Elk retrieval cable

[dewandgin]

For many years I have had 1000 ft of 3/8"nylon rope that has served me very well for retrieval of Elk,deer,Moose,Antelope,etc but the time has come after many breaks and repairs to replace it. I have access to some 1/8" 7x7 galvanized wire. I can get it new on the spool for a very good price. The breaking strength of the cable is 1700lbs. So I gotta ask is this gonna be enough or should I go with 1/4"? I have no problem packing animals and have for years but if the rope could reach the animal it made retrieval alot easier. 

Thanks

[bow4elk]

not sure I understand why you'd want to drag an elk that far (?)  I'd think that would cause excessive bruising and damage to the meat.   

[JimmyHoffa]

There should be a recommended working load for that cable too.  It should be a percentage of the breaking strength.  How big are the elk you get?  I think it would be okay, but if something does happen to it----you know you will be wishing you had the bigger stuff.  And when hauling around the bigger stuff wishing you had the small stuff.  Sometimes it helps to wrap the animal in tarp or put it on a sled before winching.

[ICEMAN]

A nice cable assembly up for sale in the classifieds... check it out...

[high country]

what kind of rope are you using? I run a simpson capstan winch with 3/8 double braid that is way stronger then the winch....about 5,000lb breaking strenght. rope is nice to work with because it is so light and supple....and way less dangerous if it breaks. if you want a serious get out of a pickle tool check out the simpson capstan winch. I thought it was a joke when I saw one, but after seeing it in action......pretty impressive to say the least.

[fisheral87]

Dude, you said "supple". 

[high country]

it was less lame then flacid

[grundy53]

not sure I understand why you'd want to drag an elk that far (?)  I'd think that would cause excessive bruising and damage to the meat.   

If there is no blood flow then there is no bruising.

[whacker1]

3/16" is quite a bit stronger than 1/8", but not as spendy as the 1/4" and adds to your working load significantly.  The classified post that was previously mentioned looked like a pretty good deal.

[Lightning_Rider]

We drag em outta $hit holes all this time with up to 11 100yd sections of hay wire...just dont gut it until you get em on the road 

[724wd]

what kind of rope are you using? I run a simpson capstan winch with 3/8 double braid that is way stronger then the winch....about 5,000lb breaking strenght. rope is nice to work with because it is so light and supple....and way less dangerous if it breaks. if you want a serious get out of a pickle tool check out the simpson capstan winch. I thought it was a joke when I saw one, but after seeing it in action......pretty impressive to say the least.

quoted for truth!  we have a capstan and it is the bees knees!

[GoldTip]

One word, Mule tape, ok that's two words, but the stuff is pretty damn cool and works!

[fisheral87]

They also make a spectra type rope like the fishing line. We used it on a crane to lift our jet sled on deck. Could be similar to the mule tape.

Al

[Lightning_Rider]

They also make a spectra type rope like the fishing line. We used it on a crane to lift our jet sled on deck. Could be similar to the mule tape.

Al

agreed, spectra is the almighty...at an almighty price of course. We had a piece on the crane on our boat in alaska and it was $300 for less than a 100ft.

[high country]

spectra 3/8" rope is 5bux a foot. good for 7tons, but too expensive to be practical. if you used 1/8" amsteel it would be good on capacity, but hard on riggin.