Elk are not light creatures. A mature bull can easily weigh more than 500 pounds dressed out. If you’ve ever tried to wrestle a whole elk into the back of truck, you know what a chore that can be, especially if you have a topper.
Thanks to our friends at WARN, we’re going to show you how you can get really heavy object into the back of your truck. Let’s get started.
You’ll need a sheet of 3/4″-inch plywood that lines the bottom of your rig, which will serve as a ramp. This one has a layer of cheap carpet stapled over it to keep gear from sliding around.
Hook two locking quick links to both anchor loops on each side of the pick-up bed. Run a strap between them. Hook a shackle in the middle and hook the portable winch to that.
Pull the plywood out so a fourth of it sits above the tailgate. We’ve placed a loaded ActionPacker full of recovery rear at the bottom. Run another strap around it. Hook it to the winch cable.
As someone runs the winch, you guide the Actionpacker—or elk—up the ramp letting the winch do the heavy lifting. And it pulls, you can lift the plywood up from the bottom and slide it in as the winch works its magic. You may need to adjust the winch and lashing points to close the tailgate (have a shot of the winch attached to just the ring on the tailgate). A winch isn’t going to do all the heavy-lifting in the field for you, but it’s certainly nice to have once you fill your tag.
Learn More at: Warn Winches