Electric Skinner

[Hyperwrx]

Had a few people ask me about the electronic skinner I mentioned in another thread. Electric winch I and a friend designed and made. We made 2, one for each of us. It is 2 pieces, each about 4' long. They connect together shoulder height via a 2" hitch receiver. Top part has the electric winch mounted on it. Winch cable goes up over 2 pulleys built into the 2" steel. Lower part is mounted to the receiver in my truck. The steel Ts and one portion go to the ground and 90s out a foot or so and on that is a trap drag. The electric winch has a wired remote I connect to the winch itself with 2 wing nuts. The winch gets it's 12v power from the trailer plug below the bumper. I installed the winch wires into a trailer make plug so I just plug it straight in and I have juice. The winch tables ends at a steel bar with 2 small vice grips that dangle. The vice grips have wider metal pieces of flat stock welded to the jaws to grip the fur better. The 2 pieces + remote/wires get tossed in the truck bed when I go hunt. I made it stick out far enough I could drop the tailgate down. The bottom bar is off the ground by 2" or so.

 

Cost-

Cheap 2000 lb winch with wired remote (harbor Freight)- $70

Vice grips (2)- $8

Steel bar 2"- $60

Pulleys (2)- $10

 

Total- $148

 

You skin out the back of the animal. Hook the animals back tendons to the drag. Lower the vice grips to grab onto the skinned pelt and winch the pelt up. The carcass stays held stationary while the pelt is pulled up and off the carcass. It's done in reverse to keep the blood off the pelt. Less clean up. I have done a few coyotes and it worked perfectly but it will get a real workout this fall/winter.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[ehunt]

Very nice!!

[AntlerObsession]

Genius. You utilize the modified vice grips also! Great minds think alike! But, you know what happens to somebody who does it the smart way? You lose all that hardearned muscle tone in your biceps and forearms, you start forgetting all the useful knots for hanging a 'yote, and you avoid having that unmistakable aroma of a true predator caller.

[.270]

my grandad had an electric skinner 50 years ago. whenever i would go to slow he zapped me with a hotshot.

 

that's a slick setup. you put a lotta thought and imagination into it. first thing i saw was the vicegrips and wondered how you were gonna roll up the window on your pickup or change channels on the tv. but you guys probly ain't old enough to remember those days. Lark.

[azhuntnut]

I built something similar for hanging deer in the field. Mine goes a bit higher and comes out at the top like a hangmans bar. I also added a trailer swing out on the bottom to stop the hoist from sagging when it is weighed down. We have lifted some pretty heavy deer with it, and it saves a bunch of time while skinning. I will see it I have a pic somewhere. David