@@acecabezon.. Get the welder and torch/ plasma cutter and get started.... Being a drag racer for 44 years, machine shop Owner. I built many of the tools/items I needed. You just might enjoy it, good luck my friend. 👍
As a few others have pointed out, the collar ties you attached to are not designed to take a load in the direction you are applying it. This is a recipe for either buckling of the collar ties or joint failure at the rafter connections.
My first thought was a winch from harbor freight, Until I had the realization of what you commented. I didn't really know if it would work or if there was an actual difference.
Typically a hoist has a brake built in so it doesnt drop the load on you. But if you havnt noticed, winches dont just un wind when you let off the trigger. Its really not and issue judt not osha approved. Que the "no actuallys" but also its a 12 winch vs usually a 120v hoist. So you can install it in a house.@@jake6483
I built an elevator for my house with one of these 15 years ago. It was nothing more than a hundred-dollar Harbor Freight special It worked flawlessly the whole time and was working when I sold the house.
@user-hv6th4kp3t I am sorry, I do not. I did it totally off the cuff and my tendency is to overbilled things so that I ever have to repair them. My guides were c-channel steel and roller wheels that traveled vertically. And a frame with 6 x 6's, with a pulley system that looped the floorboards,, and doubled my capacities. I literally had a 3 by 3 elevator, but lifted more than one ton. I know because I tried it. Being that things have changed so much over 15 or more years, I cannot assure you that what you buy today is what I bought back to them. I'm simply sharing an anecdote from a capable man.
As someone that has a license to and has operated many overhead/bridge cranes, I'd suggest a few things to give you a better overall experience. 1. Spread some grease inside the Uni-Strut where the bearings are rolling on it. Your bearings are rolling freely now, but after a few months of use, those bearings will start to dig into the steel. Over time there will be grooves, humps/valleys etc., and as you roll over them, your trolly will stop abruptly and your load will swing. Heavy grease will lessen the amount of damage to the steel. 2. I would move the Uni-Strut at least 8 inches, if not a full foot more toward the outside wall/garage door. As you have seen already, when you lift a load that is not square, the longer piece of the load is going to catch on the edge of the ceiling or railing. 3. Always have some sort of tag line on the load, This will allow you to have more control of the load as it is lifted/lowered and should you need to rotate it, you will be able to use the tag line to do so. Use the tag line on the load as well as the tag line on the trolly as you move it laterally. This will allow more control and stop any swinging or sudden stops. 4. I realize that your winch is capable of lifting 1k lbs., but have you tested the tensile strength of the Uni-Strut to make sure that it will not open up or flex while it is under a heavy load? If it were to sag or flex, then it is quite possible that it will open and allow the bearings to fall. I agree that you would be better adding more 2 x 6's, almost doubling them, to prevent the sag/flex. 5. If it is possible, get another piece of Uni-Strut and attach it to the end of the one you have now. You should be able to move the trolly laterally so that your load will be at least 3 feet away from the edge. 6. Speaking of the edge, you need to have either a net or a sturdy gate that you can close/secure once you have lifted the load, BEFORE you try to disconnect the load from the hook. This will prevent anyone/thing from falling, should the load become unsteady/unsecure once it is lowered onto the upper floor space and unhooked.
@@blondeguy08 This setup looks like a death trap. I have never seen an attic with a giant hole in the middle like that. I can picture someone reaching for the load and then falling head first into the concrete floor.
6. You can see 2 metal brackets on the posts and the wooden beams he uses to make a rail behind him in some shots. I'm surprised he didn't mention that he does close the gap up when not in use.
I swear, DIY RUclips comments have the most helpful people on the internet. Any idea if there’s a system or relatively easy way to make a 90deg L shaped turn with one of these tracks?
Viewers should be careful they understand their structure and its design before cutting joists or hanging anything from rafters. Our garage was spec’ed with attic trusses. After looking at RUclips hoists/elevators I consulted a structural engineer-she required extensive mods to the structure in order to cut any bottom chords (equivalent to joists). I’m now going a different route with vertical steel I-beam supports from floor to top chord, sort of like the Galaxy lifts.
I recommend enlisting the services of a man to do that type of work. Historically men have worked to provide for their families; and to this day men work to provide for their families. Women, however, by and large, work to "make it in the world" or to be able to be "independent". For many reasons this prevents men from providing for their families. Women are not supposed to be in the workforce. They were not made for it and it doesn't come natural to them. The number of women you see in the workforce (especially masculine occupations) is not the result of women feeling a natural desire to do it, it's the result of someone telling them, "Go and enter the workforce! That is what we believe women should do now." On the contrary, historically women naturally want to become housewives and mothers. If you read the words of the famous women's liberationists/feminists during the 60s, when all this craziness started, you will hear them express confusion over how many women preferred to be housewives and mothers, and even went to school to find husbands so they can eventually leave and become housewives and mothers. More important, God commands women to be housewives, mothers and helpers to their husbands because that's natural, it's what he created them to do. All this works with reality. When you deviate from that program, bad things happen. One of the bad things that is happening is reported by the Centers for Disease Control, which show that women suffer more stress related illnesses than men. I could go on. So, aim to support men as they work to provide for their families, it will do better for society in the long run. Resist the urge to support the self centered "women's empowerment" nonsense.
Fantastic, thanks. I’ve been trying to design something like this for years and you’ve answered some longstanding questions. Besides lifting into the attic I’ll be lifting snow tires into a rack.
If you have trusses do not mount a hoist to them because trusses push the weight forces of the roof to the outside framing so the bottom chord is being stretched outwards horizontally and that is how they are able to use a mending plate in the middle. If you put any substantial weight in the center of a truss you will snap the truss or loosen the mending plates. If you want to lift a weight install a LVL beam or something similar that spans the distance
Exactly what i plan to do with my shop! I left a 4' section of the ridge beam sticking out the front of my shop and placed a 3x5' door diectly under it. Opens to allow the trolly system to slide into the shop. Intention was to pick-up a pallet, so really a little over 2' would have worked. I can pick the load up even with the attic and slide items off the pallet, right onto the the upper floor. Or as you've shown, slide the cargo net load directly into the attic. Excellent video!
Another thing you could do to strengthen your trusses. I use to work for a company that built trusses for homes and other buildings. Many trusses have a web between the roof part of the truss and the bottom made out of 2x4’s angled usually close to a 45 angle. Find the center of the 2x4 on each end and cut a 45 from the center on both sides. You can cut one end, then put in place on the top roof part and then mark the bottom using the lower part of the truss. What you want to end up with resembles a W OR at least a V between your truss. Then use some 1/2 plywood or thicker if you prefer? The truss company uses metal square cleats that’s pressed on both sides of the truss on every joint where the web touches the top and bottom of the truss and then ran thru a press to sink the metal cleats into the wood. Obviously you’re not going to have that option! But a good piece of plywood on both sides of your truss where they meet the top and bottom of your existing truss will do the job fine if you glue it to the truss on both sides and just a nail here and there to hold it in place. Once the glue dries it’s stronger then the 2x4’s themselves and you won’t have to worry about those trusses plotting on you! I do something similar on the ends of the trusses where you put those grade 8 bolts. Believe it or not the glued plywood to the trusses are a lot stronger than those bolts in the trusses and no chance of the trusses splitting on you! Think of it as a laminated beam that’s made for longer distances without a support beam underneath to keep the beam from bowing or breaking! The trusses themselves aren’t glued at the joints unfortunately, they be a lot stronger if they were! But adding the plywood glued to the trusses will make a huge difference in strength! With lifting huge amounts of weight, I rather go over kill then be sorry when something goes wrong and costs you a fortune to replace it! Sometimes it may hold up fine in the beginning, but after numerous uses sometimes the wood will get fatigue over time and break when you least expect it to happen!
@@rosegold7975 Now I know why they’re sending out pictures on items you buy rather than writing out instructions normal people have no problem reading! Unfortunately most people can’t make sense of the picture instructions either! But if I could figure out a way to put pictures on here, I would draw a picture just for you!
I admit I had a bit of a hard time following as well. Having said that, @rosegold7975 could’ve had more tact on commenting instead of coming across as entitled. The OP gave of his time to share knowledge. We should be thankful for that first and then ask for clarification.
To put it simpler terms, you sandwich two pieces of plywood between the truss where there’s a joint ( 2- 2x4’s coming together) with glue and a few nails or screws I personally rather use! On those rafter ends where the truss over lapse, you have to glue a piece of 2/4 to the underneath the bottom 2x4 of the truss so you have a even surface to work with before adding the plywood. Your new 2x4’s cut for the webbing would sit inside on the 1 1/2” thickness making them flush with the existing truss. So just glue and sandwich the 2 pieces of plywood over where all 2x4 meet together. Probably a couple pieces of plywood 24”x 24” on the webs would work fine
Might want to consider adding stop blocks to each end of the Unistrut to prevent the trolley from running out too far. They're commercially available or you could just fabricate something. Video was really well done and informative.
You should have used two pieces of uni-strut one above and one below the studs instead of your gusseted brackets and drilling the structure, weakening it. Then you could have used 1/2” threaded rod to sandwich the studs. If you needed more strength you could also attach to the upper roof structure. I love your idea and I am now thinking of a similar system in my own garage.
Run a piece of unistrut on top of the joist and drop a bolt or a threaded rod to hang the strut you are using as a carriage track. I’m going to do this in my garage this summer. I can’t stand in mine though.
I liked your idea so much, I iinstalled mine exactly as you suggested. I used the unistrut to sandwich the framing. No drilling through the wood. I made a plywood jig with holes drilled where the brackets would fit, then hung the unistrut centered on temporary bolts, secured and leveled them. When I installed the track, I installed the brackets on the track then lifted it and secured the brackets onto the unistrut. It was amazingly easy. I wish I could share photos. Maybe I'll find a way to do that. Thanks a million!
I have one of these in my garage, I have a near identical garage setup also. I just did the lift and manually pull it over to the floor once high enough. I've been meaning to get that trolly setup for awhile but just havent gotten to it yet. Ive been using my setup for about 2 years now without issue. I also got a couple bullies setup up down stairs and roller so that I can pay out a bunch of wire and use the hoist downstairs to lift things out of the back of my truck all from the same hoist. I can also pull things if I need to, I used it once to pull our jeep into the garage that dies just as we were getting ready to pull it into the garage before a hurricane hit, rather then try to fix it outside with rain and wind sporadically hitting us I just hooked the hoist to the bumper and pulled it in the garage.
Thank you, thank you, thank you! I purchased the same trolley system you have a week ago and I've been searching for a method of installing the unistrut brackets for my hoist, perpendicular to the ceiling joists (as you've done), because I didn't like the idea of simply screwing them into the 2x4's. The Gusetted L Brackets are a perfect solution. I think I might also add another 10' piece of Unistrut above the trolley for added support. I really appreciate you taking the time to make this detailed video. I can now proceed with my project with much more peace of mind because of your quality and detailed video.
Attach a line to the item being lifted, to be held by the operator or someone else. Tension on this line can prevent the load from twisting and can be used to exert some control to the load as its being lifted (it could prevent it from hitting your handrails)
After this video a couple weeks ago, I purchased the cargo net. I’m in the middle of moving my shop and the net is a game changer for getting stuff from my loft.
That's great to hear. I totally agree. It has changed my entire space and how I look at storage. I need to do an updat video, as I have doubled up some beams and other small upgrades,
This looks like a great install. Someone else may have mentioned it, but you might want to run a few strongbacks along the top of those collar ties to help distribute the load.
Something we did when we got items delivered to a mezzanine gate at a previous employer was to have the receiving portion gated from where you're standing to ensure that it prevents you from accidentally leaning over the mezzanine floor during the process of getting it onto the target floor. In that situation you could be tempted to reach or lean too far, leading to a bad fall. I don't really know how best to describe it, but there are some things you can do there to maximize safety. Also - Instead of drilling into the rafter tie, perhaps there's a bracket that could slide overtop of it you could mount your Unistrut to which would probably distribute the load better.
Just wanted to chime in on the pool chems. Keep any sanitizers outside in a deck box or similar. Otherwise they will cause things in that area to rust over time, no matter how well you think you've sealed the container.
Ive got what must be a commercial grade hoist in my boathouse from the 50's. Its complicated because one motor spools two Cales running fore and aft. I like the sliding channel set up with yours.
I think The physical exercise involved in the whole process is the key! Some people like going to gyms, but I’d rather splitting logs and so so! Good exercises over weekends!
one important thing you forget to do! a channel end stops if the motor accidentally runs out of your hand while pulling it back and forth because, if it is very severe damage will happen. to do this is very easy, just drill a hole at both ends then insert it with a good bolt to secure the ends. take care
A longer track would allow you to move the bulkier items and save time versus manual movement. Also, Unistrut can be curved with different radius which might be helpful. At one of the places I have worked they had a monorail lift with a track switch. It made it super easy and efficient to move around heavy items. Your price and ingenuity are awesome!
I think it will be plenty strong for the weight of items you are lifting. When I was 14 I lifted a chevy 396 with a chain hoist supported by a single 10 ft 2x6. Not a smart move, I know, but I was amazed how much weight a 2x6 on edge can support.
Nice! I think I would've placed my anchor across the top of the 2x6 rather than bolting through it. Either with a second piece of strut from the top sandwiching the boards using 8" carriage bolts or individual plates across the top of each board. That way you get the full strength of the board. I like the cheap hoist too, as long as you're never dumb enough to hoist over top of someone, you only ever risk damaging what you're hoisting
Very Nice 👍 this is the System I initially thought of for my Attic above my Garage, but unfortunately I have Trusses and will have to add more supports when I get the Money and Time for it. Please don’t take this the wrong way, but your Videos or more Your Experience level has greatly Improved over the Years or you just saved the Slightly more involved tasks for later. I’m a Tradesman all my life, Son of a Tradesman and got Tools for Birthdays and Christmas from 9 years old and went to work with Him on Weekend’s and Holidays from 11 Years old. I’m guessing you have one of the best Houses in your Area by now.
I honestly find your channel very underrated, you’ve learned me enough, make good videos, are very good at explaining stuff and you are a great recourse of knowledge for every homeowner out there.
I've been using those cheap hoists for years. The motors are good but the 1/8" cable is junk and hard to find replacement for without the clear jacket which also deteriorates.
This is fantastic. I have an attic, and I've seen these very expensive lifts that you basically cut out a part of your ceiling and a hoist drops down a very small surface you can use to lift things up to the attic with. That'd be awesome for us since we use the attic for storing mostly holiday stuff in storage containers. I don't have a garage as large as yours, but I have a lot of height, and always thought about creating steps and effectively another level like you've done. Did you do that yourself? I'm not sure there's interest or if it's appropriate for your channel, but I'd love to hear more about how that came about, especially since you clearly put thought into things like safety, usability, and similar. Thanks as always for sharing this stuff. Man, I really like the rolling system too. Awesome!
Great topic! Thank you. The trolley system is the big value add here! I'm glad you admitted that you're just going to fill the space with more junk. I hear acceptance is one of the early steps. :-)
I have a ranch without a floor. I bought the harbor freight electric winch but I have not put it up yet because there's cross bracing that keeps me from running a 5 to 10 ft piece of strut. I don't think I can remove the cross bracing without compromising some integrity. I have to come up with an alternate idea as it is a low roof line being a ranch. It won't be lifting anything more than let's say 20 to 50 lb. And I use the wording cross braces loosely. It's just a piece of 1x3 or 1x4 towards the peak running across every third or fourth roof rafter.
Great job with adding bolts to rafters you could also beef up all the rafters with cross supports and sister in another rafters lots of ways to so this....
Wow this is exactly the kind of thing I’ve been looking for. Good tips on the gusseted L bracket. I have a strange attic layout where it would need to hoist up, slide along the track a few feet, and then make a 90 degree turn and slide another 6feet. Can’t seem to find a strut channel that can make a 90deg turn
If you were concerned about joist/truss strength you could always just add some posts from the floor up to the joist right where your railing is. That wouldn't eat up any floor space and would be fast and cheap.
4:28 one wrong move and you're going to fall into your garage. That's the most dangerous part of this setup. Please be careful. Love watching your videos! I have never seen a garage with the attic with a big hole in the center of the floor.
The first thing I thought of to strengthen up those wind braces you mounted the strut on is to permanently or temporarily install a 2 x 4 leg down to the floor at each end of the 2 x 6 wind brace. You could also nail or screw another wind brace to the original ones to double their strength.
My father was rather handy and in our last house he made folding wooden stairs attached to a cable and a counterweight. The weight slid between the studs so there was no major issue with it swinging into the garage, and the ladder folded up and out of the way and when unfolded was cut at the halfway point at an angle to lock the correct angle in place. It lasted at least 20 years and was working when the house was sold. Combine this hoist system with that ladder and away you go.
I saw one of these setups where the unistrut with the hoist had a few trolleys on it and rode on another layer of unistruts so you could move the hoist around any direction
I enjoyed the video 👍 Just an idea but the gap in the railing is a bit of a safety hazard when you aren’t using the lift. A rope or temporary railing might just save you (or someone else) one day.
Man that is ingenious- looking for something in my new shop outside of a 2 ton chain pulley (for future frame-off restoration) for lighter items. Kudos on over-engineering.
I would install a mezzanine gate. This would allow you the ability to not have to go over the top rail with all of that weight regardless of what it is. Just my opinion. That is a great tool to have. Be safe!
You can get 4 conductor wire from an electrical supply house. I used it to extend the controllers range. I might of gotten lucky because the wiring was the same color so it was an easy splice.
2:35 instead of just bolting the crossbeam to the support beam, how about installing a parallel support beam directly under the the crossbeam? As well as seeing if there's any bracing you need to add to the floor for the extra support beam It'd also be awesome if the "trolley" was motorized!
@@SilverCymbal it's true Chris, your like a fellow dad buddy that I look to for lawn care and new tools. Keep up the work and don't change. As a fellow new Englander that knows what your dealing with.
0:35 "over 1000 pounds" is only when you double the line using the pully block. These are really 660lb. hoists. They are great though and all most of us need. I built a small garage 10 years ago. It's 20'x26', with a small attic space, 8' wide x 5' high, in the roof trusses. I designed the trusses with a heavier bottom cord and no cord up the middle. I left the space open, in the ceiling, between two of the trusses, about 6' from the back, so I could use an electric hoist. I also put gullwing doors in so I can close it off as the attic is not insulated but the ceiling is. I also have pulldown stairs 8' from the front. The opening is about 20"W x 90"L so I am limited but all I really use the hoist for is the summer/winter wheels and tires for my truck. Even this small attic has given me a lot of extra storage space and the hoist makes it easy to use.
Hope you added stops at the ends of the channels else the hoist could slide out! (At least didn't see/hear that before you started testing it). Great idea on upgrading all the hardware--better to have a huge safety factor with the structure over the hoist rating!
Use the set up you have but instead of bolting through the side of a rafter. lay another piece of unistrut on top and sandwich the beams between top and bottom using all thread it would allow you to more evenly distribute your weight. also those rafters were meant to support the house for piece of mind i would add bracing from rafters to walls below going all the way to the floor
Great idea, but don’t put a lot of faith in the unistrut. I’d be afraid of the SWL(safe working load) of the strut. But for small stuff, yep you nailed it.
I modified one of these cheap hoists I was using as a shingle lift many years ago to have an independent fan (rather than one that runs only when the motor does). Increased the duty cycle a lot. May not be relevant in this application unless you're lifting a lot of items in a short time.
One word of caution, as I have one of these setups is that I noticed the motor is only attached to its red frame by two bolts. When I received the first hoist, one of the bolts had sheared off. That’s the weak point in this. I welded a little cage to surround the hoist and keep it from flying out of the red shroud. Also I mounted mine upside down under the sub floor of my loft, then mounted a pulley to the ceiling that the cable runs through. Less weight to fall down on someone’s head potentially.
I like the bracket idea but if you have rooms above your garage direct lag bolt is the only option, I suggest buying some heavy duty slightly larger washers instead of the stuff they provide it will be the best 2 bucks you ever spent
I was aware of the HF hoist but not the line of trollies - Thanks! By the way, you kept saying studs; of course we all knew what you meant but those are collar ties.
I have had plans to make a hoist for my convertible hard top for a long time now. Could never commit because I was worried about the forces and the safety aspect. The top is only about 150lbs so this system has quite the safety margin.
Great video. I am looking at doing this as well. Would you happen to have any pictures of how you braced the floor joists for the open area of the top floor. I have a full walk up loft and I would like to put an opening like yours. I am just not sure how to keep the structural soundness. I am just trying to get ideas on how to do this. Thanks for any pictures/ideas you may have.
Keep in mind that whatever rated hoist you get is half that rating for the single line setup. The rating is for use in a double line setup. His safe rating is essentially 665 lbs., not 1320.
Appreciate your ideas and planning for the hoist. I am going to install the same unit, in fact pretty much the exact same system in my barn here on the farm but I'm adding more cross rafters as mine are 4 foot spaced. How long is the electric cord with the AC plug? I have an outlet in the rafters but may need a short extension cord. Good video, thanks.
Im going to use my same but 240 v to make a lift from basement to attic in my house in sweden. Got same brand and model. I will though use stealbeam tshaped. Total hight 27 foot. Great winch😊i paid mine myself😅
Personally I would add lumber below the collar ties where they attach to the roof rafters. Right now you went to the trouble of adding the brackets for strength but how much does it help if the lumber it's attached to is just nailed or screwed into place? I would place lumber below it on either side and maybe even install blocking between the collar ties to reduce any deflection of dimensional Lumber.
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Hoist: amzn.to/3uXQmpN - Trolley: amzn.to/3RFlEKR - Clamp Bracket: amzn.to/46SudX7 - Gusset Brackets: amzn.to/3REYMev -Lifting Net: amzn.to/46WetT9
Unistrut: amzn.to/48f4Bor
Hangar brackets and connectors are "unavailable".
@@acecabezon.. Get the welder and torch/ plasma cutter and get started.... Being a drag racer for 44 years, machine shop Owner. I built many of the tools/items I needed. You just might enjoy it, good luck my friend. 👍
As a few others have pointed out, the collar ties you attached to are not designed to take a load in the direction you are applying it. This is a recipe for either buckling of the collar ties or joint failure at the rafter connections.
Just remember to buy a hoist and not a winch. A hoist is designed to lift, a winch is for pulling.
My first thought was a winch from harbor freight, Until I had the realization of what you commented. I didn't really know if it would work or if there was an actual difference.
What's the difference?
Typically a hoist has a brake built in so it doesnt drop the load on you. But if you havnt noticed, winches dont just un wind when you let off the trigger. Its really not and issue judt not osha approved. Que the "no actuallys" but also its a 12 winch vs usually a 120v hoist. So you can install it in a house.@@jake6483
How does it know what direction its pulling 🤣 what if you set up a pulley?
@@bmk789a lift lowers and stops weight on demand. A winch might free spools when it isn’t pulling.
I built an elevator for my house with one of these 15 years ago.
It was nothing more than a hundred-dollar Harbor Freight special
It worked flawlessly the whole time and was working when I sold the house.
Smart.
Do you have instructions on how you built it?!??
@user-hv6th4kp3t I am sorry, I do not.
I did it totally off the cuff and my tendency is to overbilled things so that I ever have to repair them.
My guides were c-channel steel and roller wheels that traveled vertically.
And a frame with 6 x 6's, with a pulley system that looped the floorboards,, and doubled my capacities.
I literally had a 3 by 3 elevator, but lifted more than one ton.
I know because I tried it.
Being that things have changed so much over 15 or more years, I cannot assure you that what you buy today is what I bought back to them.
I'm simply sharing an anecdote from a capable man.
Is there any chance you could tell me what you used for the rails on the sides and and the weight that it can lift
This is why we have to have regulations
As someone that has a license to and has operated many overhead/bridge cranes, I'd suggest a few things to give you a better overall experience.
1. Spread some grease inside the Uni-Strut where the bearings are rolling on it. Your bearings are rolling freely now, but after a few months of use, those bearings will start to dig into the steel. Over time there will be grooves, humps/valleys etc., and as you roll over them, your trolly will stop abruptly and your load will swing. Heavy grease will lessen the amount of damage to the steel.
2. I would move the Uni-Strut at least 8 inches, if not a full foot more toward the outside wall/garage door. As you have seen already, when you lift a load that is not square, the longer piece of the load is going to catch on the edge of the ceiling or railing.
3. Always have some sort of tag line on the load, This will allow you to have more control of the load as it is lifted/lowered and should you need to rotate it, you will be able to use the tag line to do so. Use the tag line on the load as well as the tag line on the trolly as you move it laterally. This will allow more control and stop any swinging or sudden stops.
4. I realize that your winch is capable of lifting 1k lbs., but have you tested the tensile strength of the Uni-Strut to make sure that it will not open up or flex while it is under a heavy load? If it were to sag or flex, then it is quite possible that it will open and allow the bearings to fall. I agree that you would be better adding more 2 x 6's, almost doubling them, to prevent the sag/flex.
5. If it is possible, get another piece of Uni-Strut and attach it to the end of the one you have now. You should be able to move the trolly laterally so that your load will be at least 3 feet away from the edge.
6. Speaking of the edge, you need to have either a net or a sturdy gate that you can close/secure once you have lifted the load, BEFORE you try to disconnect the load from the hook. This will prevent anyone/thing from falling, should the load become unsteady/unsecure once it is lowered onto the upper floor space and unhooked.
Also not to mention this is the fastest way to get your home owners insurance canceled.
@@blondeguy08 This setup looks like a death trap. I have never seen an attic with a giant hole in the middle like that. I can picture someone reaching for the load and then falling head first into the concrete floor.
6. You can see 2 metal brackets on the posts and the wooden beams he uses to make a rail behind him in some shots. I'm surprised he didn't mention that he does close the gap up when not in use.
I swear, DIY RUclips comments have the most helpful people on the internet.
Any idea if there’s a system or relatively easy way to make a 90deg L shaped turn with one of these tracks?
Dude, awesome advice. I bet you have fun stories of things gone wrong in the past.
Viewers should be careful they understand their structure and its design before cutting joists or hanging anything from rafters.
Our garage was spec’ed with attic trusses. After looking at RUclips hoists/elevators I consulted a structural engineer-she required extensive mods to the structure in order to cut any bottom chords (equivalent to joists). I’m now going a different route with vertical steel I-beam supports from floor to top chord, sort of like the Galaxy lifts.
Also consider weight allowance per square foot of storage in the attic once everything is up there.
I recommend enlisting the services of a man to do that type of work. Historically men have worked to provide for their families; and to this day men work to provide for their families. Women, however, by and large, work to "make it in the world" or to be able to be "independent". For many reasons this prevents men from providing for their families. Women are not supposed to be in the workforce. They were not made for it and it doesn't come natural to them. The number of women you see in the workforce (especially masculine occupations) is not the result of women feeling a natural desire to do it, it's the result of someone telling them, "Go and enter the workforce! That is what we believe women should do now." On the contrary, historically women naturally want to become housewives and mothers. If you read the words of the famous women's liberationists/feminists during the 60s, when all this craziness started, you will hear them express confusion over how many women preferred to be housewives and mothers, and even went to school to find husbands so they can eventually leave and become housewives and mothers. More important, God commands women to be housewives, mothers and helpers to their husbands because that's natural, it's what he created them to do. All this works with reality. When you deviate from that program, bad things happen. One of the bad things that is happening is reported by the Centers for Disease Control, which show that women suffer more stress related illnesses than men. I could go on.
So, aim to support men as they work to provide for their families, it will do better for society in the long run. Resist the urge to support the self centered "women's empowerment" nonsense.
@@yougetagoldstarYou should probably seek out some therapy. That was some unhinged stuff you just spouted. Wow man.
@@yougetagoldstarI feel sorry for you, if that is truly your world view
@@yougetagoldstar What rock have you been living under for the past 20 years. Women can and do the work of men, and some of them better than a man.
You are one of the most valuable sources of information on RUclips! As always, thank you for an honest and thorough review of products.
Thank you, that is very nice if you to say
Fantastic, thanks. I’ve been trying to design something like this for years and you’ve answered some longstanding questions. Besides lifting into the attic I’ll be lifting snow tires into a rack.
If you have trusses do not mount a hoist to them because trusses push the weight forces of the roof to the outside framing so the bottom chord is being stretched outwards horizontally and that is how they are able to use a mending plate in the middle. If you put any substantial weight in the center of a truss you will snap the truss or loosen the mending plates. If you want to lift a weight install a LVL beam or something similar that spans the distance
Exactly what i plan to do with my shop! I left a 4' section of the ridge beam sticking out the front of my shop and placed a 3x5' door diectly under it. Opens to allow the trolly system to slide into the shop. Intention was to pick-up a pallet, so really a little over 2' would have worked. I can pick the load up even with the attic and slide items off the pallet, right onto the the upper floor. Or as you've shown, slide the cargo net load directly into the attic.
Excellent video!
Another thing you could do to strengthen your trusses. I use to work for a company that built trusses for homes and other buildings. Many trusses have a web between the roof part of the truss and the bottom made out of 2x4’s angled usually close to a 45 angle. Find the center of the 2x4 on each end and cut a 45 from the center on both sides. You can cut one end, then put in place on the top roof part and then mark the bottom using the lower part of the truss. What you want to end up with resembles a W OR at least a V between your truss. Then use some 1/2 plywood or thicker if you prefer? The truss company uses metal square cleats that’s pressed on both sides of the truss on every joint where the web touches the top and bottom of the truss and then ran thru a press to sink the metal cleats into the wood. Obviously you’re not going to have that option! But a good piece of plywood on both sides of your truss where they meet the top and bottom of your existing truss will do the job fine if you glue it to the truss on both sides and just a nail here and there to hold it in place. Once the glue dries it’s stronger then the 2x4’s themselves and you won’t have to worry about those trusses plotting on you! I do something similar on the ends of the trusses where you put those grade 8 bolts. Believe it or not the glued plywood to the trusses are a lot stronger than those bolts in the trusses and no chance of the trusses splitting on you! Think of it as a laminated beam that’s made for longer distances without a support beam underneath to keep the beam from bowing or breaking! The trusses themselves aren’t glued at the joints unfortunately, they be a lot stronger if they were! But adding the plywood glued to the trusses will make a huge difference in strength!
With lifting huge amounts of weight, I rather go over kill then be sorry when something goes wrong and costs you a fortune to replace it! Sometimes it may hold up fine in the beginning, but after numerous uses sometimes the wood will get fatigue over time and break when you least expect it to happen!
I tried reading this and it gave me a headache. Nobody can understand what you are thinking, so do a better job typing it out.
Makes sense to me
@@rosegold7975 Now I know why they’re sending out pictures on items you buy rather than writing out instructions normal people have no problem reading! Unfortunately most people can’t make sense of the picture instructions either! But if I could figure out a way to put pictures on here, I would draw a picture just for you!
I admit I had a bit of a hard time following as well. Having said that, @rosegold7975 could’ve had more tact on commenting instead of coming across as entitled. The OP gave of his time to share knowledge. We should be thankful for that first and then ask for clarification.
To put it simpler terms, you sandwich two pieces of plywood between the truss where there’s a joint ( 2- 2x4’s coming together) with glue and a few nails or screws I personally rather use!
On those rafter ends where the truss over lapse, you have to glue a piece of 2/4 to the underneath the bottom 2x4 of the truss so you have a even surface to work with before adding the plywood.
Your new 2x4’s cut for the webbing would sit inside on the 1 1/2” thickness making them flush with the existing truss. So just glue and sandwich the 2 pieces of plywood over where all 2x4 meet together. Probably a couple pieces of plywood 24”x 24” on the webs would work fine
Might want to consider adding stop blocks to each end of the Unistrut to prevent the trolley from running out too far. They're commercially available or you could just fabricate something. Video was really well done and informative.
He did. It's literally in the video
You should have used two pieces of uni-strut one above and one below the studs instead of your gusseted brackets and drilling the structure, weakening it. Then you could have used 1/2” threaded rod to sandwich the studs. If you needed more strength you could also attach to the upper roof structure.
I love your idea and I am now thinking of a similar system in my own garage.
That's a good idea. I was thinking about a way to clamp the top of the beams instead of drilling, and a second uni strut makes sense.
Run a piece of unistrut on top of the joist and drop a bolt or a threaded rod to hang the strut you are using as a carriage track.
I’m going to do this in my garage this summer. I can’t stand in mine though.
Exactly how I'd do it too
Any sketches? I'm having a hard time visualizing...
I liked your idea so much, I iinstalled mine exactly as you suggested. I used the unistrut to sandwich the framing. No drilling through the wood. I made a plywood jig with holes drilled where the brackets would fit, then hung the unistrut centered on temporary bolts, secured and leveled them. When I installed the track, I installed the brackets on the track then lifted it and secured the brackets onto the unistrut. It was amazingly easy. I wish I could share photos. Maybe I'll find a way to do that. Thanks a million!
The hoist trolley is a game changer. I would also add more unistrut for a longer track to save time and labor especially with heavier items. 👍
I have one of these in my garage, I have a near identical garage setup also. I just did the lift and manually pull it over to the floor once high enough. I've been meaning to get that trolly setup for awhile but just havent gotten to it yet. Ive been using my setup for about 2 years now without issue. I also got a couple bullies setup up down stairs and roller so that I can pay out a bunch of wire and use the hoist downstairs to lift things out of the back of my truck all from the same hoist. I can also pull things if I need to, I used it once to pull our jeep into the garage that dies just as we were getting ready to pull it into the garage before a hurricane hit, rather then try to fix it outside with rain and wind sporadically hitting us I just hooked the hoist to the bumper and pulled it in the garage.
Thank you, thank you, thank you! I purchased the same trolley system you have a week ago and I've been searching for a method of installing the unistrut brackets for my hoist, perpendicular to the ceiling joists (as you've done), because I didn't like the idea of simply screwing them into the 2x4's. The Gusetted L Brackets are a perfect solution. I think I might also add another 10' piece of Unistrut above the trolley for added support. I really appreciate you taking the time to make this detailed video. I can now proceed with my project with much more peace of mind because of your quality and detailed video.
Attach a line to the item being lifted, to be held by the operator or someone else. Tension on this line can prevent the load from twisting and can be used to exert some control to the load as its being lifted (it could prevent it from hitting your handrails)
After this video a couple weeks ago, I purchased the cargo net. I’m in the middle of moving my shop and the net is a game changer for getting stuff from my loft.
That's great to hear. I totally agree. It has changed my entire space and how I look at storage. I need to do an updat video, as I have doubled up some beams and other small upgrades,
This looks like a great install. Someone else may have mentioned it, but you might want to run a few strongbacks along the top of those collar ties to help distribute the load.
Something we did when we got items delivered to a mezzanine gate at a previous employer was to have the receiving portion gated from where you're standing to ensure that it prevents you from accidentally leaning over the mezzanine floor during the process of getting it onto the target floor. In that situation you could be tempted to reach or lean too far, leading to a bad fall.
I don't really know how best to describe it, but there are some things you can do there to maximize safety.
Also - Instead of drilling into the rafter tie, perhaps there's a bracket that could slide overtop of it you could mount your Unistrut to which would probably distribute the load better.
Just wanted to chime in on the pool chems. Keep any sanitizers outside in a deck box or similar. Otherwise they will cause things in that area to rust over time, no matter how well you think you've sealed the container.
Ive got what must be a commercial grade hoist in my boathouse from the 50's. Its complicated because one motor spools two Cales running fore and aft. I like the sliding channel set up with yours.
I think The physical exercise involved in the whole process is the key! Some people like going to gyms, but I’d rather splitting logs and so so! Good exercises over weekends!
one important thing you forget to do! a channel end stops if the motor accidentally runs out of your hand while pulling it back and forth because, if it is very severe damage will happen. to do this is very easy, just drill a hole at both ends then insert it with a good bolt to secure the ends. take care
A longer track would allow you to move the bulkier items and save time versus manual movement. Also, Unistrut can be curved with different radius which might be helpful. At one of the places I have worked they had a monorail lift with a track switch. It made it super easy and efficient to move around heavy items. Your price and ingenuity are awesome!
Rigging in a shipyard requires a small length of rope tied to object being lifted. This allows a helper to control to load from swinging wildly
they also make trollies for the power cord, you place one every 4-6 feet along the power cable to keep it up out of the way
I think it will be plenty strong for the weight of items you are lifting. When I was 14 I lifted a chevy 396 with a chain hoist supported by a single 10 ft 2x6. Not a smart move, I know, but I was amazed how much weight a 2x6 on edge can support.
Nice! I think I would've placed my anchor across the top of the 2x6 rather than bolting through it. Either with a second piece of strut from the top sandwiching the boards using 8" carriage bolts or individual plates across the top of each board. That way you get the full strength
of the board. I like the cheap hoist too, as long as you're never dumb enough to hoist over top of someone, you only ever risk damaging what you're hoisting
Very Nice 👍 this is the System I initially thought of for my Attic above my Garage, but unfortunately I have Trusses and will have to add more supports when I get the Money and Time for it.
Please don’t take this the wrong way, but your Videos or more Your Experience level has greatly Improved over the Years or you just saved the Slightly more involved tasks for later.
I’m a Tradesman all my life, Son of a Tradesman and got Tools for Birthdays and Christmas from 9 years old and went to work with Him on Weekend’s and Holidays from 11 Years old.
I’m guessing you have one of the best Houses in your Area by now.
I bought that exact same hoist for lifting up my home batteries onto a raised platform. I've tested it up to 600lbs so far without issue.
I honestly find your channel very underrated, you’ve learned me enough, make good videos, are very good at explaining stuff and you are a great recourse of knowledge for every homeowner out there.
Love these one off videos u would think people would not watch, but in reality they are educational and entertaining
I've been using those cheap hoists for years. The motors are good but the 1/8" cable is junk and hard to find replacement for without the clear jacket which also deteriorates.
This is fantastic. I have an attic, and I've seen these very expensive lifts that you basically cut out a part of your ceiling and a hoist drops down a very small surface you can use to lift things up to the attic with. That'd be awesome for us since we use the attic for storing mostly holiday stuff in storage containers.
I don't have a garage as large as yours, but I have a lot of height, and always thought about creating steps and effectively another level like you've done. Did you do that yourself? I'm not sure there's interest or if it's appropriate for your channel, but I'd love to hear more about how that came about, especially since you clearly put thought into things like safety, usability, and similar.
Thanks as always for sharing this stuff. Man, I really like the rolling system too. Awesome!
Great topic! Thank you. The trolley system is the big value add here! I'm glad you admitted that you're just going to fill the space with more junk. I hear acceptance is one of the early steps. :-)
It's not junk, it's some of Chris' STUFF (ruclips.net/video/MvgN5gCuLac/видео.html)
Amazing video once again ! The only thing I would do different is blocking off the ends of the rail so the hoist can’t accidently fall off 👍🏼
Thank you very much
I have a ranch without a floor. I bought the harbor freight electric winch but I have not put it up yet because there's cross bracing that keeps me from running a 5 to 10 ft piece of strut. I don't think I can remove the cross bracing without compromising some integrity. I have to come up with an alternate idea as it is a low roof line being a ranch. It won't be lifting anything more than let's say 20 to 50 lb. And I use the wording cross braces loosely. It's just a piece of 1x3 or 1x4 towards the peak running across every third or fourth roof rafter.
Very well thought out. I have a similar set up in my garage and we lift adult size sport atvs into the attic of our garage
Great job with adding bolts to rafters you could also beef up all the rafters with cross supports and sister in another rafters lots of ways to so this....
$300 parts list in description, not $100. Still a good value at $300+
Wow this is exactly the kind of thing I’ve been looking for. Good tips on the gusseted L bracket.
I have a strange attic layout where it would need to hoist up, slide along the track a few feet, and then make a 90 degree turn and slide another 6feet. Can’t seem to find a strut channel that can make a 90deg turn
If you were concerned about joist/truss strength you could always just add some posts from the floor up to the joist right where your railing is. That wouldn't eat up any floor space and would be fast and cheap.
4:28 one wrong move and you're going to fall into your garage. That's the most dangerous part of this setup. Please be careful. Love watching your videos! I have never seen a garage with the attic with a big hole in the center of the floor.
The first thing I thought of to strengthen up those wind braces you mounted the strut on is to permanently or temporarily install a 2 x 4 leg down to the floor at each end of the 2 x 6 wind brace. You could also nail or screw another wind brace to the original ones to double their strength.
My father was rather handy and in our last house he made folding wooden stairs attached to a cable and a counterweight. The weight slid between the studs so there was no major issue with it swinging into the garage, and the ladder folded up and out of the way and when unfolded was cut at the halfway point at an angle to lock the correct angle in place. It lasted at least 20 years and was working when the house was sold. Combine this hoist system with that ladder and away you go.
Those are collar ties not studs...still a great install
It’s so funny you just did this - I’m an avid watcher and I’ve been researching this for MONTHS.
I saw one of these setups where the unistrut with the hoist had a few trolleys on it and rode on another layer of unistruts so you could move the hoist around any direction
I actually just did something like this in my garage and it's amazing
I enjoyed the video 👍
Just an idea but the gap in the railing is a bit of a safety hazard when you aren’t using the lift. A rope or temporary railing might just save you (or someone else) one day.
Man that is ingenious- looking for something in my new shop outside of a 2 ton chain pulley (for future frame-off restoration) for lighter items.
Kudos on over-engineering.
I was literally looking for something exactly like this for my attic, thank you so much for the great idea!
I would install a mezzanine gate. This would allow you the ability to not have to go over the top rail with all of that weight regardless of what it is. Just my opinion. That is a great tool to have. Be safe!
You can get 4 conductor wire from an electrical supply house. I used it to extend the controllers range. I might of gotten lucky because the wiring was the same color so it was an easy splice.
2:35 instead of just bolting the crossbeam to the support beam, how about installing a parallel support beam directly under the the crossbeam? As well as seeing if there's any bracing you need to add to the floor for the extra support beam
It'd also be awesome if the "trolley" was motorized!
Very cool, exactly what I was think about doing. Thank you !
Thank you, glad it was helpful. I am loving this so far.
The best channel on the internet!!
Very kind of you to say
@@SilverCymbal it's true Chris, your like a fellow dad buddy that I look to for lawn care and new tools. Keep up the work and don't change. As a fellow new Englander that knows what your dealing with.
I have never seen those trolley rollers with the flanges. I’ll have to look into them.
0:35 "over 1000 pounds" is only when you double the line using the pully block. These are really 660lb. hoists. They are great though and all most of us need.
I built a small garage 10 years ago. It's 20'x26', with a small attic space, 8' wide x 5' high, in the roof trusses. I designed the trusses with a heavier bottom cord and no cord up the middle.
I left the space open, in the ceiling, between two of the trusses, about 6' from the back, so I could use an electric hoist. I also put gullwing doors in so I can close it off as the attic is not insulated but the ceiling is. I also have pulldown stairs 8' from the front.
The opening is about 20"W x 90"L so I am limited but all I really use the hoist for is the summer/winter wheels and tires for my truck.
Even this small attic has given me a lot of extra storage space and the hoist makes it easy to use.
Nice! Suggestion! No end caps or some type of stops on the end of the unistrut.
He did install bolts at the ends so the trolley couldn’t go past that point.
@@TheNortheastAl my bad!
No problem. I do the same thing at times. We are only human.
I love the loft, wish I had that in my garage
This is really cool, when I build my saw mill I might put in a setup like that so I can lift logs on the mill.
Hope you added stops at the ends of the channels else the hoist could slide out! (At least didn't see/hear that before you started testing it). Great idea on upgrading all the hardware--better to have a huge safety factor with the structure over the hoist rating!
Great video! Genius set up. Appreciated the safety reminders. Can't fix stupid but you can try to help! Well done!
Use the set up you have but instead of bolting through the side of a rafter. lay another piece of unistrut on top and sandwich the beams between top and bottom using all thread it would allow you to more evenly distribute your weight. also those rafters were meant to support the house for piece of mind i would add bracing from rafters to walls below going all the way to the floor
Great idea, but don’t put a lot of faith in the unistrut. I’d be afraid of the SWL(safe working load) of the strut. But for small stuff, yep you nailed it.
You can also use barn door track and dollies.
I modified one of these cheap hoists I was using as a shingle lift many years ago to have an independent fan (rather than one that runs only when the motor does). Increased the duty cycle a lot. May not be relevant in this application unless you're lifting a lot of items in a short time.
My workshop attic is not big enough for a system like this. Do you plan to insulate your ceiling? Id like to see your plan for that if so.
Definitely add more 2x6s on your roof cross members. The weight you pulling can be evenly distributed across them
may be look into trap doors
with center hole for the cable - lift through they close
Really Love finding Inspirational Videos like this. Thank You for showing us!
I suggest a box/platform for your items, this way they are always flat and stable. Great job.
I would design the structure to hold like 2 times the rating of the winch so there is a possibility of upgrading the winch in the future
Could add a handle to the hoist to pull/push it fore and aft without leaning over the opening in the floor.
Note the 600w when lifting will change with the load. The hoist is rated up to 1150w peak usage
Or strapping the unistrut using square u-bolts that straddle the joists. Less parts and don’t even need to drill the joists.
One word of caution, as I have one of these setups is that I noticed the motor is only attached to its red frame by two bolts. When I received the first hoist, one of the bolts had sheared off. That’s the weak point in this. I welded a little cage to surround the hoist and keep it from flying out of the red shroud. Also I mounted mine upside down under the sub floor of my loft, then mounted a pulley to the ceiling that the cable runs through. Less weight to fall down on someone’s head potentially.
Make sure you add vertical support to those collar ties into the ridge
I like the bracket idea but if you have rooms above your garage direct lag bolt is the only option, I suggest buying some heavy duty slightly larger washers instead of the stuff they provide it will be the best 2 bucks you ever spent
I would get a pole with a hook on it to safely pull the load towards u. Im Just saing since im scare of heights
What you need now is a chain and small motor or pedal so you dont have to reach out over the drop
I was aware of the HF hoist but not the line of trollies - Thanks! By the way, you kept saying studs; of course we all knew what you meant but those are collar ties.
I'd love to add this onto my garage one day. My suggestion would be to build a platform that you can hook into.
BAD ASS !!!!.......wish my garage "attic" was that big !!!
I have had plans to make a hoist for my convertible hard top for a long time now. Could never commit because I was worried about the forces and the safety aspect. The top is only about 150lbs so this system has quite the safety margin.
Maybe extending the power and remote control cables and securing them both into a cable chain could make the experience even smoother?
Great video. I am looking at doing this as well. Would you happen to have any pictures of how you braced the floor joists for the open area of the top floor. I have a full walk up loft and I would like to put an opening like yours. I am just not sure how to keep the structural soundness. I am just trying to get ideas on how to do this. Thanks for any pictures/ideas you may have.
One other improvement would be to use a pallet to live things like table saws etc, Proper weight destruction is everything when using lifts/hoists
Throw end stops at each end of strut. Great video
Does he not already have some in the form of bolts?
Keep in mind that whatever rated hoist you get is half that rating for the single line setup. The rating is for use in a double line setup. His safe rating is essentially 665 lbs., not 1320.
You should screw another 2x4 or 2x6 (on the flat) to the top of the collar ties to strengthen them.
Appreciate your ideas and planning for the hoist. I am going to install the same unit, in fact pretty much the exact same system in my barn here on the farm but I'm adding more cross rafters as mine are 4 foot spaced. How long is the electric cord with the AC plug? I have an outlet in the rafters but may need a short extension cord. Good video, thanks.
Thanks for posting this video! I noticed the Mitsubishi Box. Any suggestions or links, please. Thank you.
Looking to add something like this for under my Ladder rack in my truck to get generators,table saws etc on and off.
Is there a better channel on RUclips? I think not.
I LIKE IT!. Don't have a tall ceiling garage .......... but if I did, I'd be on this like white on rice!
Double up the unistrut so the trolley rail is stiffer to spread the load across the wooden members.
Im going to use my same but 240 v to make a lift from basement to attic in my house in sweden. Got same brand and model. I will though use stealbeam tshaped. Total hight 27 foot. Great winch😊i paid mine myself😅
Personally I would add lumber below the collar ties where they attach to the roof rafters. Right now you went to the trouble of adding the brackets for strength but how much does it help if the lumber it's attached to is just nailed or screwed into place? I would place lumber below it on either side and maybe even install blocking between the collar ties to reduce any deflection of dimensional Lumber.