Receiver Hitch Mounted Capstan

[BrianK]

Probably not gonna work well. The garden tractor battery is gonna give you fits. First, pulling a constant 80 amps out of it for a couple of minutes at a time is gonna kill the battery, even if attached to a genny on the snow blower. Think deep cycle (and big) if you are looking at that kind of amps for any length of time.

Well, since its going to be used on a snow blower powered wood cart I guess I could put a deep cycle battery in the cart. But all these extras points once more to a chainsaw driven capstan winch being more economical.

 

[Jags]

But all these extras points once more to a chainsaw driven capstan winch being more economical.

My guess is that you will have less headaches in the long run.

 

[Ashful]

One thing that I have to look for before yarding logs, is that there has to be a stump ahead and to the side of the splitter and truck to attach the winch cable to so the truck can be pulled ahead to release the tension on the drive train if the key cannot be turned to get the engine started. With the E- brake set as tight as I can with the transmission in park, sometimes after a good pull, I can not turn the key to get the engine started.

Not a problem, unless you drive a truck with an auto trans. Just one more reason to buy manual trans.

 

[bogydave]

Probably not gonna work well. The garden tractor battery is gonna give you fits. First, pulling a constant 80 amps out of it for a couple of minutes at a time is gonna kill the battery, even if attached to a genny on the snow blower. Think deep cycle (and big) if you are looking at that kind of amps for any length of time.

"I'm going to build a wood hauler out of an old snow blower "

Plus the lawn tractors weight is not much of an anchor to pull against.
I can buy some long lengths of good rope for $700.
Sounds like a fun project & a useful tool either way. We'll need pictures.

 

[BrianK]

Norther Tool is carrying this unit now. Wonder if its any good?

 

[Jags]

Brian - 1500 pounds really isn't a whole bunch. Most ATV winches are rated at that or higher. If you think an ATV winch is enough "pull" for you, then you might have the bee's knee's. For me, 1500 is what I use on my log lift.

 

[BrianK]

Brian - 1500 pounds really isn't a whole bunch. Most ATV winches are rated at that or higher. If you think an ATV winch is enough "pull" for you, then you might have the bee's knee's. For me, 1500 is what I use on my log lift.

I emailed them last May about this product and its capacity. Here is part of their reply:

On a drum winch the industry rates the power on the first wrap on the drum where it has the most mechanical advantage. Every wrap of cable you put on a drum winch you loose 10%. If you have a 10,000 lb rated winch and have 5 wraps on the cable; you then have a 5000 lb winch.
The recovery or cable winch's are also fictitiously rated - the standard is against a rolling load on a 45 degree angle. For example a 10,000 lb winch is only capable of actually dead lifting approximately 3000 lbs but only on the first wrap. The 5th wrap would only lift 1500 lbs.
Our 1.5 hsprw motor with a 3 1/4 inch capstan head will dead lift as much as 1100 lbs before stalling. Capacity will vary from motor to motor on D/C but guaranteeing 1000 lbs is a safe bet. If we apply this power to the way they rate the automotive winches we can "pull" 5000 lbs. We will be doing further field testing before we firm up a rating.

 

[Jags]

I emailed them last May about this product and its capacity. Here is part of their reply:

Hmmm..If the second, third, etc. wrap are on the same plane (not increasing diameter) the math doesn't add up in my head. The additional wraps simply give more "traction". Again - this is assuming that the wraps are not allowed to build up to a larger diameter. Something ain't figurin' here.

 

[Ashful]

Hmmm..If the second, third, etc. wrap are on the same plane (not increasing diameter) the math doesn't add up in my head. The additional wraps simply give more "traction". Again - this is assuming that the wraps are not allowed to build up to a larger diameter. Something ain't figurin' here.

She's talking about the way the cable builds on the drum of a standard winch, not the capstan. She says "wrap", not "revolution", referring to when the drum is filled on one plane and the cable skips up to the next. Not sure how ATV winches are made, but some of the heavy winches I've used in the past have a shuttle, which ensures complete and uniform coverage of the spool, as the cable wraps onto it. What she states is quite true, though, with the reduced torque often hitting at the worst possible time in the pull, when you need the most. A great example is a centerboard drum in a racing sailboat, in which a strap tied to the centerboard wraps around a drum, reducing the mechanical advantage. At the top of travel, where you really need the most pull, the torque is the lowest.

 

[BrianK]

Hmmm..If the second, third, etc. wrap are on the same plane (not increasing diameter) the math doesn't add up in my head. The additional wraps simply give more "traction". Again - this is assuming that the wraps are not allowed to build up to a larger diameter. Something ain't figurin' here.

That's not the case on his capstan winch so pull stays the same. He is saying that on a standard winch, not a capstan winch, as the long length of cable wraps around the drum, it increases diameter and loses pull strength.

 

[Jags]

She's talking about the way the cable builds on the drum of a standard winch, not the capstan.

I am picking up what you are laying down. I thought the discussion was in reference to the capstan.

 

[lukem]

Norther Tool is carrying this unit now.

For that kind of scratch I think you could find a 10K lb drum winch, fab/buy a receiver mounting plate, wiring, etc. and still come out cheaper.

 

[Ashful]

For that kind of scratch I think you could find a 10K lb drum winch, fab/buy a receiver mounting plate, wiring, etc. and still come out cheaper.

True. Trouble here is, the manufacturer is a marine company. Put a "marine grade" sticker on a piece of hardware, and price automatically triples (10x, if it says "Harken" ). Marine hardware uses some very expensive materials, to deal with that deadly combination of salt, water, and UV. Also, sales volumes tend to be low, driving up component costs. As such, the manufacturers of marine hardware have their heads in an altogether different stratosphere, with respect to pricing, than the manufacturers of similar hardware for other industry/hobbies.

My favorite store: http://www.apsltd.com/c-2-hardware.aspx