fur winch

[musher]

I made myself a new skinning shed this week. It is 8 x 12 and it will only be used for skinning. I made it small because I want to be able to heat it in a hurry. I started with trees I cut off my land and my neighbour milled with his band saw. The floor, walls, and roof are done and I'm starting on the inside.

Before my new shed, when I did bears and wolves I skinned their feet first and then winched them up with a come-a-long, skinned until I was uncomfortable, winched some more, skinned ....if the hide wouldn't let go (wolves!) I'd hook up the ATV to the skin, advance, skin advance, skin, with the weight of the wolf peeling the hide.

In my new shed I want to install a boat winch that will do the job for me. No more ladders to use the come-a-long! I want the boat winch to do the peeling. No more ATV stretching!

Now for the part I want input on. Am I better to rig a way to fasten the skinned feet to the floor and winch the carcass up OR am I better to rig the winch, with a second pulley, to pull the skin down? I'm leaning towards pulling the carcass up, if for no better reason then trying to hang a bear on my ceiling hook.

Opinions please.

Thanks.

[Stef]

musher, i have a little winch to bring the animal on the ceiling and I use my ATV winch to pull the hide.

But bears and wolves take room... How high is your roof?

Stef

[Furhandler]

Have you considered going from corner to corner. i.e. bottom corner on one side to top corner to other. It gives you the max. distance and works not too bad. The down side is you need to keep the corners clean and down the center also.

[thebeav2]

Lay the bear on the floor and attache It's skinned feet to the wall with cable nooses. Mount your winch to the floor as far as your cable will allow you away from the bear.
Streach out your cable from the winch form a loop and pull as much hide you can through the loop pull the loop up tight and start the winch.
You could do this on some sort of a long table or bench and you won't have to bend over.

Beav

[Wackyquacker]

The other option that few consider is skinning horizontal.

[musher]

The highest part is 8 feet. I plan on skinning at 45 degrees. The bear will be able to go 8 feet high (max.) but I can pull it 12 feet (towards the floor on the opposite wall.

I don't need the winch to peel a bear. The weight of the feet and the fat make a hide drop as fast as you can cut. I do want to get bears off the ground without using a ladder, though.

Wolves are another story. I've hung on them and the hide didn't move!

Horizontal is good as long as I can rotate the animal to get 360 access.

[Stef]

I skin my coyotes at a 45 now, my ceiling is not high enough

Stef

[thebeav2]

I will In the near future take some pictures of my horizantal skinner. You only need about 10' to skin a coyote. No head room needed.
It's very simple and works on any critter.

Beav

[Stef]

Go Gary ;D

Really like your coon set up machine btw,

but you have a huge garage!!!

[musher]

I'm going to use Beav's idea. I' ll skin out the back feet, hook them on some loops, and winch the carcass up. I'll have 4 hooks in the wall (on 4 x 4's) at floor height. By changing hooks I'll have 4, 8,10, and 12 feet to stretch. If I need more room I can lower the animal, place my pulp hook further down, and raise it again.

Thanks.

My marten/mink attachment will be a vise. Fox/fisher and stuff will be hooked on a gambrel.

[Gibb]

Musher,if it is not to late you may want to build your skinning shed with 10 foot walls. Will make a world of differents.
Cheers Jim