I really, really love my Tirfor

[Haironyourchest]

I really love this thing, and the more I use it the more I appreciate what a truly elegant tool it is. There's a lot of ballyhoo on arb forums about chainsaws and heavy machinery, but hardly ever a mention of the humble Tirfor.

 

I find this sad, so I'm going to undertake to champion this divine gadget.

 

Before buying my 800kg tirfor I tried to glean information from the web, only to come up with nothing much. There are a couple of youtube vids and a few mentions on various boards, and thats it. No real reviews, no fanboys....

 

Cant understand why this gadget doesn't have a massive fan following?? Its bloody brilliant! A real honest-to-god work of inspired engineering, elegant, reliable, simple to build, astonishingly effective, incredible versatile.

 

Mine is a chinese copy, but TÜV stamped etc, and has been fabulous, for €145.00.

 

Some years back there was a thread on Arbtalk about what size of tirfor to get and the consensus was 1.6 tonne. I personally feel that the baby tirfor is better, for the simple reason that I can position it with one hand and tighten the shackle or lock the clutch with the other, basically that I can manage the weight of the thing on my own. I often want to rig it at head hight to get some lift on the end of the log I'm dragging...

 

I also use this little guy with two massive snatch blocks and 12mm dyneema capstan winch rope to pull 2400kg. Below is a vid of me pulling a rhododendron stump with this setup. The combined weight of all the gear adds up to a big tirfor, and takes longer to set up, but the versatility is unbeatable.

 

The one thing I want to finish with is that tirfor cable isn't really designed to be used with pulleys. It works, but puts a hell of a strain on the rope wires and will prematurly ware out your rope. There's been a pile of research done on this...So I only ever use the winch for a straight pull, and use the dyneema extension if I need compound rigging.

 

Next addition to the collection will be a 2 Tonne ratchet lever-hoist.

 

Anyone got any Tirfor stories? I dunno about the rest of yous but I'd love to hear them....

 

[ame]

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[silky fox]

Tirfor has legendary status as far as i'm concerned....Rock steady pulling power!

[mendiplogs]

I really love this thing, and the more I use it the more I appreciate what a truly elegant tool it is. There's a lot of ballyhoo on arb forums about chainsaws and heavy machinery, but hardly ever a mention of the humble Tirfor.

 

I find this sad, so I'm going to undertake to champion this divine gadget.

 

Before buying my 800kg tirfor I tried to glean information from the web, only to come up with nothing much. There are a couple of youtube vids and a few mentions on various boards, and thats it. No real reviews, no fanboys....

 

Cant understand why this gadget doesn't have a massive fan following?? Its bloody brilliant! A real honest-to-god work of inspired engineering, elegant, reliable, simple to build, astonishingly effective, incredible versatile.

 

Mine is a chinese copy, but TÜV stamped etc, and has been fabulous, for €145.00.

 

Some years back there was a thread on Arbtalk about what size of tirfor to get and the consensus was 1.6 tonne. I personally feel that the baby tirfor is better, for the simple reason that I can position it with one hand and tighten the shackle or lock the clutch with the other, basically that I can manage the weight of the thing on my own. I often want to rig it at head hight to get some lift on the end of the log I'm dragging...

 

I also use this little guy with two massive snatch blocks and 12mm dyneema capstan winch rope to pull 2400kg. Below is a vid of me pulling a rhododendron stump with this setup. The combined weight of all the gear adds up to a big tirfor, and takes longer to set up, but the versatility is unbeatable.

 

The one thing I want to finish with is that tirfor cable isn't really designed to be used with pulleys. It works, but puts a hell of a strain on the rope wires and will prematurly ware out your rope. There's been a pile of research done on this...So I only ever use the winch for a straight pull, and use the dyneema extension if I need compound rigging.

 

Next addition to the collection will be a 2 Tonne ratchet lever-hoist.

 

Anyone got any Tirfor stories? I dunno about the rest of yous but I'd love to hear them....

 

 

Hi mate there great bits of kit IAN on will tell you that I seen him winch out ash out lake were you can not get in hydraulic winch is your electric winches or tractors thanks John

[Ty Korrigan]

I fell asleep waiting for mine to do anything.

(Endless clicketyclicketyclicketyclickety...and so on)

So, I bought a tractor and winch instead, never looked back.

Ty

[humpo48]

They most certainly have their place alright.

[Haironyourchest]

Hi mate there great bits of kit IAN on will tell you that I seen him winch out ash out lake were you can not get in hydraulic winch is your electric winches or tractors thanks John

 

"Tirfor has legendary status as far as i'm concerned....Rock steady pulling power!"

 

Well that's two supporters! Relieved that you guys love the tirfor! That's what I think Jon, the tirfor is like a scalpel to the plant machinery's sledgehammer. There is a time and a place for big winches, but a trifor will go where a big winch never can.

 

Part of the beauty of the thing is the zen-state you get into while cranking the handle. Sure, it seems like nothing happening, but its all about the journey....crank...crank...crank...rest...crank...like, "wax on, wax off"...

[humpo48]

Never go to a wind blown tree without one!

[Haironyourchest]

Never go to a wind blown tree without one!

 

Good Man Yourself!

[Will C]

cant beat them, cumbersome horrible things but I would never be with out it, got me out of a muddle on a number of occasions.

[Gray git]

Estate where I did my aprentaship had a ridiculously large old tirfoe, 2 man lift to get it in the pickup even without the cable, once had it set up like you with 2 huge blocks to increase the pull to extract a very stuck Drot crawler, seem to remember if we took turns and constantly swung the handle we shifted it about 1m an hour but we got it out where others had failed. Not got 1 myself anymore but got a lugall which is very useful as well.