Pocket Ox: Small, lightweight hoists offer super-strong pulling power for hunters, others

SMALL HOISTS, BIG PULL

A search down ‘the rabbit hole’ leads Idaho inventor to create super-strong and lightweight Pocket Ox pulleys.

PHOTOS BY POCKET OX

In 2001, Mike Lafrenz was looking to replace a small six-pulley hoist that he had used for over 20 years. After an extensive search – “it’s hard to imagine how, not long ago, online shopping just wasn’t a ‘thing,’” he recalls – Lafrenz was finding nothing but shoddy products.

“So, into the rabbit hole,” he says. “My first prototype was the parts from two four-pulley hoists pinned together to make a six-to-one. The thing was huge! And the bundle of rope? Wow. My quest for small-diameter rope took me to Oregon kite surfers, then I had to downsize everything else to match this tiny line. Like most stories, I never dreamed of selling these things. Just

COMPANY SPOTLIGHT

Pocket Ox hoists are force multipliers and their small size bely the power to help backcountry and other hunters hang much larger game than they otherwise would be able to. But uses go far beyond that, with applications for everything from technical rescues to yarding dirt bikes out of bad places, and a home in the survival kits of hikers and others. make a couple for my buddies and that’s it.”

Of course, Lafrenz’s creation, dubbed the Pocket Ox, quickly found a following and he opened for business from his Idaho home.

“We are just one of your neighbors with a busy basement,” he explains. “I hate to call it a ‘hobby business,’ but that’s what my accountant seems to imply. We are small. Most every kit is made to order, as there are a few options and accessories.”

Pocket Ox offers the smallest, most powerful “in your pack, not in the truck” manual hoists. Products are designed for endeavors, both recreational and professional, “where the size and weight of every item needs to be justified,” says Lafrenz. “Our tools are for packsaddles, snow machines, and hunters’ fanny packs that I swear get heavier every season. I know there’s at least a couple in Alaska bush planes.”

There are three sizes of hoist kits to choose from. The 16-pulley Pocket Ox Bull mini-hoist is the largest production model, weighing 24 ounces. The Bull provides a mechanical advantage of 16:1 and is rated for 2,000 pounds (static load). This is the recommended size for ATV and snowmobile recovery, technical rescue, multi-person expeditions and hunters wishing to hang whole elk or moose. The 12-pulley Pocket Ox Cow mini-hoist is the midsize offering, weighing 20 ounces. The Cow provides a mechanical advantage of 12:1 and is rated for 1,500 pounds (static load). This is the recommended size for those on safari abroad, dirt/snow bike selfrescue, saddlebags, wilderness guides and trail crews, and backcountry or urban survival. For hunters, the Cow is ideal for manipulating elk-sized game on the ground or hanging elk halves, deer and hog-sized game. The eight-pulley Pocket Ox Calf mini-hoist is the smallest of the trio,

Models include the (left to right) 16-pulley Bull mini-hoist, the company’s largest production model which weighs 24 ounces and is rated for 2,000 pounds (static load); the 12-pulley Cow mini-hoist, which weighs 20 ounces and is rated for 1,500 pounds; and the eight-pulley Calf, weighing just a pound and capable of 1,000 pounds.

“You can really generate some power” with the largely unadvertised Team pulley, says Lafrenz. It features 20 sheaves and 250 feet of line, and while too big for a backpack, it’s a handy addition to gear boxes. Pocket Ox’s orange gripbraid next to a similar length of Paracord; the former weighs 10 ounces less and takes up 28 fewer cubic inches of space.

weighing 16 ounces. The Calf provides a mechanical advantage of 8:1 and is rated for 1,000 pounds (static load). The Calf is recommended for the solo archer, paddling and cycling sports, hiking, climbing, caving, smokejumpers, aviation and military survival, drop camps, and multi-day treks pursuing deer-sized game or hanging elk quarters.

“We make one hoist that we don’t really advertise,” adds Lafrenz. “It’s built with the same components but with 20 sheaves (10 in each block) and 250 feet of haul line. It barely fits in a Pringles can. Too big for anybody’s daypack. Still perfect stuffed in a floatplane or a rafting guide’s box. We call it the ‘Team,’ and at 20:1, it is amazing. Even a chubby guy can usually pull him/herself off the ground. Deduct about 4 percent for friction and multiply that by 20. You can really generate some power.”

Pocket Ox products have gained popularity around the country, mostly from word-of-mouth.

“People talk,” says Lafrenz. “Especially in Montana. When we send a hoist to some town I’ve barely heard of, in about 18 months, we’ll make one or two sales to the same zip code.”  Editor’s note: For more information, visit pocketox.com.