Suggestions for come along?

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NH_Wood

NH_Wood

Minister of Fire
Dec 24, 2009
2,602
southern NH
Hi everyone! Anyone have a suggestion for a good brand of come along. Not sure how much I want to spend, but not too much over $150. I've heard bad stories of cheaper units having bent handles, etc. under load. Not sure if a good unit is available for the money I want to spend. I'd rather spend a little more and get a good quality tool that will last. Thanks! Cheers!
 
A lot will depend on intended use. If you don't need a long pull, consider one that uses chain or a nylon strap so you aren't always sorting the cable on the spool.
 
The dual ratchets would help to keep the forces more even on the spool and less likely to torque it but to call it a 4 ton is a stretch. In the fine print, I'm sure it will say not to lift 4 tons. I've put enough load on my 2 ton single ratchet to torque the spool and I still worry about the cable. If you don't spool the cable carefully, it will cut and chafe against itself and my cable shows it.
 
LLigetfa said:
A lot will depend on intended use. If you don't need a long pull, consider one that uses chain or a nylon strap so you aren't always sorting the cable on the spool.
Click to expand...

LLigetfa - I'd mainly like to be able to pull logs from difficult spots, but I also do biological consulting and find myself in fairly hairy 4WD trails with my Tacoma - was hoping to be able to get myself out a tough spot if I got hung up. Am I asking too much of a fairly inexpensive come along? Cheers! (P.S. thanks for the suggested unit from the other post).
 
Here is what I'm considering for a strap style come-a-long. The only thing you need to realize is that with that style, the amount of strap you have on the spool will affect the ratio of how much pull you get per stroke.

http://www.garrettwade.com/professional-come-along-pullers/p/60R05.01/

60R0501.jpg


The rope puller is interesting too and I wonder how much it can pull.

60R0501_1.jpg
 
Chain type pullers are best for vertical lifting. If you do long horizontal pulls, it can be a PITA to constantly re-rig. Also, the puller ends up in the dirt a lot and wants to eat some of it. I mostly use mine to pull down leaners. I don't have easy access to a stump grinder so where it matters, I cut the roots below ground and pull the tree over, stump and all.
 
LLigetfa said:
Chain type pullers are best for vertical lifting. If you do long horizontal pulls, it can be a PITA to constantly re-rig. Also, the puller ends up in the dirt a lot and wants to eat some of it. I mostly use mine to pull down leaners. I don't have easy access to a stump grinder so where it matters, I cut the roots below ground and pull the tree over, stump and all.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the link to the come alongs. I've never used one on my own, just when helping a neighbor lift his plow blade of the ground (long story). Quick question: with the 6' cable puller, I'm assuming you spool out to 6', giving you 6' worth of pull. At that point, you need to unfasten and spool out the 6' again. Is this correct? If so, is it better to have longer that 6' worth of pull? Cheers!
 
Ja, that re-rigging every 6 feet can be a PITA especially if you lose a bunch of slack every time. Of the 6 feet, if pulling 2 feet of slack you only actually get 4 feet of work done. A traditional cable puller shines there if not running 2-part line. I just really tire of trying to keep the cable neatly spooled up and personally would give up length for convenience. Most of my pulls are short and real heavy.
 
Oh, I just re-read this thread and the descriptions on the garrettwade site and I think there has to be a typo in there. Generally, a strap type puller will have a much shorter capacity because one turn of the strap layers up on the drum and it fills it quickly. A cable on the other hand should have about five times the capacity of a strap.

That Weyth~Scott puller has 20' - 35' of capacity.
 
Mesquite said:
Here is a link to the one I use. It's heavy as hell but really stout.

http://www.wyeth-scott.com/
Click to expand...

Looks tough, but 27lbs is a tad heavy - I hope to lug it around in the woods. Thanks though! Cheers!
 
Mesquite said:
Here is a link to the one I use. It's heavy as hell but really stout.

http://www.wyeth-scott.com/
Click to expand...

I have one of these for 16 years now. While it is a little cumbersome, it is also incredibly well built and will probably last much longer than me. I have seen aluminum bodied ones of similar quality, but I'll bet you would be paying much more for one.

By the way, a bent handle on one of these is not a sign of poor quality, it is the safety device working. The handles are designed to deform before the machine is overloaded.
 
Tractor supply sells models by Tuf Tug which get good reviews. They are pricey, but there's an old saying: "the bitterness of poor qualilty remains long after the sweetness of a low price is forgotten".
 
Ever thought about mounting a winch to the front of the Tacoma? Can find them pretty cheap.
 
pdhowell said:
This is more money, but a lot more useful.

http://www.4by4connection.com/blacrat4wdre.html

It is a linear pull winch, which can pull sixty feet before reset, can pull hangs down, pull cars out of the ditch etc. I use mine all the time, and it gets borrowed a a lot.
Click to expand...
I would love to have one of those. We used them on construction to lift swing stage scaffolding.
 
Little Mule's are fool proof, durable and light.
http://www.jherbertcorp.com/hoist-lever.htm
The Little Mule that I have had for years. Many tree guys use them because their light enough to haul into tree for cabling. Their ratchet system is large and well designed. The handle is the weak link so if you over load the handle bends.
I will look at my model # tomorrow and see if I can get more info, or at least post #.
 
Remkel said:
Ever thought about mounting a winch to the front of the Tacoma? Can find them pretty cheap.
Click to expand...

Hi Remi - I've given some thought to a winch for the truck, but I also need the come along for taking down trees - I think a come along would be the the most versatile tool at this point (but, yes, I'd like the winch!). Cheers!
 
RobC said:
Little Mule's are fool proof, durable and light.
http://www.jherbertcorp.com/hoist-lever.htm
The Little Mule that I have had for years. Many tree guys use them because their light enough to haul into tree for cabling. Their ratchet system is large and well designed. The handle is the weak link so if you over load the handle bends.
I will look at my model # tomorrow and see if I can get more info, or at least post #.
Click to expand...

RobC - I like the specs of the Little Mule. I think I'll go with the 2000lb model, if I get this make (haven't seen the cost yet). How long is the cable on your unit? I'm going to mainly use the come along for pulling trees in the direction I want them to fall. I'm worried about too little cable and needing to re-rig the come along. For you and others: will 6' of cable be a good length for pulling a tree toward the direction of the fall? Obviously, this depend on the lean, but assuming minor leans in the opposite direction of the fall. Thanks! If you have any more info on your specific model RobC, I'd appreciate it. Cheers!
 
You would want more than 6 feet of pull. Often you lose a foot or two just taking up the slack so that might just net you 4 feet of usable pull.
 
Mine is the old version of the 115DB I think. It gives you 100lb @ 20 ft single pull. LLigetfa is correct 6' isn't going to do it. For pulling trees, pulling anything really, the longer the line between winch and item to be pulled is also increasing winch pull because of line stretch and gravity on line. Very seldom have I ever used winch cable doubled up. Definitely not for dropping trees.
1) you hold open to freewheel out. 2) handle is reversible for storage. 3) Is froward and reverse. Reverse let's off one click at a time for a controlled situation. 4) same as 1. No tension in reverse you hold down and can freewheel out.
 

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