Prawn Puller

[kisinana]

Has anyone built their own prawn trap puller? I am interested in what type of motor you used. I am looking for 12v DC. This topic mainly would apply to the Pacific Northwest as we generally trap for prawns in 300 to 400 feet of water. Some people have suggested windshield wiper motors but they do not have enough torque. I know that there are retail pullers available, but I prefer a challenge.

 

[rodbolt]

Re: Prawn Puller

hello <br /> for 300 to 400 feet will mean 500 to 600 ft of line. <br /> DC electric will get to hot. try hydraulics. there is a place here that makes adapter kits to place the pump on an outboard flywheel.

 

[Peter Chom]

Re: Prawn Puller

Hello<br />How have you made out on this project I myself amm also building one and had the same idea of the windshield wiper motor which is definatly what one brand uses. Trouble is the newer ones are so small so they must be heavy duty types from older large trucks. <br />If u find anything let us know and I will do ditto.<br />Regards peter

 

[kisinana]

Re: Prawn Puller

Peter Chom<br />I am looking at 2 motors at present 1 is at a site called surplus center it is a commercial windshield wiper motor <br /><br /> http://www.surpluscenter.com/sort.asp?UID=2004112319071298&catname=electric&keyword=GRDL <br /><br />And the other is a motor gearbox from Dumore Electric I don't have all the info on it yet, but I am leaning to the first motor.<br />Let me know if you find anything else and I'll post when I make a decision and try it out.

 

[Chris1956]

Re: Prawn Puller

Merc135, What about a power window motor? They are much more powerful than a wiper motor.

 

[gspig]

Re: Prawn Puller

How is a prawn puller differnt from a powered capstain or a winch? Both are redily available.

 

[kisinana]

Re: Prawn Puller

Hi guys<br />A power window motor does not have enough torque it seems more powerful because of the large half moon gear in the door.<br />The difference from a powered capstan is just because of the price. You can buy a retail made puller for about $400 US A winch is just not fast enough.<br />Besides it is fun to build something. My boat is only 19 ft and is used multi purpose, The one I have made can be mounted on my Scotty downrigger base and stowed away when not in use.

 

[beezee28]

Re: Prawn Puller

Can one of you tell me what a prawn puller is? I looked everywhere and could not find out what it is. If you have a picture, it would be helpful.

 

[kisinana]

Re: Prawn Puller

A prawn puller is used for hauling Prawn Pots up<br />see the site below<br /><br /> http://www.blueoceantackle.com/pot_haulers.htm <br /><br />We fish prawns in the Pacific Northwest at around 250 to 350 feet deep so you need about 500 feet of rope. 2 pots and weights are about 40lbs. You may pull them every 4 or so hours. A puller helps

 

[rodbolt]

Re: Prawn Puller

merc135<br /> I repair install and maintain crab pot pullers and have for a long time. here we only use 25-25 ft of lead type line and the pot empty weighs about 15 pounds or so. the heavy duty DC electric gear reduction motors last 1 maybe two seasons before they are toast. if they were pulling 500 ft at a time the motors would not make a 1/2 a season due to heat. heat in a DC electric setup is the killer. you will have to find a DC electric with a cooling fan. not good in a marine environment. here the best method is hydraulic. I have seen everything from nice shaft driven pumps to converted log splitters for power. the second problem,especially with mercs and jonnyrudes is the current draw of the puller. tends to overload the charging system and most will see a regulator fire just did a 225 merc the other day. 2 regulators a stator and labor was just over 1000. bills . his last motor was a 250 yam and in 3 years it ate 2 stators. burned the charging windings out of both but no fires. jonnyrudes and mercs have a tendancy to flame when overstressed beyond the design limits for an extended period.

 

[Canuck 16]

Re: Prawn Puller

Merc<br />I run one of those Ace line haulers in your link above, and it has run flawlessly for the last three seasons. I do stick to only two 30" traps per line thou.<br />I do have buddies who have built their own (with varying degrees of success), and most have used heavy-duty forklift wiper motors! The motors seem to wear out after a season or two.<br /><br />Good luck... Canuck 16.