Arbtalk.co.uk | Discussion Forum for Arborists

Hello folks,
We own a small patch of largely conifer woodland on a steep slope, and have investigated lots of potential solutions for small scale timber extraction. A portable winch seems to offer many advantages in terms of getting timber to where we can process it, and I wonder if anyone had any thoughts on capstan winches in a forestry setting. In particular, the Cyclone 3000 seems a likely candidate:
Cyclone Winches Ltd - Capstan Winches

Anyone any experience of this brand?

Thanks for any pointers

Never used a capstan winch but the idea of a portable, but powered winch is something I'd considered in the past, especially for those jobs where it wasn't worth taking the tractor onto site but there was too much timber to warrant handballing out.

The things that I can remember that in the past put me off a capstan (but I never had anyone to ask to see whether it would be a problem) were things liek how well the rope woudl grip once it got full of mud and water and how long would a rope last typically (bearing in mind the amount of slipping when settign going and stopping/slowing down a load).

Have you considered a chainsaw powered winch? Don't know how they compare cost wise but in my eyes they were more of a conventional type of winch and have even seen one recovering a car out of a ravine. The line speeds seem pretty good and generally they look to be a bit more compact.

That said the only ones I've seen are the Lewis ones and the Viig ones.

Never used a self-contained capstan winch like that but I have used Landrover capstans for many years. Used correctly and sensibly they are great tools, and in most - but not all - situations have the edge on drum winches.

Never had a problem with rope wear, nor as a result of dirty ropes, but ropes should of course be kept as clean as possible. The most important thing to get right is the choice of type of rope - use a low-stretch rope only. All manner of things can go wrong if you use a stretchy nylon rope!

saw this working in sweden
Manufacturer of the best Portable Winch with rope · with capstan and a powerful Honda engine. Ideal for logging, rescue, construction, hunting, ATV, farming or boating · Pulling Docks Portable Winch ATV Winch
it was been used with the open faced corner block(bottom of page) and derailer. like all the best idears

I use this one for a few years now :

Simpson Winch

Bought it from Ebay without engine and mounted an old light Dolmar chainsaw on it.
It is great for pulling over trunks or even complete trees (tie in high !).
I also use it to pull the Jobeau on the truck (with a block) when I am alone on a small job.
It has not enough power to drag logs over the ground, and the rope is limited to 10 mm. The winch has about 1000 kg pulling force.
I always have it with me, I dont leave for a job without it

Pascal

Thanks for the feedback. I think we are going to give it a go, so will post to update as and when.

Coed cae, pm me with your e-mail address, and i will send you an article that the F.C. did on small scale extraction. It should have all the info you need.

Cant u just post it, you caught my attention...

Sorry it is about 20+ pages long. P.M. me and i will e-mail it to anybody that wants it.

No idea how large the "Patch of Wood" is but a well trained horse is ideal on land unsuitable for machines and too small for a cable crane system.