This page covers one of the 2025 innovation winners.
Skid Steer Cable Winch
Submitted by: Brian Huffman (Crawfordsville District) & Julian Roudabush (Seymour District)
This INDOT innovation introduces a skid steer‑mounted cable winch that makes cable rail repairs safer and more efficient. Crews previously used dump trucks to pull posts or tension cable, which created safety concerns and required employees to stand near chains during high‑tension pulls.
The new winch mounts securely to a skid steer, allowing operators to pull posts from the ground and stretch cable wire without workers standing in hazardous positions. This greatly reduces the risk of injuries caused by chain breaks and keeps team members out of the tension zone.
By improving control and keeping employees safely to the side during repair work, the skid steer cable winch helps crews restore cable rail systems more efficiently and with significantly less risk.
