Pulling Trees With Portable Winch!

[@charlottemcleod3259]

Great video, love the channel!

[@joeahopelto8032]

Those cones on the winch cable sure prevent snagging the log on stumps and forest floor debris. Great innovation. 😊 You work hard enough without having to untangle trees.

[@buildingthebruce]

You are absolutely correct about the cones. I’ve tried pulling logs with the 4wheeler and just a choker chain and it’s super frustrating. I’ve even seen videos of people building a cone from a heavy piece of flexible plastic and that seems to work pretty well. Up on the Bruce Peninsula I think it’s mandatory given the rocks and stumps. Thanks for watching.

[@joeahopelto8032]

Early in the 50s my family, lived near Stayner. In fact, I had an appendectomy in Collingwood hospital in 1951. Small world, eh?

[@jovanovichjoe]

I’d like to know more about the winch you used. I’ve cut firewood for fifty years and never seen it done that way.

[@buildingthebruce]

The company: Portable Winch is Canadian and operates out of Quebec. The model that I use is the PWC5000. Honda motor, 2500lb single line pull, 5000lb with a pulley attached to the log for a double line pull. You can look them up online for the winch and all their accessories. Thanks for watching.

[@homesteadfilm3870]

Recently parched the tree mount for the winch but I haven't had a chance to try it yet. How do you like it? nAlso recently purchased another pre-ownedPCW 5000 because of the large amount of accessories that came with it. Wondering what I would ever use two cones for and glad to see you found a way to make it work. Noticed your little green log holder. Picked one of those up and actually use it quite a bit in the woodlot. Playing with the toys ,ales tjhe tasks enjoyable.

[@buildingthebruce]

Hi there. Thanks for commenting. I’m very impressed with the winch and all the accessories that I have to go with it. Great quality stuff. I wasn’t sure that I would use 2 cones either but they definitely cut down on the trips back and forth, especially when I’m pulling smaller stuff and brush. The tree mount is really useful. I use it 80% of the time. I try to set it up on my landing and pull everything to a spot where I can buck up the logs and pile up the brush for chipping. It gets the winch up to a comfortable working height and it stays horizontal the whole time, unlike when working with the straps when I find you have to keep constant pull on the rope or the winch will want to buck up and down and get 45° tipped sideways at times. Very well made and easy to install. The other accessory that I think is handy is the open face pulley/ block. Being able to do a redirection on the pull rope has come in really handy. I don’t know what kind of terrain you are working in but at my property with all the rocks and uneven ground, getting a good pull and seeing progress feels like a real accomplishment. It’s going to get interesting in 2024 when I get into the bigger trees. So far just about everything I’ve pulled has been under 20” diameter and smaller. I’ve got quite a few bigger trees to come down starting in the spring. Can’t wait to get back up there. I love running the saws, working with the gear and setting up rigging. It’s great when the work feels like fun. If you would like to support the channel consider subscribing and following along all the fun, no shortage of rain days this holiday season.

[@homesteadfilm3870]

This was right after I got the winch. Single line pull and I only had 3 wraps on the capstan and didn’t realize adding another would make it grip better. kzbin.info/www/bejne/h3OupqmPYpuCrrcsi=7SgccIZYAkqFQIAA

[@buildingthebruce]

I found when the pull rope was new it slipped alot more, not enough grit in the fibres to grab the drum. I usually do 4 wraps and have even slipped on a 5th when the rope is stretched right out on a heavy pull. That’s a nice size log you are pulling up in the video.

[@vicrigg9390]

Don't walk or stand in front of the pull line, when it lets go and it will at some point you may have a shackle ( bullet ) just be safe.

[@buildingthebruce]

Yes you are correct. It’s easy to forget about all the things that can go wrong when I’m concentrating on the pull. The rope, although rated for extremely high loads is definitely the weakest point in the system. Thanks for pointing this out, it only takes a second to go from having a fun day to a hospital visit.