Winch physics ????

[rwoods]

I don’t know which forum I should use for this question, but maybe one of you reading this can answer it. I am constructing a removable mount for a hydraulically driven “5 ton” front winch to attach to the rear of my deuce and to a three point hitch of a tractor. As part of the design in progress (in other words, no pictures ready yet), I am attaching the winch to skids to keep it out of the dirt and ease moving it around when not in use. As an afterthought, I beefed up the skids so I could possibly secure the winch to a tree or other fixed object so as to remove the load from the truck/tractor. Are there any potential rotational forces which would cause the winch to rotate around the cable and attachment point (assuming the attachment terminates in a single line)? The entire set up will weigh about 1000 lbs. The ground contact will be approximately 3 sq feet or 1 ½ sq feet per side (each skid surface is 6” by 36”). The distance between the skids can be either 41” +/- or 29”+/- depending upon which way I mount them. I once suspended a Landcruiser between a pole and my load using a 9k winch so I have no doubt that this winch can easily be suspended if I don’t keep a straight line close to the ground, but for purposes of my question please assume that I can keep a line that presses down on the winch while under tension. Thanks in advance, Ron

 

[m16ty]

No, the winch won't try to rotate. It will pull in a straight line from where cable exits the drum to where the anchor is attached so you need to have the anchor point in line with the cable. That will keep the winch from trying to roll when winching.

 

[wldrbob]

look up logging winch for 3 pointhitch tractors it will show you how some of the winches have a blade acrost the back to keep the tractor from sliding. and where they put the rollers or snatch block high up for logs and low for puling yourself out or sompthing real heavy

 

[Irv]

There will be a rotation force, but it will be small and hopefully irrelevant. The rotation will be due to the stretching and winding of the cable. Well drillers know this well (stayed up late thinking that pun up, btw), because in a cable drilling rig, they pull the cable up a few feet and let it fall to almost the impact point, relying on cable stretch to go the last little bit. As it goes that last little bit, the cable rotates, and the 'fist', the part that impacts the ground, rotates as it strikes the dirt. They use a special cable called a left laying cable that looks exactly like any other cable you've seen, except that the rotation of the strands goes the opposite way, so that as the fist strikes the dirt, the cable twists in the right direction to give the fist a drilling action as well as an impact action.
And yes, my college degree says Physics on it, but in all fairness, it also says BS. Irv