Fur pullers,winch system

[MickMcLaughlin]

Anybody got a pic of their puller?I would be real interested if someone had one set up for a lower ceiling,I only have about a 7' ceiling.My hands are not as strong as they once were and after a few of those coon that I say I won't trap these year,or a few ugly ,mangy,not worth skinning coyotes,my hands are killing me.

[thebeav2]

thebeav.topcities.com/horizontalskinner.html

I've made a few changes that Improves the skinners preformance and If you Email me I will try and explaine them or I'll try and take some more pictures.
Give me a shout.

Gary

[MickMcLaughlin]

Thanks,Gary.That shows me how one works.I think I would prefer a verticle one,though.My back hurts worse from being partially bent over for peiods then it does from lifting heavy stuff.Thanks again ,though.

[thebeav2]

Well here's my vertical skinner but If your limited to ceiling hieght then It's going to be tough to get any animal skinned unless you re hook as you go. I have also made some changes to this rig and I would be happy to give you the details. I just haven't had the time to up date my site.

thebeav.topcities.com/skinner.html

Gary

[thebeav2]

If you go with the horizantal rig you can build It so It Is above waist level and then you won't have to do any bending.

Gary

[foxtail]

full view of the puller



view of the fastening



another view of same 4x4s are oak btw and go over 3 beams.




200 lb bucket of lead for the bottom as I don’t want to drill a hole in the floor and put an anchor to trip over all of the time.

Bonus pics of the skulls on the wall.

[trappnman]

rather than stat a new thread, I'll just comment here. While I know pullers are neat and save work ( I fully understand that physical restraints make pullers mandatory), I always wonder why some (and this appplies to all and no one) have such a hard time skinning.

I've come to the conclusion that they do, because they work too hard at it. Jumping and pulling like a madman- no wonder your back is sore and your arms tired.

I skin a fair amount of coon and yotes every year, and find that by letting the hide and the knife do the work- it really isn't all that hard or energy consuming.

Take coyotes for example- I start the hind legs on the bench- slit and peal a little, then hang from a gambril. Work the legs around, cut off pelt at the belly...simple and easy steps. Remove the tail bone and split. From the rear legs to the front legs- clean skin. Takes no longer in the "long run" to clean skin and easy.. Let the weight of the hide and gravity do most of the work.

Front legs, the toughest part of yote skinning to me, get the legs ringed at the elbow, pulled back, and the legs pop right out- no screwdriver, no dowel, no pulling.

The head is easy. Total time 20 minutes on a big male, less on most. All without breaking into a sweat. 1/3 of my time is the rear legs and tail.

[MickMcLaughlin]

I see your point,Kinda.Clean skinning is basically what I do know,but I am always looking for a faster,easier way.I haven't had much luck with 30lb boars that are cold skinning themselves.I catch a few coyotes,but coon will still probably be the main thing skinned.I start all of my fur on a bench,but it is the pulling on an old fat coon that gets me.

I tried to get my wife or my 9 year old to do my skinning and then I could just catch more fur,but that didn't work.I wonder if three is too young to start skinning.

[Corey]

Mick, my puller was made from an old electric wringer washer...cheap and easy to make, i've skinned a heck of alot of coon on it, and its never failed me yet...i'll try to get some pics of it for you.
My puller is worth its weight in gold, I work 7:30-5:00
m-f, and 7:30-12 on saturdays, have 3 small kids...time is at a premium for me, that puller sure makes it alot easier when i've got 25 cold coon laying on the floor, run through and mark the coon then hook em up pull them off....I wouldn't skin if I didn't have a puller.

[thebeav2]

Well lets see you come home from the line at dark, eat and then head for the fur shed, you have 50 coon laying on the floor. If I use my skinner I bet I'll be In bed before you will. An dthey will all be done before I turn out the lights.
I open 10 coon at a time and then I transfer them one at a time to the skinner It only takes seconds to hook them up and start pulling.
I skinned coon for over 40 years with out a skinner but It isn't ever going to happen again.

I have my system tore down right now but once It's up and running I'll post some pictures.
Time mangement Is the key to succses.

Gary

[thefoxtrapper]

hey beav, do you think 10 feet is long enough on the horizontal puller for otter, seems that might not be long enough? also, Im think the horizontal #1 on your website would be the best bet for otter?

w

[trappnman]

well Gary- I've never had a 50 coon night. I've had a few 20's, and I can handle that.

And to interject some reality here- I don't think you have too many 50 coon nights any more either- thats a young mans game....Hey- when I get as old as you ( you are the oldest person I know, you know...) I'll get a skinner too.....a young blondie girl...... maybe...

[thebeav2]

Hey steve as long as my fellow trappers don't shut me down In Wisconsins road ways I will still be having some 50 coon days with the average being around 25. Opps forgot about GAS. Road trapping Is very effecint and you can put up some very big numbers with very little work It works for us old guys LOL
This year just might be the year to buy fur Let every one do the trapping and bring you the fur.

Gary

[Steve Gappa]

What are you paying....?

[briankroberts]

I've skinned my fair share of Coyotes and coons over the years by hand and I'm as quick as the next guy.

I did last year make a skinner like beav's ( A Big Thanks Gary For Sharing The Pic's).

While I can still skin with the best of them by hand, I'll never do it without the skinner if I don't have to.

Best thing I've added in years!!!!

Still not a lot faster for me but a lot easier on me.....B.....

[thebeav2]

Brian You hit the nail right on the head It may not be much faster but It's a whole lot eaiser.
I've made a few changes that have speeded up the skinning with the machine.
Gary

[Zagman]

Been using the puller now for about 6 seasons, I guess......

I catch so few coon, that I just pull them down the traditional way.....after skinning coyotes, coons seem SO easy, so I just put my gord-shaped butt into them and yank them down.

The skinner is NOT a HUGE time saver......agreed.

I dont lie to myself regarding skinning times, and therefore give honest times to myself so I know for myself if this machine adds any value.....

From the time I hook the back legs up (I skin the legs ON the machine) to the time I take the carcass off, (which means I have also cut the glands out) is around 15 minutes. Done it in 12 minutes, done it in 20.....but 15 is about right.

On most pups, while I hook them up to the skinner, I usually just pull them down by hand.

The 20% 50-plus pounders that I get a year enjoy their complete ride on the skinner, and so do I.

A skinner does save some wear and tear on a man though, for sure.

One thing I really like about the power puller is the easy attaching and detaching of the animal.......

Sometimes, on a big coyote, with a fixed gambrel, it can be a challenge to lift the stiff SOB off the concrete by both back legs, let go of one leg with one hand, while trying to get the first leg through the gambrel with the other.

With the machine, you leave the coyote on the floor and just bring the cable TO THE COYOTE, rather than taking the COYOTE TO THE GAMBREL.

I know, I know, not a big deal, but I am skinning from 6PM on, often later, after going all day......so it's a little thing, that's a big thing. One or two coyotes, not a big deal.....5-6-7-8-9 coyotes........it helps.

Taking the skinned carcass off the rig, same thing......down to the ground, take the carcass off, put the new coyote on......piece of cake.

Here's the REAL beauty of the skinner.........I can constantly adjust the height of the animal with the toggle switch that I operate with my knee.....and I dont have to put the knife down to do it.

SO, once the flea-bitten green-belly is on the machine, I am constantly doing the knife work and adjusting the height of the animal, never bending down to cut.......my knife is always at eye level.

When I make the final cut of the nose, detaching the hide from it's stiff corpse, I am doing it at eye-level. The coyote's hind legs are up in the rafters, 12 feet high.

All of this is done with my knee and machine power......

Perhaps this is not as important to some of you guys who are a little closer to the ground, naturally. LOL

Constant knife work at eye-level and adjusting the coyote's height with a simple toggle-switch is a BIG little thing.........

Zagman

[trappnman]

Yes, constantly working at eye level would indeed be an advantage.

I don't lie about skinning times either.

[Zagman]

Dude, was not implying anything towards you on that skinning time thing,....

Sometimes, as trappers, we tend to lie to ourselves about whether we are making money, whether we are catching 55 lb coyotes vs. 39 pounders, etc. Whether we are getting 9 miles to the gallon vs. the 16 MPH we are hoping for......

Justifying our existance and passion!

I have many times said I could skin a coyote in 10 minutes, but really started timing myself, and was not doing that afterall.....

Directed that comment purely at me......keeping myself honest.

Zagman

[thebeav2]

Some day you will be old and decrepit Gappa and then I will sell you one of my skinners LOL
Gappa ain't telling us the whole truth he probably has Lori skinning all the coon.

Once I can rig up a tail puller that works as I'm pulling with the skinner I will start selling them. And It won't be this $500.00 crap either,what a rip off.

Gary