Meat Pole

cagantpr

cagantpr

Active Member
Does anyone have any pics or ideas for cabin meat poles? I want something that can hang two deer and be set up such that I can back a pickup truck bed underneath the pulleys for easy loading and unloading.

I am considering building one by sinking two 16 foot 4x6's into the ground and lag bolting a beam cross-member across them but wanted to see if there was any other options out there.

Thanks.
 
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Yeah, we used a chain between the trees. Deer are well fed around here, so you definitely need a stout chain. That doe on the left weighed in at 170lbs prior to field dressing, was almost as heavy as the buck! Probably close to 450lbs of deer hanging there.
 
cagantpr said:
Does anyone have any pics or ideas for cabin meat poles? I want something that can hang two deer and be set up such that I can back a pickup truck bed underneath the pulleys for easy loading and unloading.

I am considering building one by sinking two 16 foot 4x6's into the ground and lag bolting a beam cross-member across them but wanted to see if there was any other options out there.

Thanks.
Click to expand...
A 16' 4X6 is going to be pretty floppy at 12' out of the ground. A 6" round wooden post like a telephone pole is stiffer than square one, vs. in steel a square column is stronger than a round one. Otherwise, your plan for posts, crossbeam, and pulleys sounds like a good idea. We had one like that, run from tree to tree for posts, that worked very well, until the one guy had both hands inside a hanging deer with a knife when the rope tore and sent him to the hospital for stitches on the opening day of deer season. So, the strength of the ropes is a concern as well.
 
Mennoniteman said:
A 16' 4X6 is going to be pretty floppy at 12' out of the ground. A 6" round wooden post like a telephone pole is stiffer than square one, vs. in steel a square column is stronger than a round one. Otherwise, your plan for posts, crossbeam, and pulleys sounds like a good idea. We had one like that, run from tree to tree for posts, that worked very well, until the one guy had both hands inside a hanging deer with a knife when the rope tore and sent him to the hospital for stitches on the opening day of deer season. So, the strength of the ropes is a concern as well.
Click to expand...

Now you have me worried. I was thinking the 6 inch dimension going fore/aft with 4 feet in the ground would be stiff enough. Was also thinking a pair of 5 foot 2x8's double lag bolted to the top of each post would stop a lot of the side to side sway.

Am thinking a pair of these for pulleys.
https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200668083_200668083
 
TheOldOak said:
Yeah, we used a chain between the trees. Deer are well fed around here, so you definitely need a stout chain. That doe on the left weighed in at 170lbs prior to field dressing, was almost as heavy as the buck! Probably close to 450lbs of deer hanging there.
Click to expand...
I used to live in Kokomo. Definitely better fed there than here.
 
Have since replaced the rope with a winch. Back the UTV up, hook deer and winch. Added a light for night work and poured the concrete pad to accommodate the skinning process without the mud from running the hose. Extended pad doubles as the grilling pad. We use a cut down plastic 55 gal drum to place beneath the deer to handle the guts-waste.

meat pole.jpg
 
One of the best processing things I ever did was bolt an electric winch to a beam in the machine shed. All the cussing my dad did at me every deer season trying to throw a rope over the rafter! Now I back under hit the button and done. I also sunk an earth anchor so with two pairs of vice grips and short rope it works as a skinning machine. Eye for the earth anchor is under the board.

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Thanks for all the ideas and thoughts. SInce I started the thread, I wanted to close the thread.

I considered all your solutions. Then I considered hole augers, digging bars, sonotubes, stone hauling, and concrete mixing.
At the end of it all, it was...
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cagantpr said:
Does anyone have any pics or ideas for cabin meat poles? I want something that can hang two deer and be set up such that I can back a pickup truck bed underneath the pulleys for easy loading and unloading.

I am considering building one by sinking two 16 foot 4x6's into the ground and lag bolting a beam cross-member across them but wanted to see if there was any other options out there.

Thanks.
Click to expand...

All you need. A 12' cross beam will easily hold four deer.
 
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