Installed winch on a Cub Cadet 122
 

I'm using my Cub for hauling logs and firewood, and was frequently getting stuck. Finally decided to put a winch on for getting unstuck, as well as for extracting logs from hard to access places.

I decided to go with the SuperWinch 3000, which can draw up to 100 amps under full load. The small battery and generator on the Cub wouldn't be able to sustain heavy loads, so I built a battery box on the rear, and inserted a 125 Amp Hour marine deep cycle battery.

I fabricated hitch receivers front and rear, and used 175 amp battery disconnects for the winch plug and receptacles.

Here's the box. It's mounted on top of the hitch receiver, which is welded to a 1/4 plate that is bolted to the rear PTO base.
http://tuna.rsnh.net/winchpics/BATTERYBOX.JPG

Winch mounted on rear
http://tuna.rsnh.net/winchpics/REARMOUNTED.JPG

Here's the front hitch. I made a frame out of 2.5 x 2.5 x 1/4 angle and 1/4 plate. It's bolted to the 4 bolts holding the grill housing, and to the outside of the frame. It leaves just enough room to bolt the plow on.
http://tuna.rsnh.net/winchpics/FRONTBRACKET.JPG

Winch mounted on front.
http://tuna.rsnh.net/winchpics/FRONTMOUNTED.JPG

Another view of winch mounted on the front, as well as the 2.5 x 2.5 angle frame.
http://tuna.rsnh.net/winchpics/FRONTMOUNTEDSIDEVIEW.JPG

The switch is mounted on the left side of the pedestal.
http://tuna.rsnh.net/winchpics/SWITCH.JPG

The remote socket is mounted in the cigarette lighter hole.
http://tuna.rsnh.net/winchpics/REMOTESOCKET.JPG

My helper demonstrating the remote.
http://tuna.rsnh.net/winchpics/HELPERWITHREMOTE.JPG

When the winch is not being used it's stowed up out of the way.
http://tuna.rsnh.net/winchpics/WINCHSTOWED.JPG

My helper driving the Cub back to the house.
http://tuna.rsnh.net/winchpics/HELPERDRIVINGITHOME.JPG

I noticed the "helper' preferred creeper range low!! :bigthink:

Good looking custom winch.

:popcorn:

We will be waiting to see it pull a log!! :bigeyes:

OUTSTANDING! Very well designed and made.

I normally let him drive it in high range, but I was hobbling from an earlier incident. I'd removed the plow to bolt up the front winch mount, and in so doing had pushed the lift handle forward to lower the plow, and left it there. Later I was drving along and hit a bump and WHACK...that lift handle/spring assist bitch let go and did a Tonya Harding on my knee.

Thank you!

LMAO
On a lighter side, your setup is great. I've been wanting to get a winch to play with. I just so happen to have a spare deep cycle battery as well.
Great work, looks AWESOME!!

Excellent workmanship! Thanks for showing us!

Looks great!

Nice work yodaddy :ThumbsUp: That will be real handy.

Wow. This is really something.

I just happen to have an extra winch in the garage somewhere... orphaned from a four-wheeler that got a better one.

:bigthink:

This has indeed sparked an idea...

Pretty cool lets see it hauling logs!!!! Here's my last log haul, the wife is standing at the end of the tree to show length. I started thinking it would just brake off a short piece after i tugged on it a few times but it was totally surprising that I had the entire tree. Course it was spinning the entire time but i enjoy slipping and sliding :biggrin2:

Rain forecast here for the next week, so the ground will get good and sloppy. I'll post some Cub recovery and log extraction videos as soon as I can get back in the woods.

I skid logs with the Cub, but it's tough dragging big stuff through the woods. I'm going to start building a log arch in the near future.

Is that a fire in the background? Nothing like working outdoors and enjoying a beer and a brat on an open fire afterwards!

looks great
 

Very nice job. Looks like it came right from the factory. All nice and tidy.


luke

nice job on the winch

Very nice setup, looks like factory option

What's the old saying, "Give a kid a winch, and everything becomes a stuck item, in need of "rescuing".
:biggrin2:

Can you post a video of you pulling some logs? You did and excellent job with that!