjepanz07]

Hi from Croatia, Do you have problems with slipping when transferring power to the reel?

[@Bryce_Shuman]

Hello, yes the clutch does slip some but transfers enough power to work well for what I use it for. If I get too large of load, the clutch will slip instead of overloading my tractor and tipping it over.

[@davekana8388]

Liked and Subscribed, really nice piece of equipment!

[@Bryce_Shuman]

Awesome, thank you! I've made a few upgrades already to make it even more useful.

[@davekana8388]

@@Bryce_Shuman approximately how much $ do you have invested? It looks totally overbuilt, I’m impressed!!

[@Bryce_Shuman]

@@davekana8388 I'll have to tally things up. I'm guessing less than $1k. Edited: I meant to type $2k. Just running things through my head I'm guessing $1700-$1800 not including welding and grinding supplies and other misc tools I purchased for the build.

[@davekana8388]

@@Bryce_Shuman should last you till your off the planet, totally rebuildable too!👍 Thanks, Dave!

[@texascottonfarmer]

👌👌👍👍 Nice!

[@Bryce_Shuman]

Thank you!

[@rickwest4783]

Just wondering how you twitch out your trees with no winch break. Other than that you did an awesome job. Don't worry about OSHA. You're the only one running it. You know what risks you can deal with.

[@Bryce_Shuman]

Hi Rick, I don't use the cable once the logs are at the winch. Since this video, I have added chain grab hooks to the winch and transfer my chokers to the hooks. I didn't build my winch to hold a load like that.

[@rickwest4783]

@B not a problem. Thanks for getting back. I still think overall you did a good job with it. Would like to see your next update on it.

[@charleswhitehead7441]

Nice construction but two thoughts come to mind, 1/ with the cable pulling from so high do you not have a tendency to lift the front of the tractor off the ground? and secondly what safety measures have you in place? You will be operating this from alongside the winch, if that cable snaps dure to a log getting snagged up it will snap back with enough force to cut you in half. Have you got a means of limiting the force to well below the SWL of the cable and/or fail safe disconnect? I have a friend who nearly lost his leg to this type of accident. He took two years to get off of crutches. Very serious injuries are at stake.

[@Bryce_Shuman]

Hi Charles, I have not had an issue with the front end of the tractor coming off the ground. I believe this is partially due to my clutch not being able to transmit all available power through the winch at this time. It transfers plenty of power to pull the size of logs I've been dealing with but slips when the butt of the log snags on something when winching. In the other video I made further breaking the winch down, you can see my clutch wear is not even across the friction pads. As it breaks in more, I expect it to work better. It has been getting smoother as time goes on. As far as safety goes, the breaking strength of the cable I purchased is 10.22 tons, or 20,440lbs. That is a 2:1 rating over what I winch is theoretically capable of on a first wrap line pull at rated HP (tractor running 2700rpm and PTO running 540rpm). I have not encountered a scenario yet to where I needed to run the tractor over 1500rpm and certainly have not pulled a log with only one wrap on the drum so I am operating my winch way below anything capable of applying that much tension to the cable. When I exceed what my clutch can hold, it's usually due to my own error and simply taking more time to remedy it allows the winch to operate smoothly. I don't just throw more power at it and try again. I've found that 1500rpm tractor engine speed seems to be the sweet spot for this winch. If it can't handle the pull then I need to rethink things. It takes more time but I'm in no hurry. I could go further into providing figures for SWL considerations and my specific context of operation but I can say I feel safe enough operating the winch as is or I would not be doing so. I do have plans to build a mechanism that allows me to operate the winch at a distance that may be considered safe by others, but at this point in time I have not done so. The injuries your friend sustained are unfortunate and the context of his injuries and the details surrounding the incident may have or may not relate to what I'm doing other than the tool in use. I have a family and although this type of work is inherently dangerous, I do it with them constantly on my mind. Thank you for your concern! :)

[@thor06m]

Hey, awesome looking project, you should show details of the clutch system.

[@Bryce_Shuman]

Check out my channel and you'll see a detailed video of just that. :)

[@thor06m]

@@Bryce_Shuman that's terrific, I'll have a look!

[@fricknjeep]

hi there well done john

[@Bryce_Shuman]

Hi there John, thanks for watching!

[@BrandonBigB956]

3400 hours is nothing on a diesel tractor.

[@johnr5545]

Great job god bless

[@Bryce_Shuman]

Thank you John, God Bless you!

[@nicholashollow9410]

Any idea on how much weight it will pull. Also a dead man switch on the tractor sounds like a good idea when the clutch is in use.

[@Bryce_Shuman]

The limiting factor with this setup is the clutch holding torque. The tractor HP and the gear reduction of the winch is more than enough to pull the tractor over. Rough calculations say around 10,000lbs pulling power for the first cable wrap on the winch. I plan on installing another PTO switch on the back of the tractor that I can hit to disable it, but I do like the idea of a deadman either in replacement of or in addition to the PTO switch. Thank you for getting my gears turning on that!

[@danmaciosekmaciosek6166]

Very nice,FAST!

[@Bryce_Shuman]

Thank you, I have since replaced the drive sprocket to slow it down a bit. It is definitely fast!

[@sarashuman3890]

What plans do you have for the woods this winter?

[@rcp.perfuratriz]

very good, did you use car clutch? here in Brazil they use a type of conical brake lining and the similar system I subscribed to your channel

[@Bryce_Shuman]

Check out the other video on my channel and it shows the clutch in detail. Thanks!

[@rcp.perfuratriz]

@@Bryce_Shuman I just saw it, I'm going to use a screw-on disc brake pad of the model you used, I didn't find anything here, thanks.

[@thomasgardner5872]

Any video or pics of the internals of the drum and engagement mechanism ?

[@Bryce_Shuman]

Yes I have some video I will be editing and posting next week to show the assembly.

[@stjepanz07]

You used car disc plates or something for the lamella

[@Bryce_Shuman]

Check out my other video that shows it in more detail kzbin.info/www/bejne/qKetqaFuibp5rq8si=JuK6Ml0H-DaHc1XL

[@stjepanz07]

I see your video but I not shore is this car tiles or lamellae cut

[@Bryce_Shuman]

@@stjepanz07 I'm sorry, are asking about the clutch friction plates? These are brake pads from an electric motor brake. You could use an old clutch out of a car or brake pads from a car as well. 👍

[@stjepanz07]

And please tell me which diametar is chain weeler

[@Bryce_Shuman]

For my chain drive, the drive sprocket is now 11-tooth, driven is 60-tooth. #60 chain.

[@phillipclark3124]

How do you adjust the engagement for clutch wear? On actual farmi winches it’s such a pain in the ass.

[@Bryce_Shuman]

A couple of ways actually. First, I can add or remove hardened washers in the thrust bearing stack between the ACME nut and the winch drum. That's a bit of trial and error, but it's still a method if needed. Second, my go-to adjustment is the collar that my engagement lever is welded to has set screws in it that lock it onto the ACME nut. It's a 6-flat nut that I machined 12 flats into so I can loosen those set screws, rotate my handle around to another set of flats on the ACME nut and tighten it back down. I'll be sure to include that in my next video.

[@melissasmess2773]

Neat project, I do think using an ATV might be better considering those are small trees you have. Thanks for sharing!

[@Bryce_Shuman]

With a tractor-mounted winch, the logs come to the tractor. An ATV has to go to the logs unless using a winch on the ATV, but they're extremely limited in speed and capacity. They are smaller trees but it will easily skid out 3 at a time.

[@randyschneider6086]

You saved a lot of money by doing this and not buying a skidder.

[@Bryce_Shuman]

Thanks, and it adds to the number of uses for my tractor!

[@jonasheckert396]

What did you use for the fairlead

[@Bryce_Shuman]

The original fairlead in this video broke so I built a much stronger one the second time around. It mimics the Wallenstein FX85 winch upper fairlead that pivots around.

[@jonasheckert396]

@@Bryce_Shuman ok Thanks

[@tadaskabliukas2797]

what is the power of the tractor?

[@Bryce_Shuman]

Engine HP is 43hp, I believe the PTO HP is 34hp.

[@Jewellcj1]

How did you do the clutch? Is it a friction ring and the nut squeezes the drum up on it? Great design, looks like the cats ass for firewood sized wood.

[@Bryce_Shuman]

Yes, the friction plates are bolted to the 60-tooth driven sprocket and spin any time the PTO shaft is engaged. The nut squeezes the drum against the spinning friction plates consequently resulting in torque being applied to the drum. I need to do a follow-up video as some things have changed since I made this video. :)

[@atirnilessog]

Great job, I would also be very interested to see the construction of your clutch. I intend to make the same type of winch but with belts instead of chains, what do you think?

[@Bryce_Shuman]

I thought about using belts as the clutch mechanism as well. There are a few builds across the internet that use a moving idler pulley to tighten drive belts instead of using a clutch. They seem to work fine, but I don't think it provides as smooth of power delivery as they are more of a grab and go clutch rather than a slip and grip that the friction style clutch provides. Maybe it will work fine, I haven't ever seen one in operation other than online. You should build one and find out :)

[@georgeshotrodbarn2113]

But uh

[@sridhar.nsridhar.n304]

Plss phone number