Home Built Quad Trailer for game recovery

[MidnightRun]

Great ideas, built a trailer for myself last season, got to try it out with having 700 lbs on it, half a Chetwyne moose. Worked great. One thing that I did do was have a hitch that swivels. When your quad is on a sidehill and the trailer is not your tongue will twist either breaking or it will effect your ride with the quad. Works great, can't feel the trailer even with the load. Only problem I did have was coming down a steep hill to camp, breaks were a little iffy. To explain the swivel idea, its a tongue with a inside outside cylinder toungue with a pin through it. Trailer is 5 ft. long and 4ft. wide, wire mesh deck with pockets for side railes. Also tilts, rear winch on the quad and up she comes, worked great.

Like a Pintle Hitch?

[rocksteady]

It looks good, but I was wondering if you have tried hooking it up to your atv. The post that comes up with the winch on top is a great idea, but if you don't hit it when you are level how will it be when you go into a hole and back out. I say this because I have built a few atv trailers and needed enough room in that pinch point so I made the reach longer so it didn't hit my rear box or rack. Otherwise it looks great.

Good point...No, I had not actually hooked it to the quad, but looking at the hitch etc this morning, I think I will have enough room, if not out comes Mr. Oxy-Acetylene.....

BCSTeve - I used a trailer similar to the one posted in your note in Alberta a few years ago and it had so much ground friction that with a full load you could not turn a corner....I am not sure if it had full axles, or 4 independant tires, it was great in a straight line but otherwise not great..

.....if your atv fits on the trailer, then you can dual purpose the trailer. haul your atv on the trailer behind your truck, then when in the bush haul the trailer behind the atv. you may have already thought about that..thought i read that you were gonna pull the trailer and atv on another trailer.

I already own a snowmobile trailer that I am going to have both this trailer and quad pre-loaded on, sitting in my garage, so that I can call the wife and she can deliver it..I don't want to go through the hassle of trying to get this one inspected and registered with ICBC...I already pay enough insurance renewals as is....

"hand winching a big animal might be tougher than you think!"

This particular hand winch is the one I had secured in my carport, prior to me getting a 4000 lb electric winch, to hoist animals straight up for skinning... I had toyed with the idea of having a mast at the front of the quad, so that I could use the quad winch to load, however, just my luck the quad winch would not work when i really needed it, so decided to go with the KISS principle on this one......Once I load my 6 point bull, I will get back to you if I had any difficulty ( As I am eating backstraps and drinking cold MGD...)


I appreciate everyone's input, lots of stuff I did not think about....Maybe tonite, just to satisfy some, I will grind some welds and throw on a coat of paint......Might as well, the wife will be watching "Dancing with the Stars" and then "the Bachelor"...


THanks again all.

[rocksteady]

Nice to see some "homegrown" stuff still being made. One question. Is it wide enough on the bed to use for recovery of other quads? Not every one you ride with may have a dependable Yamahauler!

I guess I could use it for that if I was to put a small deck on it.......I just think it would be easier to hook a chain to the dead one and pull it out.....But good idea, now you got me thinkin.....

[6616]

What do you guys think of this contraption?

http://www.arkansasduckhunter.com/atvdeerloader.asp

[rocksteady]

What do you guys think of this contraption?

http://www.arkansasduckhunter.com/atvdeerloader.asp

Dang you, now that you posted that, I may have to build one........

[Hunterguy]

No its not like a lintle hitch, regular two inch ball on the quad, Tongue is a cylinder made of two diameters and two parts. Half the tongue will slide inside the other half of the tongue and is joined together with a huge pin. Simple to make and as I say when going through ditches or over deactivated roads the quad never gets tossed around , the trailer will flip up side down but the quad will be fine. Better to be safe, can't hurt the meat because its D--- already.

[6616]

How much weight can those tires handle? Would it be able to handle a moose?

Tires rates at 350 each, 700 lbs net. I've exceeded that several times without complications.

[6616]

Tires rates at 350 each, 700 lbs net. I've exceeded that several times without complications.

Rocksteady's is better, being a car axle and having full size tires it should handle 1500 lbs pretty easily.

[rocksteady]

6616, actually it isn't a car axle...That was a POS, so I cut it out and put in the 2 1/2 " HD Tubing, plus it gave me somethign square to weld to and work off rather than the goofy shaped axle......

1500 lbs....I should be bale to pack out 3 bull elk at one time then.....

[rocksteady]

Well gave in to peer pressure tonight and ground the whole thing down to bare metal, probably start painting tomorrow nite.....

Fingers are numb as hell and vibrating....Only 3 hours on the angle grinder, smoothing welds and my alternate grinder with the cup brush....

Will post pics once the painting is complete...