These tools are available in three standard sizes 16:1 Bull 24oz 12:1 Cow 20oz 8:1 Calf 16oz All Pocket Ox mini hoists are Stainless-Steel and have Sealed Ball Bearings, a block to block reach of 12 feet and each Block has 2 ½ foot Vectran® Bridles. The Orange Spectra® Reeving Line is braided with a more easily gripped texture exclusively for Pocket Ox by a world leading Kite Surfing/Sport Kite line manufacturer and is rated at 800 lbs.
Portability is the key. Typically, mechanical pulling devices i.e. Cum-alongs and winches are omitted from equipment lists due to their weight and bulk. In most cases the carry weight and space cannot be justified unless a particular mission has a planned predefined use. Just “It might be nice to have.” usually means it stays in the shop.
Here at Pocket Ox it is our vision that some version of our tool will one day become Standard Equipment in every Aviation Survival Kit, Recreational Excursion and all measures of Expeditions to Remote Locations. Note: These tools have not been tested in the weightlessness of Space.
Briefly the unique components that make these possible are the propitiatory Gripbraid® Spectra® Fiber Orange rope (hate to call it string) rated at 360 Kg (800 lbs). Our smallest hoist has 7 standing Gripbraid® lines for a theoretical value of 5,600 lbs. And the Vectran® (Red, Green , Blue) bridles of which there are 4 standing per block are rated at 1080 Kg (2400 lbs.) each. Theoretical 9,000+ lbs. Each hoist is built or “overbuilt” just like you would design and build it for yourself. Development and field testing by family and friends has taken several years. Collecting hours of videos and stills. Our original intent and primary use has been as a game hoist. But there are 100’s of potential uses. One video clip that stands out is a young lady hunter who is just over 100 pounds lifting a field dressed bull elk.
What you get. Each hoist kit will include a zippered pouch, Stainless steel line storage hoop, 2 knot Slipping Tassels, and 3 Cleat Plates. Pouches are sized to accommodate gloves and carabiners. If additional rigging line is ordered at the time of the hoist purchase the provided pouch will be up-sized appropriately.
Stretch is the enemy. The small diameter propitiatory Orange Spectra® Reeving Line is one of the components that make this miniaturization possible. The near zero stretch that Spectra® is known for allows the tension to be more evenly distributed among all the pulleys in the system. Each pulley shares the load and more importantly share the changes (movement) of the line within the system. The Operator does not waste energy overcoming the elasticity of the system before force (work) is applied to the work-piece. This loss is not limited to tensioning the system before the work-piece begins to move but occurs to some degree many times repeated with every repositioning of the Operator’s hands.
Vectran® Dyneema® and Spectra® all boast of this nearly elastic free property. We recommend using low stretch ropes where possible to optimize the relatively short hoist travel. If there is five feet of stretch in your rigging or bending trees etc. a twelve-foot hoist can only make seven-foot moves and the energy used to take up that stretch each time is absolutely wasted. Our use of Spectra® in the hoist coupled with low stretch cordage also minimizes the dangerous condition of snap-back if there is a catastrophic failure in the rigging.
Made in the USA Every component has been selected based solely on its merit of having the ideal mechanical properties and commercial availability. Every effort is made to source components from US and Canadian manufactures. However, most Suppliers do not provide nation of origin certifications. Pocket Ox products are Made in the USA using world sourced materials. All components are guaranteed to withstand nonlethal CME and EMP events.