UTV Opinions/Advice Solicited

[b116757]

We had a small winch like that in my mothers garage rafters growing up just to winch deer in the air for processing it was handy.

 

[yoderjac]

We had a small winch like that in my mothers garage rafters growing up just to winch deer in the air for processing it was handy.

I picked up a Harbor Freight hoist for dressing deer. It is 110v. I have one under the overhang at the farm and one at my retirement property. I find I use it for lifting equipment from time to time as well.

 

[Foggy47]

Many different ways you could do it. I just thought the way I suggested would allow you to use your winch on the front and go up and over.

Just ran into this video. Not a bad set-up if it were crafted to fit nicely.

 

[Foggy47]

OK.....one more I found. This guy does not show how he rigged the rope / cable. Seems to work OK.

 

[Foggy47]

You Tube has so much content. Then.....there is this.....which would be a good DIY project for some of us that own a welder. (eat your heart out SD.....not for solar guys....grin).

 

[yoderjac]

I considered going over top. My Pioneer has a roof over the roll bar so providing guide wheels so the cable would not rub on the roof would be problematic. With the cheep badlands winch from HF, it was less of a problem to build a bracket to install it on the bed. You are right, Froggy. Youtube provides a lot of options I considered. One was the installation and demo of the bed winch. Rather than buying the kit, since I had just got a welder and needed simple projects for learning, building the bracket was a good fit for me. The only thing I did not consider in my original design was installing the fairlead, but I think I've addressed that now.

What I need is a few more deer to test it on...

 

[Foggy47]

I bought a Polar brand two wheel trailer about 20 years ago that we pull with a wheeler or UtV. The plastic tub "bed" can be tilted to the ground and it can be pivoted too. Thus we just drive up to our deer and pull it into the tub....then pivot and rotate the tub back to operating mode and away we go to the buck pole. We then hoist the deer up on the buck pole via a hand winch.....and gut the deer.....with the entrails falling into the tub of the trailer below the deer. When done gutting......we take a five gallon jug of water and a broom along.....to an area we clean out the trailer. Much cleaner and easier doing it this way than in the field......and our blind site isn't full of deer tailings. Really slick and easy.

 

[yoderjac]

I bought a Polar brand two wheel trailer about 20 years ago that we pull with a wheeler or UtV. The plastic tub "bed" can be tilted to the ground and it can be pivoted too. Thus we just drive up to our deer and pull it into the tub....then pivot and rotate the tub back to operating mode and away we go to the buck pole. We then hoist the deer up on the buck pole via a hand winch.....and gut the deer.....with the entrails falling into the tub of the trailer below the deer. When done gutting......we take a five gallon jug of water and a broom along.....to an area we clean out the trailer. Much cleaner and easier doing it this way than in the field......and our blind site isn't full of deer tailings. Really slick and easy.

I have one of those too that I got years ago. I found that a trailer is not practical for my situation. With my back, I want to drag a deer as short a distance as possible. I can get my UTV with no trailer much closer to deer. Turning a trailer around on a tight trail can be impossible. I can recall disconnecting the trailer and turning around the ATV and then turning around the trailer and then hooking back up years ago. I finally got a deerloader for the ATV which lets me go anywhere the ATV can go. As the ATV got old and started spending too much time in the shop where reliability was a concern, I ended up buying the UTV. I can still ride the ATV, but as I get older, swinging that leg over it is getting tougher and tougher. I figured a UTV is a little less maneuverable but easier for me to use as I get older.

Like you say , there are lots of ways to skin a cat. Another option is to take a small tractor and loader out to retrieve deer. It is rare for me to pick up a deer without returning to the barn. I'm pretty fastidious when it comes to scent control and I want to change out of my hunting clothes. When a deer runs after the shot, returning to the barn and changing enforces discipline of not trailing immediately and giving the deer some time.

I just ordered an ebike for quieter hunting access. Once I start using it, I'll always return for the right tool for retrieving deer depending on the situation.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[Tree Spud]

I simply use an Otter sled and attach the sled rope to my SUV.

 

[yoderjac]

Just an update on the bed winch. I've used it on 2 deer now. The first on worked perfectly. The second one winched in, but when I got back, I found the cable was caught between the end of the spool and the bracket wrapped around several times. I could not free it. I ended up having to watch a video to figure out how to tear the winch apart to untangle the cable. I decided that the issue was using the winch without a fairlead. So, I scratched my head to come up with a way to mount one. The best I could figure was to weld a couple bolts directly on the frame of the winch. The first bolt went well. I ground off the side of the hex head and some threading and welded it to the side of the frame. For the second bolt, I had to weld the hex head to non-flat front of the winch. It broke off twice. It looked to me like the weld was not penetrating the winch but it as penetrating the hex head of the bolt. I ended up turning up the welder and the third time was a charm. Because the surface was not flat, there is a slight angle to it, but I think it will be functional.

Here is the welding job:

Here is the finished product with the fairlead attached:

Thanks,

Jack

I took a new hunter out last night and he shot both a doe and about 15 minutes later her fawn came back to her and he shot it. It was a button buck. That gave me an opportunity to test the bed winch with the new fairlead. It worked well. The deer was at a bit of an angle and the issue of the cable wrapping around the end of the spool was gone! Looks like this will be a viable solution for me.

Just thought I'd provide an update since I had a chance to use it on a couple deer. I think the only thing I would do differently (and may still do if I get time) is to put some kind of shield around the light. It is fine for the intended purpose, winching deer into the bed. I dug a narrow deep trench just outside camp with my excavator to dump carcass materials. It makes it hard for coyotes to get in and then back out of the straight walled trench. After we dumped the carcass, I had to back out in the dark. I don't have any other rear mounted lighting, so I decided to try the bed winch light. With no housing around it, it shines in my eyes making it hard to use for that purpose. I may come up with something when I get time to let me use that light to kill two birds with one stone.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[Foggy47]

I've got rear cube lights (Amazon) mounted to the roof of my Honda Pioneer 700-4 (with a full roof). The lights are LED and insanely bright.....and operated on a separate switch. I use them when we recover deer into our Polar "tub" trailer. We use the trailer as its easy to load any size deer by yourself.....and transport to our buck pole. We then use a hand winch to hang them on our buck pole and gut the deer with the insides going right into that trailer. We take a few gallons of water and an old broom.....and dump the contents and wash out the trailer in a few minutes.

I have gutted several deer in the dark with no other lights than those on that Honda......and it's like working in daylight. Quick and easy. Really works slick

And not leaving the gut-pine in the area hunted may help with less coyotes and other critters....and a better hunting situation for more deer.....IMO.

 

[4wanderingeyes]

I used it for the first time at the farm. I did notice lots of rattling and some squeaking when the RPMs go up a bit when driving. I did not push it as it is new. I never went over 10 mph, but I noticed this when I was going up hills.

Here are the pics I promised:

I did wire a connector to the battery and ran it out next to the passenger seat so I can plug it into a trickle charger when no tin use.

I'm now trying to figure out how to pick up deer. I have a GreatDay loader on my ATV that I like, but if the ATV gets fixed, I'll want to keep it on there. They have also gone up considerably in price since I bought mine and you can't even get them with the supply chain issues these days. So, my brain is working on an idea that I can fabricate myself.... Stay tuned, but If folks have alternate suggestions they have used to load deer I'd like to hear them.

Thanks,

Jack

Hey Jack, just wondering, is the Honda loud when you drive it? I have driven many others and they are just so loud to drive on trails, I am not sure how people do it. I am looking for a used UTV, but I want to cruise and relax, and work it hard when I need it. I just haven’t found one I would be able to relax in while cruising down a trail. At least to where the wife and myself could talk, without yelling at each other.

Also, I wanted to ask, do you wish you would have just spent the extra for the electric one? I saw you bought the electric bike, for stealth mode.

 

[yoderjac]

Hey Jack, just wondering, is the Honda loud when you drive it? I have driven many others and they are just so loud to drive on trails, I am not sure how people do it. I am looking for a used UTV, but I want to cruise and relax, and work it hard when I need it. I just haven’t found one I would be able to relax in while cruising down a trail. At least to where the wife and myself could talk, without yelling at each other.

Also, I wanted to ask, do you wish you would have just spent the extra for the electric one? I saw you bought the electric bike, for stealth mode.

I don't use it like some. I rarely got over 10 mph with it. It is certainly not stealthy, but I have no problem carrying on a conversation. I am glad I did not fork over the extra money for an electric Polaris. While I'm sure that would be nice, the cost was just off the charts. Instead, for a fraction of the price, I was able to get a good work UTV. I also use it for deer retrieval. In addition, I got that ebike that I love for hunting. My pine farm is just under 400 acres. It had plenty of logging roads and trails. I have all my trailing stuff in the UTV and keep it in camp. I take the ebike out to hunt. If I shoot something, I take the ebike back, change out of my hunting clothes, and that the UTV back out to trail and retrieve the deer, That system works pretty well for me. It give deer time to expire and keeps my hunting clothes from getting sweated up and bloody from deer retrieval. The ebike is almost silent. I don't pedal so I don't work up a sweat. I just use the throttle. I'm comfortable getting much closer to my stands with the ebike.

The combination was a less expensive alternative to the high performance electric Polaris. Over time, if the cost of an electric UTV drops buying one may make sense. But, when I needed to buy one, the combo was a better buy.

 

[Wind Gypsy]

The hondas are quieter than most other UTVs but they are not "quiet" by any stretch of the imagination.

 

[4wanderingeyes]

The hondas are quieter than most other UTVs but they are not "quiet" by any stretch of the imagination.

I don’t expect them to be silent, but I expected them to be equivalent to an atv, rather then so loud that at 40mph on a trail, it’s not worth bothering to chat with the passenger.

 

[yoderjac]

I don’t expect them to be silent, but I expected them to be equivalent to an atv, rather then so loud that at 40mph on a trail, it’s not worth bothering to chat with the passenger.

I think Wind Gypsy may be right about the Hondas being quieter than many UTVs, but there are a couple things to consider. First, you pretty much sitting right in front of the engine and it is not sealed off, it just sits under the bed. There is some vibration from the engine. I think it causes rattles and squeaks to make as much noise as the engine itself. There is not a lot of engine noise coming from the exhaust. There are 3rd party silencers for the exhaust, but I think general vibrations and rattles make quieting the exhaust of little benefit.

Considering all the noise, I have no issues carrying on a conversation at 10 mph or so. I don't know what it would be like at 40 mph and don't intend to find out.

 

[jsasker007]

Almost any machine can be made quieter with an after market muffler.

 

[356]

. . . I rarely got over 10 mph with it. It is certainly not stealthy, but I have no problem carrying on a conversation.

I have two Kawasaki Mule SX SC's. One is 2016, the other a 2019. The '16 is much quieter at all speeds, and especially at idle. I can not for the life of me see why, as the muffler and part numbers are the same. That said, most of my use is under 10 mph, and these units plenty quite for that type work, and I have no issues carrying a conversation. Occasionally I wish they weren't governed at 25 mph, but they have been care-free so far.

 

[4wanderingeyes]

I think Wind Gypsy may be right about the Hondas being quieter than many UTVs, but there are a couple things to consider. First, you pretty much sitting right in front of the engine and it is not sealed off, it just sits under the bed. There is some vibration from the engine. I think it causes rattles and squeaks to make as much noise as the engine itself. There is not a lot of engine noise coming from the exhaust. There are 3rd party silencers for the exhaust, but I think general vibrations and rattles make quieting the exhaust of little benefit.

Considering all the noise, I have no issues carrying on a conversation at 10 mph or so. I don't know what it would be like at 40 mph and don't intend to find out.

I agree, I don’t think it is the exhaust, I think it is mostly engine noise. But like you said you sit right in front of the engine, but on an ATV you sit right above the engine, and it’s much quieter.

 

[Wind Gypsy]

I don’t expect them to be silent, but I expected them to be equivalent to an atv, rather then so loud that at 40mph on a trail, it’s not worth bothering to chat with the passenger.

Never considered that aspect but it probably is a significant consideration for people cruising old RR track ATV trails or covering miles on gravel roads. We’ve never used them recreationally like that. 40 MPh is pushing top speed for a pioneer 700. Between the wide open throttle, wind noise, and ground noise, I have a hard time seeing casual communication being convenient.

The 700 Honda is kind of a dog and more suited to work than cruising. The 1000 Honda or bigger Polaris and Can-Am machines have quite a bit more power and wouldn’t have to work as hard to get moving.