Forestry winch › Landwirt comparison test 2025
Comparison test 2025 · chain winch category
In the big 2025 comparison test, the Austrian magazine LANDWIRT, together with BLT Wieselburg, FAST Traunkirchen, SVS and AUVA, tested a total of 17 winches in the 6- to 8-tonne class. We took part with two machines — the KGD 65 SA and the HW1-left auxiliary winch. Here we report what came out of it.
What it’s about
The KGD 65 SA took 1st place in the chain winch category — with an overall grade of 1.6 ahead of Uniforest 65Hpro and Krpan 7 EHP (both 1.7). It was tested not in the showroom but in the forest: a practical course with a 90 hp tractor and a 2-tonne beech log, a 5-hour endurance test on the BLT Wieselburg test rig, plus safety checks by SVS and AUVA.
We report the test as it is — with the tester’s finding and original quotes from the issue. The LANDWIRT special edition is available as the full test report to read at LANDWIRT.
Source: Paar, Johannes — Landwirt winch comparison test 2025/26: comparison test of forestry winches in the 6–8 t class. LANDWIRT no. 1/2026, pp. 74–89.
The three key figures
Three numbers that carry the test result. Click each number for the story behind it.
The KGD 65 SA took 1st place in the chain winch category — ahead of Uniforest 65Hpro and Krpan 7 EHP (both 1.7), Tajfun EGV 65 AHK SG (1.8) and Holzknecht HS 66 P (1.9). It was tested not in the showroom but in the forest, on the test rig and by the insurance institutions.
Chain winch category
A narrow lead of 0.1 points over the competition — but at the top. Rating scale like school grades: 1.0 is very good, 5.0 is inadequate. Practical suitability, function, safety, maintenance and serviceability were assessed together.
ahead of 1.7 (Uniforest 65Hpro, Krpan 7 EHP)
On the BLT Wieselburg test rig, every winch ran under full load. KGD voluntarily went into an extended endurance test — beyond the mandatory duration. The tester’s verdict on the KGD 65 SA verbatim: passed, 1 rope break, rope cage had to be reground, low weight, easy operation.
BLT Wieselburg, voluntarily extended
Source: Paar, Johannes — Landwirt winch comparison test 2025/26. LANDWIRT no. 1/2026, pp. 74–89.
Practical part at FAST Traunkirchen, measured values at BLT Wieselburg, safety check by SVS and AUVA.
Three pillars
Three institutes with different focuses jointly carried the test: FAST Traunkirchen for the forest, BLT Wieselburg for the measurements, SVS and AUVA for safety.
9Tasks
Carrier vehicle Steyr Kompakt 4090 (90 hp), load two beech logs totalling 2.5 solid cubic metres and around 2 tonnes. An experienced driver completed the same nine tasks with every winch — mounting, attaching, normal/lateral/steep pull-in, work with the auxiliary winch, load transport in the skid trail and on the forest road, piling.
5 hEndurance test
On the BLT Wieselburg test rig, every winch ran under full load. KGD voluntarily went into an extended endurance test — beyond the mandatory duration. The tester’s verdict on the KGD 65 SA: “passed — 1 rope break, rope cage had to be reground, low weight, easy operation.”
2Insurance institutions
The Austrian insurance institutions SVS (social insurance for the self-employed) and AUVA (general accident insurance institution) checked the machines for safety, maintenance and serviceability — controls, protective grille, accessibility of lubrication points and hydraulic connections.
The official rating table from the LANDWIRT issue.
| Rank | Manufacturer | Model | Overall impression |
|---|---|---|---|
| ★ 1 | Königswieser | KGD 65 SA | 1,6 |
| 2 | Uniforest | 65Hpro | 1,7 |
| 2 | Krpan | 7 EHP | 1,7 |
| 4 | Tajfun | EGV 65 AHK SG | 1,8 |
| 5 | Holzknecht | HS 66 P | 1,9 |
Three detailed praises 1:1 from the LANDWIRT issue.
LANDWIRT rating
“The KGD 65 SA chain-wheel winch from Königswieser worked reliably in the test. The hydraulic functions for rope unwinding and the in-feed brake responded precisely.” — that’s how the LANDWIRT article on the KGD 65 SA opens. Three detailed praises from the issue:
Plus 1
Tester’s words: “compact design”. At 566 kg test weight and 1,700 mm blade width, one of the more compact machines in the category — practical for tighter forest roads and smaller tractors from 65 hp.
Plus 2
Tester’s words: “almost no drop in pulling force due to low overlap”. The overlap between clutch and brake is fine-tuned so the winch passes its pulling force cleanly to the log — no “breathing” in the drivetrain.
Plus 3
Tester’s words: “good rear visibility despite the auxiliary winch”. Even with the HW1 in its bracket, the driver stays oriented when reversing — a detail that regularly makes the difference in the forest.
Limit switch, Terra remote and Königswieser crown — the testers specifically mentioned all three in practical use.
Automatically stops the pull-in as soon as the roller reaches the log end. A safety detail that worked reliably in the practical test. Tester’s words: “The limit switch in the upper rope-inlet roller automatically stops the pull-in.”
Tester’s words: “The compact Terra remote with a permanently fitted battery fulfils all required functions.” The remote control is an accessory, not fitted from the factory — combinable as an option with the KGD 65 SA. More on this: remote-controlled winch hub.
Universal chain holder on the winch blade — choker chains within reach, hung cleanly side by side. Tester’s finding: “worked reliably in the test.” “Every king needs a crown.”
Two more options that ran cleanly in the test — the lower-link extensions that widen the mounting geometry on larger tractors, and the bolt-on hydraulic motor for front mounting that makes the winch independent of a front PTO (typical for Unimog, Metrac and remote-controlled crawlers). LANDWIRT’s words on both: “worked reliably in the test.”
Two roller chains with an intermediate stage transfer the PTO power to the rope drum. A third roller chain drives the hydraulic pump. An automatic chain tensioner for all three chains works reliably.
A hydraulic motor in the upper rope-inlet roller drives the rope unwinding. The rope is guided through a spring-loaded pressure roller — this gives a clean, even rope inlet.
Tester’s words: “Maintenance effort for the Königswieser winch is low.” Only the upper rope pulley and the roller-chain drives need regular lubrication and the oil level checking.
Manufacturer’s figure and the actual measurement by BLT Wieselburg.
| Manufacturer / model | Königswieser KGD 65 SA |
| Drive | Chain wheel |
| Rope | 80 m · ø 11 mm |
| Pulling force, bottom layer | Manufacturer 65 kN · BLT measurement 64 kN |
| Pulling force, top layer | Manufacturer 41 kN · BLT measurement 46 kN |
| Blade width | 1.700 mm |
| Weight (as tested) | 566 kg |
| 5-hour endurance test BLT Wieselburg | passed |
Our auxiliary winch was also part of the LANDWIRT test. Here in brief.
Auxiliary winch HW1-left
“The Königswieser auxiliary winch impressed with clean rope guidance and simple control.”
LANDWIRT magazine, p. 8
This is how the LANDWIRT article on the HW1 opens. Further in the issue: “Operation and control are intuitive, the functional sequence convinced in the test. Overall, the HW1 presents itself as a solid and practical solution.”
What the testers praised: clean rope guidance, simple and intuitive control, reliable functional sequence in the practical test. Pulling forces were slightly below the manufacturer’s figures but fulfilled the function in the practical test.
What they noted as a weakness: the drum and mast head can be removed but are hard to reach. Tester’s words: “there was room for improvement in handling during mounting and dismantling.” More on the auxiliary winch HW1.
In the 2025 Landwirt comparison test (LANDWIRT no. 1/2026) the Königswieser KGD 65 SA achieved 1st place in the chain winch category with an overall grade of 1.6 — ahead of Uniforest 65Hpro and Krpan 7 EHP (both 1.7), Tajfun EGV 65 AHK SG (1.8) and Holzknecht HS 66 P (1.9). The testers described the machine as a “robust, functional winch with practical equipment and high operating comfort”. The full test with all 17 machines appears in the LANDWIRT special edition.
