Portable winch

pacobillie

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Does anyone here use a gas powered portable winch, when hunting. If so, how do you like it? After struggling to get my moose out of the woods last week, I am considering getting one.
 
Lewis winch that bolts to a chainsaw, works good. Also have a capstan winch that is awesome, both have their place, if I had to choose just one it be the capstan..
 
Moose can be disassembled into 8 parts. 4 legs, 2 rib slabs, and 2 backbone/neck pieces. Bag in cotton sacks. Place on backpack frame. Voila! No winch needed.
 
Moose can be disassembled into 8 parts. 4 legs, 2 rib slabs, and 2 backbone/neck pieces. Bag in cotton sacks. Place on backpack frame. Voila! No winch needed.

I have to admit, even though I have done it, I haven’t ever really understood to urge to yard a moose out whole. Have to have them in small enough pieces to handle anyway, might as well break them down right from the start.
 
I have one of these: ht tps://www.portablewinch.ca/products/pcw5000-gas-powered-pulling-winch-gxh50
It's not very portable, in spite of the pictures that make it look easy. The gas seems to last forever, so no need to take extra fuel. It there are sturdy trees nearby then you are good to go. If not, there are other options, but not as simple, like a 2" hitch adaptor, assuming you can get a vehicle nearby.

It's very useful for hand logging, moving small buildings, or loading vehicles etc onto trailers. I think it might be useful for hunting if the terrain is very steep, or very rough. Thats where I have used it for hand logging when I lived in BC. Not much wild terrain where I live now.

If a moose manages to get to a swamp or thick steep bush, it would definitely be useful to extract the animal to an easier place to gut, skin, quarter and bag. At least for old, fat guys like me.

Somebody once said, You don't have to crazy to hunt moose, but it sure helps.
 
My brother-in-law very fit guy - several decades younger than me - has used an attachment on a chain saw several times to skid elk taken in overgrowing logging slashes on Vancouver Island - two of his own and at least one other, I think. Need the cable and snatch blocks - a couple guys who have worked with this stuff - they find it easier to use to get carcass close enough for tow line from ATV or 4x4 truck, than to try to cut up and hand pack it out.
 
Moose can be disassembled into 8 parts. 4 legs, 2 rib slabs, and 2 backbone/neck pieces. Bag in cotton sacks. Place on backpack frame. Voila! No winch needed.

Only do that if I have to, between winches, atvs and now a Tinger dog, makes things pretty easy.. Work smart not hard..
 
I have a lewis winch I picked up this year. Haven't used it hunting yet, but pulling logs it has tons of power even when hooked up to a smaller saw (Stihl MS 261C). It is built like a tank, but along with that comes weight so not something I'd want to carry around more than I needed to. I went back and forth between the lewis winch versus a capstan rope winch, but decided that I need to pull heavier stuff shorter distances more often than I need to pull lighter stuff longer distances.

My only minor complaints are that there isn't a really great way to let rope back out when it is under tension (but there are ways to work around it), and that the 150' of cable it comes with is a bit of a fantasy in my opinion... maybe if you have a pulley right in front of it to keep the line coming in consistently it might be ok, or under ideal conditions like pulling something straight on flat ground, but for just hooking it onto stuff and pulling I cut mine in half so it doesn't get bound up on the housing if it doesn't wrap on the drum perfectly even.
 
I have a portable gas winch that stays in my truck unless I am in the boat.
I have used it fir at least ten years for everything from skidding logs to pulling out vehicles and boats to using it to hoist
Animals into the air to winching moose out of a river !
Fantastic piece of kit, and with a snatch block or two, you can rig anything with it
It uses a rope capstan, and works fantastic :cool:
Cat
 
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Lewis winch that bolts to a chainsaw, works good. Also have a capstan winch that is awesome, both have their place, if I had to choose just one it be the capstan..

I to have a captain winch that mounts to a chainsaw had had it for 15 plus years dragged out moose,elk,and a couple vehicles with a velcro watch strap on you can use it solo, until animal gets hung up, highly recommend it.
 
Do yourself a favor: gut, skin, quarter right in the field where he drops. I've preformed this countless times with elk and moose, and it is great to have the hide removed ASAP to cool the meat.
 
Do yourself a favor: gut, skin, quarter right in the field where he drops. I've preformed this countless times with elk and moose, and it is great to have the hide removed ASAP to cool the meat.
I did that ONCE in hip deep water , never again!
The capstan winch is perfect for getting them put of a marsh or up a bank .
Cat
 
Have seen both winches in operation, for game recovery, the capstan winch rocks! You can work with whole spools of rope, several, if you need too! Need a big ol' bag to drop the free end into as you pull the load!

The Chainsaw wire rope winch is a pretty great tool for short runs or heavy loads!
 
Moose can be disassembled into 8 parts. 4 legs, 2 rib slabs, and 2 backbone/neck pieces. Bag in cotton sacks. Place on backpack frame. Voila! No winch needed.

But still no walk in the park. I've always preferred to kill my moose where I can a vehicle and that includes once pulling one out of a lake with a Volkswagen. :redface:


Grizz
 
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