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Heck-Pack Game Transporter

Heck-Pack Game Transporter

It’s fair to say that I like a nice gadget; not stupid little gizmos that don’t really have a lot of use and soon get forgotten about, but innovative devices that have been designed to fulfil a specific purpose, are well made and look like they’ll last for years. I was therefore very pleased to bump into Julian Savory of JMS Arms recently. Julian’s been importing PES (now called MAE) moderators for years, but the new string to his company’s bow is the Heck-Pack Game Transporter he is distributing. As the name suggests, it’s for carrying shot game such as deer and wild boar, but there’s much more to this German manufactured item than that, as you’re about to discover.

Quality Construction

Like most good ideas, it’s incredibly simple. It’s a rectangular frame made of 30mm box section steel, with a heavy-duty weldmesh basket attached, that can be mounted on any vehicle fitted with a 50mm tow ball. These are standard throughout the world, so there’s no danger of the Heck-Pack not fitting your car or truck. The item I’m reviewing here is 1 metre wide and 500mm front to back and 130mm deep. Weight is around 13Kg. Other widths are available, 800mm and 1200mm, but the 1 metre version is by far the most popular. From a quick glance, you might think the Heck-Pack is a permanent attachment, needing a socket set and spanners to get it on and off, but it can be fitted or removed in 5 seconds! That may sound impossible, but the ingenious, lever-operated clamping mechanism holds the tow ball so securely, it’s impossible to get the Heck-Pack off unless you release the clamp.

To fit the transporter, a spring-loaded safety bolt is pulled out and turned through 90 degrees and the locking arm raised vertically. The clamp mechanism is then lowered onto the tow ball, the unit centralised and the lever lowered. The safety bolt is then returned to its original position, thereby locking the lever down. There’s a hole drilled in the clamp for fitting the supplied padlock, so an opportunist thief will have a hard job nicking your new best friend. When I examined the clamp mechanism I was blown away by its simplicity; you’d think the cage would flop about, but the neat way the unit operates ensures a vice-like grip on the ball and its shaft. The manufacturers advise against too much grease on the ball, so if the vehicle is to be used for towing, it’s worth keeping a rag handy to remove most of the grease on the ball before attaching the carrier.

The manufacturers say that the unit’s load capacity is 86 kilos, but I think they’re being very conservative. It withstood Julian Savory bouncing about in it well enough without bending or buckling, so that’s good enough for me. Even the biggest deer will be carried with ease and Julian’s had wild boar in his with no problems. He’s had his Heck-Pack for three years and apart from the galvanising looking a little weathered, it’s as good as new. The manufacturers sure know how to fabricate and weld, and they’ve even drilled holes in the bottom of the box-sections to allow the galvanising to coat the interior of the frame. These units are designed to last a lifetime, and probably longer…

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On the Road

That’s the basic structure then and they’re definitely the thing for taking home a nice deer or two. Obviously travelling along a public road with a dead deer on the back of your vehicle might not go down too well with most members of the public, so Julian advises using something like a 1-tonne bag used by builders merchants to deliver bulk sand and aggregate. A couple of bungee straps to keep it secure and you’re good to go. The device’s primary purpose is obviously for deerstalkers to get their kill home or to the game dealers, but fox shooters that need to remove bodies from where they’ve shot their quarry can also benefit from this carrier. There’s no way I’ll stick a flee-ridden dead fox in my Range Rover, but I’d chuck one in one of these any day.

The things you can transport with a Heck-Pack are limited only by your imagination, and anybody with a small hatchback fitted with a towball instantly has a vastly increased carrying capacity. Camping gear, fuel for wood burning stoves, lawnmowers, bales of hay etc can all be carried, and owners of 4X4s, saloons and estates can keep muddy or dead stuff out of their vehicles.

Loads of Choice

There are three sizes and numerous options available, from quad bike adaptors (£50), to tipping versions (£207) and lighting boards (£25). There’s also a lockable aluminium box that fits in the carrier (£177) or a plastic tray for £99. JMS even sell just the clamping mechanism for £89, so that people can construct their own quick fix attachments. The review model is £159, which I think is very good value for money, so good in fact that the carrier you see in the photos has now become a very useful addition to the Allen household. I’ve made a few modifications and I can now carry a couple of mountain bikes with ease and still carry foxes off golf courses and farms if necessary. I’ve also added a strip of black and yellow reflective tape to the rear, to make the carrier even more visible to drivers behind me. I’ll probably get a spare number plate and fit it to make sure my registration can be seen.

I’m obviously very impressed with the Heck-Pack Game Carrier and who knows, it may even have a deer in it one day!

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