Lightweight backpack pulley system

[Team4LongGun]

Check out SMC Crx pulleys. About $16 each, and super light and packable

 

[HighUintas]

For those that wanted to know, I used the following:
Harken Block-Carbo 40 Fiddle: 1.8 oz, 485 max working load
Harken Block-Carbo 40 Fiddle with beckett: 1.9 oz, 485 lb max working load

I ordered mine from West Marine (I have no association with them, just the only place that I could find what I was looking for - at the time....)

40mm Carbo Air® Fiddle Block | West Marine

Check out our 40mm Carbo Air® Fiddle Block and more from West Marine!

www.westmarine.com

40mm Carbo Air® Fiddle Block with Becket | West Marine

Check out our 40mm Carbo Air® Fiddle Block with Becket and more from West Marine!

www.westmarine.com

Having the pulleys be in-line with each other is key.....otherwise I found that the paracord got tangled up pretty badly.....(I originally tried to use two Bluewater double pulleys with becket, and as I raised and lowered the sandbags, the ropes got closer and closer to each other....which was clearly NOT the way to go. I found the in-line pulleys to work much better).

Hey Maverick, I'm getting the two pulleys you linked for my bday! I know in another thread you mentioned these work pretty well with the aluminum nite ize cam lock carabiner. How exactly are you utilizing the cam lock with your harken pulleys when you hang your quarters?

 

[Maverick1]

Hey Maverick, I'm getting the two pulleys you linked for my bday! I know in another thread you mentioned these work pretty well with the aluminum nite ize cam lock carabiner. How exactly are you utilizing the cam lock with your harken pulleys when you hang your quarters?

I’ll try to explain it here briefly (maybe a longer write up would be useful; I’m short on time at the moment and will give a short answer. Let me know if this clear. If not I can give a longer explanation or take a picture).

If I’m using the harken pulleys and the cam jam, the cam jam gets attached to a neighboring tree, low to the ground.

Why? Gravity. The harken pulleys get attached high in a tree, and you pull down on the rope to raise up the meat. Due to the weight of the meat - and gravity! -the rope is going to want to come out of your hands, which would cause the meat to crash to the ground and get all dirty. Also, by having both of your hands on the rope - pulling up the meat - you won’t have a free hand to tie off the meat as it is raised into position. (Sure, you could step ON the rope to keep it from flying upwards, and then take your hands to tie off the meat - which is now raised into the air - and that works for small elk, but I devised this setup to work for moose quarters, solo).

Anyhow, that’s where the cam jam comes in. Mounting it low on a neighboring tree enables you to pull the rope through the cam jam, which means that once the cam jam “locks” the rope in place, you don’t have to hold the rope into place anymore - or step on it - which frees up your hands to tie the meat to the tree.

When using the pulley system, (and even when not) it is helpful to have a paracord “ring of loops” tied ahead of time. This is a length of rope, with loops tied throughout its length, with a finished length of 3’ or so, that give you a variety of attachment points for attaching the pulley with a carabiner, and then tie off the meat when it is at its highest point, hands free because of the cam jam. (Ring of loops is my term! Look at a tethrd HYS strap, very close to that, except I use paracord and tie it off). This is best created/tied ahead of time as it takes more rope to make and saves some time out in the field. (This last part probably isn’t clear! I’m short on time, let me know if you want more info!)

Thanks!

 

[HighUintas]

I’ll try to explain it here briefly (maybe a longer write up would be useful; I’m short on time at the moment and will give a short answer. Let me know if this clear. If not I can give a longer explanation or take a picture).

If I’m using the harken pulleys and the cam jam, the cam jam gets attached to a neighboring tree, low to the ground.

Why? Gravity. The harken pulleys get attached high in a tree, and you pull down on the rope to raise up the meat. Due to the weight of the meat - and gravity! -the rope is going to want to come out of your hands, which would cause the meat to crash to the ground and get all dirty. Also, by having both of your hands on the rope - pulling up the meat - you won’t have a free hand to tie off the meat as it is raised into position. (Sure, you could step ON the rope to keep it from flying upwards, and then take your hands to tie off the meat - which is now raised into the air - and that works for small elk, but I devised this setup to work for moose quarters, solo).

Anyhow, that’s where the cam jam comes in. Mounting it low on a neighboring tree enables you to pull the rope through the cam jam, which means that once the cam jam “locks” the rope in place, you don’t have to hold the rope into place anymore - or step on it - which frees up your hands to tie the meat to the tree.

When using the pulley system, (and even when not) it is helpful to have a paracord “ring of loops” tied ahead of time. This is a length of rope, with loops tied throughout its length, with a finished length of 3’ or so, that give you a variety of attachment points for attaching the pulley with a carabiner, and then tie off the meat when it is at its highest point, hands free because of the cam jam. (Ring of loops is my term! Look at a tethrd HYS strap, very close to that, except I use paracord and tie it off). This is best created/tied ahead of time as it takes more rope to make and saves some time out in the field. (This last part probably isn’t clear! I’m short on time, let me know if you want more info!)

Thanks!

I was thinking that's how the cam jam would be utilized.

The last part I'm not too clear on, but I'll see if I can figure it out after I get to playing with them.

 

[1S1K]

Made my setup from paracord, harken, and a nite ize cam jam for a moose hunt. Camjam is especially important. Practiced with it on a tree and sandbags of various weights in the front yard....important to get the paracord length correct as the pulley ratio requires a bit more length of paracord than you’d think.....neighbors thought I was nuts. Worked exceptionally well. Hoists moose and elk quarters solo, with minimal effort.

I just ordered a set of Harken 40mm fiddles.....what size of paracord did you go with? I'm thinking of using a Dyneema rope for the fiddles.....but looks like I'll be limited to 5mm with the CamJam?

 

[Squirrels]

MTS Run & Gun Ultralight Hoist

Ultra lightweight hoist for remote back country game processing. No more dragging your deer off the mountain or quartering on the ground. This simple lightweight hoist system allows you to hang you…

doublesteps.com

 

[HighUintas]

I should have taken a picture of my setup, but I used a harken pulley a few weeks ago to hoist my deer in the driveway to butcher it.

I had the pulley w becket slung over a tree branch and had two quick links attached to the deer since I haven't yet bought another harken. I used regular 550 Paracord, so probably 5mm stuff.

I tied my camjam to the back of my truck and had the tail of the cord coming from the harken going into it.

It made it super duper easy to hoist the deer.

I'm guessing after getting another harken to replace the quick links, it will be very easy to lift all the meat from a quartered elk. But that might be kinda pointless because I have yet to find a suitable tree where I hunt to hang meat high

 

[Maverick1]

In

I just ordered a set of Harken 40mm fiddles.....what size of paracord did you go with? I'm thinking of using a Dyneema rope for the fiddles.....but looks like I'll be limited to 5mm with the CamJam?

I use 550 paracord with the setup. As you mention, the cam jam size recommendation is within that range. Dyneema may save you some weight and bulk; I’m not experienced with it enough to know how that diameter rope would feel on your hands while pulling on it, though.

 

[Maverick1]

MTS Run & Gun Ultralight Hoist

Ultra lightweight hoist for remote back country game processing. No more dragging your deer off the mountain or quartering on the ground. This simple lightweight hoist system allows you to hang you…

doublesteps.com

(I’m familiar with this company and this user from a variety of forums. But not this particular hoist setup. ). With that said, I’m not a fan of the double pulleys - tried a couple of setups and they twisted up badly. Not sure if this setup addresses that issue, but that is the reason why I’ve gone to the double INLINE pulleys. ( Inline being key, not stacked side by side)

 

[Squirrels]

(I’m familiar with this company and this user from a variety of forums. But not this particular hoist setup. ). With that said, I’m not a fan of the double pulleys - tried a couple of setups and they twisted up badly. Not sure if this setup addresses that issue, but that is the reason why I’ve gone to the double INLINE pulleys. ( Inline being key, not stacked side by side)

Yeah, I don't own one. Just giving an option as a kit that is available. I've considered buying it several times but just haven't yet.

 

[Kobuk]

In my experience with harvesting moose, I don't see you moving an animal by yourself unless you are packing a large winch! I think it's a great idea to have a pulley system for hanging quarters if you are going to be solo but I don't see you moving an animal. Where they fall is where you work on them. We just hope it's in a good spot! haha. I haven't been around one that ended up in the water but have heard of two stories and they both sounded horrible. That would be my only advice, don't shoot one where it will end up in water! Other than that, don't get too caught up with changing something you won't be able to do. Once it's down, the hard part is over! Enjoy!

 

[Maverick1]

In my experience with harvesting moose, I don't see you moving an animal by yourself unless you are packing a large winch! I think it's a great idea to have a pulley system for hanging quarters if you are going to be solo but I don't see you moving an animal. Where they fall is where you work on them. We just hope it's in a good spot! haha. I haven't been around one that ended up in the water but have heard of two stories and they both sounded horrible. That would be my only advice, don't shoot one where it will end up in water! Other than that, don't get too caught up with changing something you won't be able to do. Once it's down, the hard part is over! Enjoy!

Yes, correct. The pulley system I describe is only for raising meat into a tree. Wherever your animal falls over, that’s where you work! Once the meat is off the carcass, the pulleys come out to hang the quarters (or game bags) on a tree and off the ground.

 

[idcuda]

Another plug for pack-a-pull. A good Idaho small business.

 

[TEWONG]

Another plug for pack-a-pull. A good Idaho small business.

Another Pack-a-pull recommendation here. Used it on several elk and deer.

 

[JR Greenhorn]

I'm surprised at the comments about problems with double pulleys. I've got a pair of CAMP Dryad double pulleys, and I don't find them to be that difficult to keep the rope untangled.

The key is to stop and make sure everything is straight and uncrossed when you first put tension on the system, but after that, the lines seem to stay where they should. Perhaps it's worse with thinner lines like paracord?

That said, any 4:1 setup eats a lot of line, so it's a lot easier to use single pulleys unless you really need the advantage.

 

[bairdi]

If you want to move a whole moose out of a bad spot and depending on your weight requirements, an option might be to go with a folding handle come-a-long and some sections of dyneema line (expensive) or 2500 lb mule tape (much cheaper). The mule tape probably won't work in conjuction with pulleys. But a 1,000 feet of mule tape is pretty dang cheap. Just make the sections of dyneema or mule tape a touch shorter than what the come-a-long pull length is and remove a section from the pulling line after each come-a-long pull.

There was an outfit, I think their name was Adventure Engineering that used to make a mini machined aluminum rope-a-long for dyneema line, but I don't think they are still making them or in business any more. That thing would have been ideal. I really wish I would have bought a couple years ago when I had the chance.

 

[Pacific_Fork]

I’d like to bump this thread for further replies. I’d love it if anyone has pictures or stories of moving elk size game and/or hanging quarters while solo.

Seems each year I’m dealing with an elk solo and hanging quarters high enough in trees all by hand and pure will is fun and all but….

 

[VAwild21]

For those that wanted to know, I used the following:
Harken Block-Carbo 40 Fiddle: 1.8 oz, 485 max working load
Harken Block-Carbo 40 Fiddle with beckett: 1.9 oz, 485 lb max working load

I ordered mine from West Marine (I have no association with them, just the only place that I could find what I was looking for - at the time....)

40mm Carbo Air® Fiddle Block | West Marine

Check out our 40mm Carbo Air® Fiddle Block and more from West Marine!

www.westmarine.com

40mm Carbo Air® Fiddle Block with Becket | West Marine

Check out our 40mm Carbo Air® Fiddle Block with Becket and more from West Marine!

www.westmarine.com

Having the pulleys be in-line with each other is key.....otherwise I found that the paracord got tangled up pretty badly.....(I originally tried to use two Bluewater double pulleys with becket, and as I raised and lowered the sandbags, the ropes got closer and closer to each other....which was clearly NOT the way to go. I found the in-line pulleys to work much better).

Hey, Macerick. Are you still using this system with the 40mm fiddle blocks? Do you have any photos of how you rig it?

 

[Loper]

I know this is an old thread, but I’ll respond because it got bumped back up by someone else recently and I haven’t seen the product mentioned.

The Pynch Pulley by Wiser Precision has to be the smallest and lightest.pulley available for back pack hunting. Each one weighs 0.1oz and has a tensile strength of 1,200 lbs.

This is what you want and the only problem I think a person would encounter is losing one because they are so small and lightweight.

Pynch Pulley

Don't get caught in a pinch unprepared again! Whether you are solo hunting for big game or out with a buddy, hunting is never a scripted adventure and animals often go down in the "worst spot." FORCE MULTIPLIERWith a tensile strength of over 1,500lbs (#550 size), these pint size pulleys pack a...

www.wiserprecision.com