Meat Trolley / Rail Hanger Options

guy329

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I'm looking for a straight rail trolly for hanging big game (moose/elk quarters/deer etc). A simple I-Beam that accepts roller hooks would do.
At least 10 foot or longer, for mounting underneath a deck with 2X10 joists 16in O/C.

I can't find anything new, so thought maybe there are some DIY options. Ideas anyone?
 
Mine is simply 4" flat 1\4" iron stock with an 'C' bracket welded to it 1/3 of the way down. Holes through the top of the 'C' to secure it to your joists however you want, bottom welded to the flat iron. Open sided so your rollers can pass. Doesn't need to be an I-beam. Even a big moose quarter isn't going to be a problem. Have hung multiple hundreds of pounds off of mine concurrently with the 'C' supports being 6 feet apart maybe. Never really paid too much attention to that (shop came that way when I bought it).

That help?
 
I used 3/8 x 3 flat in my meat shop and built the L shaped brackets out of the same. The switches are made of the same size material so they just welded in and I rolled a circle out of the same material and cut it in four pieces for the corners. I picked up used trolleys from Dwain at JB's in regina. He usually has a barrel full of the for $18 a piece.
 
One friend used his old litter carrier track from the dairy barn. We had the same setup in our barn when I was a kid. Would be plenty heavy for your intended use if you happened to have a friend or neighbor who had it and the trolley wheels laying in their scrap heap.

Another friend put up some "cannonball" style round track used hanging sliding shed doors - found it slid better than the rectangular hardware used most of the time. IIRC each set of rollers was good for 300 lbs. Works great for deer.
 
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300wmxcr2 said:
Check out box rail barn door tracks, come in different length and have a few styles of roller/hangers.
Click to expand...

This is what we did in our cooler. We have 4 rollers on each track so we can hang 8 pieces on rollers.
We also have large "s" hooks that will fit over the track to hang extra quarters if needed.
I used 1/2 inch bolts up inside the track that have a plate welded to them that is attached to the ceiling joists.
Carriage bolts work best as the rollers will hit a larger bolt head.
Our door is lower so we have to get the quarters in the cooler before we can get them on the track.
We use a 3 by 4 foot stainless table with scaffolding wheels to roll the quarters into the cooler and then raise them with a 4 to 1 hand pulley so that we don't have to horse fresh quarters up to the hooks.
 
IMG_1306.jpg

Here is how I set up mine. I don't use rollers but it could, if I had wanted to. There is a 2" angle bolted on the ceiling, attached to it is a C bracket (Purchased from Hallford Hide mail order out of Edmonton). The bottom of C bracket is bolted to a 2" flat stainless.
I am thinking of getting a portable hydraulic lift table from Princess Auto to make hanging moose and elk easier. A track on rollers would be great but I didn't have a good way of installing one into my shop. As the saying goes....More than one way to skin a cat (or deer).
 

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Rail Hanger

I use C Channel rail and trolley I got from Rona 15 years ago (Rona now own by Lowes). Don't know if they still carry it but you can get the parts off Amazon.

The rail is only 8 feet long but you can butt it together to make it longer. I drill holes and lag bolt it to the rafters. I use hook bolts instead of the eye bolts. Sister the rafters if they are only 2x6 or else they can split if you have more than 1 deer or moose hanging.

Here is what the parts looks like. The installed unit is supporting a 180 lb buck dressed (11 points). You can't see it in the picture but I have a rope hoist higher up to pull the deer up than transfer it to the hook trolley. Dead lift 180 lb over your head is kind of difficult especially when you are over 50 yrs old.

rail1.png


Trolley1.png


deer1.png
 
I use a different system that I think is much more versatile that a dedicated trolley outfit. I use a Hyd engine hoist on rollers. They can be had for $300 or so on sale so probably comparable to a trolley set-up by the time you buy steel and hanger system plus all the torching & welding. It can be rolled to any position in the building with up to 2 tons (I have rolled it with 1500 lb machine tools hanging from it) hanging from it so game animal is a cinch.

I can hang game starting on the floor and hydraulically lift up to full height without any personal lifting at all. I lift part way and start the skin operation at a comfortable level, lifting a bit at a time to suit. After skinning I can, again easily adjust carcass height for the boning/knife work. No rope burns or pinched fingers or real sore back/shoulders that were always there in the old way i used to do it.

I havent had to since i started to use an engine hoist, hang from a rafter or sill with a J hook but it could very easily be done ...Hook your J-hook to the animal, raise so top of hook can be hooked over whatever your going to hang from and then lower the hoist boom away from the J-hook....done.
 
I was thinking of getting a 120v winch and mount to a beam in the barn for hoisting/skinning, then use hooks on a rail for hanging quarters.
 
blargon said:
I was thinking of getting a 120v winch and mount to a beam in the barn for hoisting/skinning, then use hooks on a rail for hanging quarters.
Click to expand...

The permanently mounted winch is a good idea. I use a block and tackle. Where I am, it's usually -25 and dark when we finally get to the point of needing to hang game. A household circuit for power would be needed, I guess.

Thanks for all the ideas.
 
Maybe check out some butcher shops and see if they have a few hangers for sale. Lot are not hanging meat anymore since it can be bought in a box. Could also use a generator for 120v or batts for 12 v winch. Could also do a hand winch and mount on wall and pulley system. Winch is good ideal
 
buoff said:
I use C Channel rail and trolley I got from Rona 15 years ago (Rona now own by Lowes). Don't know if they still carry it but you can get the parts off Amazon.

The rail is only 8 feet long but you can butt it together to make it longer. I drill holes and lag bolt it to the rafters. I use hook bolts instead of the eye bolts. Sister the rafters if they are only 2x6 or else they can split if you have more than 1 deer or moose hanging.

Here is what the parts looks like. The installed unit is supporting a 180 lb buck dressed (11 points). You can't see it in the picture but I have a rope hoist higher up to pull the deer up than transfer it to the hook trolley. Dead lift 180 lb over your head is kind of difficult especially when you are over 50 yrs old.

rail1.png


Trolley1.png


deer1.png
Click to expand...

I am currently using the same system these are Unistrut and think couple other Companies making compatible track / railing under different name but with same dimensions.

I used those tracks along with a single row bearing (not the dual row as posted here) in my converted beverage fridge to hang an entire deer for dry aging without any issue.

They are very strong and sturdy setup and relatively inexpensive just Google Unistrut.
 
manicmechanic said:
Another friend put up some "cannonball" style round track used hanging sliding shed doors - found it slid better than the rectangular hardware used most of the time. IIRC each set of rollers was good for 300 lbs. Works great for deer.
Click to expand...

Cannonball style is what I used to replace the failed square brackets around the farm, on the advice of my farming neighbours. Much higher weight capacity and heavy doors rolled very smoothly.
 
Slotted strut and trolley inserts would be easiest. Its available in 10 and 20' lengths at electrical and mechanical suppliers. Pre-drill 3/16 and run 4" 3/8" lags every joist, heavy washers too. This is all speculating its level of course or you're hanging rod to do so. Gamb and rail would be the custom choice though. Don't forget the end stops.
 
Check out some of the salvage outfits.
I bought a pile of heavy aluminum tracking, rollers, meat hooks and even a couple of industrial meat saws from an outfit that gutted out an old meat packing plant. Good quality stuff at a very decent price.
 
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