Home Forums Gear Hunting Trucks and Four-Wheel Drives SUV

If I'm worried about hauling game, the little trailer hitch baskets are great for that. Never need to let Bambi in the cab if I don't want to. That's what we do with wild hogs....a billion ticks on each one. Don't need that in the truck.

Do you guys using SUV's use "carcass trays" in the back for hauling game?

They are pretty much standard over here and Europe and protecte the back of the vehicle even if you have a load proper liner...

They wouldn't be practical for all North American game, but should work on anything Whitetail sized or smaller..

Before your post, I'd never heard of a carcass tray, so no.

I'll just use a tarp, or throw it in the hitch basket, tarped, or in a 55 gallon trash bag for a short drive. For longer drives, I prefer to have the animal in the vehicle to protect it from road grime, skinned and on top of a tarp or sleeping bag.

Basicallyy, its a large blood proof tray, usually plastic or fibreglass although some people get them made up in stainless steel.

I have it realtively easy as I mostly stalk our smaller species of deer Roe and Muntjac..

There are various commercially available trays, but I use one from the local garden centre (see the pic below) its 40"long, 22" wide x 4" deep..



Ideally it would be a little deeper, but its not a big concern..These days I have a plastic blood drip tray on the bottom to ensure the carcass can drain and so not sit in blood during the trip back

Although it looks small, it will hold three roe does with ease (set on their backs) and I have had the odd fallow doe/pricket in it as well..

Below is another improvised tray, this time its a plasters bath sold fairly cheaply over here at builders merchants..Pic is not mine, but was posted on a British site..



I have seen a 170lb carcass of a red deer in one of those, again laid on its back, legs in the air..

I had a similar bath on a DIY hitch hauler a couple of us knocked up, but can't find the pics at the moment..

A couple of commercial trays available in the UK; good but cost silly money for what they are:



The next one doubles as a sled for carcass retreval; I'm pretty sure I've seen similar on American sites being used behind ATV's

Good job Pete, I would have expected nothing less from you on this topic!

You going to be using your FJ for hunting or have you got another vehicle for that?

I have a double cab Cummins Diesel pickup(bakkie) for much of my needs. However it's 8000lbs empty and sinks like a fat chick in heels.

When I need my boat, the camper, or it's likely I'm gonna haul bison or elk, I would use the truck. Also If I'm going more then 300-400 miles by highway I would take the pickup. Trying to figure out a way to pull the cruiser with a hitch on the bumper so I can bring the pickup with the camper and the cruiser for hunting. The Cruiser is such a dedicated and functional off road machine, it's not nearly as nice as the pickup on a long drive.

When I'm glassing and scouting and exploring nothin better then the cruiser! It's such a perfect size vehicle with everything to make a great off road and hunting rig.

Not to mention I know with exceptional levels of experience where I can take it and where it will give me trouble. You know the amount of non-pavement travel I have done in a cruiser pickup in my life! The sandy rocky nasty recovery areas I have to bust into without so much as a grown over road to recover downed game.

The Cruiser pickup I have now in RSA has been forced into and put into such questionable places it feels nearly invincible at times. ...............But...........Just when you think you have made it.......... punctures, or a branch through the window, or something wacky happens to bring you down to earth.

I've also been high centered on Boulders a few times with one front and one rear off the ground. No going anyplace then! My American Cruiser has ARB lockers so that problem will be solved here. The old cruisers in RSA don't have Lockers, the newer ones have an E-lockers. (By Newer I mean since 1980!)

Jim,

Any issues towing the Cruiser for long distances? I know with some 4x4's, you have to pull shafts out or make other provisions to avoid "winding up" the transmission...

We don't many FJ's in the UK, only the later yuppie versions of the Land Cruiser (Colorado and the Amazon) but with fuel at $8 per US gallon and rising, I can't see me ever buying an Amazon!

A friend owned a LandCruiser similar to the one below but again they weren't common..



It came with a 2.4L Turbo Diesel and was only available as a SWB..Used to see them in the late 80's/early 90's, but they were never very common..

Any idea of the model? They don't look like any of the FJ series as far as I can tell??

There's a few more pictures on this ebay link..

Edited to add it seems to have been known at the FJ70-Light on other markets..I am wondering how it compares to a real 70 series?

Regards,

Peter

With a manual transmission in Neutral, and the hubs unlocked I cannot see it winding anything up, everything is disconnected at that time. I can also put the transfer case in Neutral. I've never worried about that before? maybe it's with full time 4X4's or with an automatic 4WD system.

The cruiser is all manual and has that Transfer case neutral position.

Jim,

It can definately effect 4x4's with part time/manual 4WD as I know its an issue on my Jimny..

Whether the type of hubs have a bearing on the issue, I don't know..

I do know its an issue thats not just confined to Suzuki's, but I suspect your FJ is old enough to be ok, but it might be worth asking around...

Regards,

Peter

I have a '91 Isuzu Trooper II that we use on our ranch for a hunting vehicle. 4 cyl. motor, good 4wd, pretty quiet. Only had to pay about $1800 for it.