Powered winch retrieval system for harvested big game

A powered winch retrieval system comprising:

• a frame;
• a single-cylinder internal combustion engine securely affixed to the frame, said engine having a throttle control lever, and a power output shaft;
• a take-up shaft rotatably mounted on the frame;
• a cable take-up spool concentrically mounted on the take-up shaft, said spool being rigidly affixable to the take-up shaft so that the spool can turn with the take-up shaft;
• a game retrieval cable secured to and windable around the cable take-up spool;
• a power transmission system, also mounted to the frame, which couples the output shaft to the take-up shaft and which provides speed reduction and torque amplification for the take-up shaft;
• a disc brake rotor rigidly secured to the take-up shaft;
• a brake caliper secured to the frame, said brake caliper having a caliper body enclosing a pair of brake pads which secure the brake rotor and prevent its rotation when the engine is idling, but allow the brake rotor to spin freely when the throttle control lever is moved to increase engine speed;
• a sliding coupler, mounted on the take-up shaft adjacent the take-up spool, that alternately enables both coupling and decoupling of take-up spool to the take-up shaft, thereby enabling the game retrieval cable, when the spool and shaft are in a decoupled state, to be unwound from the take-up spool while the take-up shaft remains stationary and, when in a coupled state, for the cable to be rewound onto the spool under power provided by the engine;
• and
• an oscillating level-wind assembly which evenly winds the cable on the cable take-up spool, said level-wind assembly including
• a grooved shaft incorporating overlapping right-hand and left-hand grooves that are interconnected at both ends of the grooved shaft by a direction reversal loop, said grooved shaft being powered from the take-up shaft and rotating at about one-fifth the speed of the take-up shaft;
• a cylindrical guide shaft that is parallel to both the grooved shaft and the take-up shaft;
• an oscillating level-wind tracking mechanism which alternately tracks the right-hand and left-hand grooves on the grooved shaft, said level-wind tracking mechanism sliding on the cylindrical guide shaft, which prevents the tracking mechanism from rotating about the grooved shaft;
• and
• a cable guide incorporating a pair of horizontal rollers and a pair of vertical rollers, which form a frame around the cable and minimize abrasion thereto as it is unwound from and wound on the take-up spool;
• wherein the level-wind tracking mechanism incorporates a linear ball-bearing bushing that slides over the cylindrical guide shaft and prevents binding between the level-wind tracking mechanism and the cylindrical guide shaft.