Napier Truck Click (suspended gralloch) - tried & tested

The ingenius Napier Truck Click - which helps move heavy carcasses into your truck and allows you to perform a suspended gralloch - is tested by Rebecca Green

Anyone who’s ever had to single-handedly haul a large fallow carcass into the back of their truck will know what a back-breaking operation it can be. Napier’s latest invention, the Apex Truck Click, allows you to safely, hygienically and easily suspend, gralloch and then load your carcass into the back of your truck – no straining or tools required! The Truck Click allows the stalker to attach a winch and a frame to the towbar of a vehicle, with just a simple ‘click’.

Everything you need to set it up is contained in a waterproof bag that can live in the back of your truck. When you need to use it, simply place the hook of the attachment arm around the towbar and click it into place (later, this is released with one press of a button). The rest of the frame slots onto the end of this bar and is secured with a small rod that slides into the single bar and is locked into place. At this stage, you can adjust the angle of the main legs and the distance from the truck. You will quickly be able to feel what is the optimum and most secure set-up for your truck. The whole process takes less than a minute.

With your deer on the ground, the Auto Lift part of the kit now comes into play. This is a retractable ratchet hoist fitted with a strong gambrel. You simply pull the gambrel down, place in the deer’s hocks as usual and begin to ratchet it up. With every ratchet movement you raise the deer 3cm. When you’ve got the carcass off the ground and to a suitable height, just stop and the whole thing stops moving and is secure, ready to be gralloched.

Once suspended, the weight of the carcass is distributed through the legs of the main frame (no strain is placed on the vehicle itself), which can support up to 200kg. You can raise it up to around 2m.

The Truck Click pack also comes with Napier’s Aqua Sac, which holds two litres of water and allows you to clean your hands and knives as you go. When you’re finished, instead of releasing the carcass to the floor, you can push it towards the tailgate and release it directly into the vehicle – no more putting your back out trying to lift it up from the ground.

It was virtually pitch black during the gralloch when we tested the Truck Click. Nonetheless, we were able to set it up in a matter of moments and there’s no question it made light work of what would otherwise have been an awkward process. Being able to do a suspended gralloch in the field and then simply push the carcass into the truck is much more hygienic and the Truck Click made it quick, easy and very safe for all involved.

RRP: £199.64

www.napieruk.com