Electric hoist mounted to channel for lifting engines? (8 Viewers)

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NKP Garage

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Anyone installed an electric hoist in their garage for lifting engines out of trucks? Better yet, anyone done this with the hoist mounted on tracks/channel with rollers?

Buying up the parts to do the install, only thing I'm concerned about so far is the strength of the beams in the garage ceiling that it will all be attached to. I'm no structural engineer, and have no idea what the strength of those beams usually are.
 
Anyone installed an electric hoist in their garage for lifting engines out of trucks? Better yet, anyone done this with the hoist mounted on tracks/channel with rollers?

Buying up the parts to do the install, only thing I'm concerned about so far is the strength of the beams in the garage ceiling that it will all be attached to. I'm no structural engineer, and have no idea what the strength of those beams usually are.
Yup, there are a couple on here. Permanent cross beam and swing away. Look forward to seeing your setup.
 
You need to calculate what your roof structure can support and your attaching method has to distribute the load so it isn't a point load on the structure. Like say you wanted to attach a junior beam to the underside of your roof trusses- You would make up steel sections to spread the load on the top of the lower chord of the truss then bolt the top of your beam to that spreader.

How tall is your garage ceiling? Hoists take a lot of vertical room by nature. If you want to pull engines you need a 1/2 ton rated hoist. A compact light duty manual 1/2 ton chanfall might only take up a foot, but a powered 1/2 ton hoist is going to be more like 2 feet.

This is coming from a guy who has done some real sketchy stuff when I was younger. I would not take any chances with lifting gear if there's any possibility of a person being injured if it failed. Get a real engineer involved. One that has experience with lifting gear and understands the requirements.

This may come out of left field, but the single most useful tool I have ever bought is a forklift. A forklift is so incredibly useful. A 2500-4000 lb capacity propane forklift with an auto trans is such a sweet tool even around your house. I have a 3500 Komatsu, a 9K Hyster and a 5 ton bridge crane in my shop. The 3500 Komatsu is used several times a day. Even at my house I use the forklifts from lifting up the lawnmower to sharpen the blades, unloading lumber, moving the firepit ring to mow the lawn and my neighbors frequently need something loaded or unloaded which is always nice to keep them happy. Anyway, forklift takes up less room than a cherry picker and an older one is generally always worth what you paid for it running or not.
 
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Yup, there are a couple on here. Permanent cross beam and swing away. Look forward to seeing your setup.
Just grabbed the supplies this morning. Waiting on Amazon to deliver the pulley/trolley gizmos.

Here's the supplies I've got on the list so far:
* 3 sections of 10ft 1 5/8" 12 gauge channel
* Two 4-pulley trolley's with a "T" bracket on each for the hoist
* Two 4-pulley trolleys with M10 bolt/nuts for the hoist channel to run on two other channels that will it will ride on perpendicularly
* The electric hoist itself
* 3/8" lag bolts and washers

Should be an interesting project.
 
Yup, there are a couple on here. Permanent cross beam and swing away. Look forward to seeing your setup.
Good point on the swingaway. I'll document the install as I go.


You need to calculate what your roof structure can support and your attaching method has to distribute the load so it isn't a point load on the structure. Like say you wanted to attach a junior beam to the underside of your roof trusses- You would make up steel sections to spread the load on the top of the lower chord of the truss then bolt the top of your beam to that spreader.

How tall is your garage ceiling? Hoists take a lot of vertical room by nature. If you want to pull engines you need a 1/2 ton rated hoist. A compact light duty manual 1/2 ton chanfall might only take up a foot, but a powered 1/2 ton hoist is going to be more like 2 feet.

This is coming from a guy who has done some real sketchy stuff when I was younger. I would not take any chances with lifting gear if there's any possibility of a person being injured if it failed. Get a real engineer involved. One that has experience with lifting gear and understands the requirements.
It's a little over 9ft tall ceiling. Sheet rocked, so I can't see what the beams actually look like. There's also a floor above the garage, not roof. So I'm a little unsure what the actual structure looks like above the garage ceiling. I'll be using a 1ton electric hoist. I think they rate it as 1ton using a pulley if I remember right.
 
Good point on the swingaway. I'll document the install as I go.



It's a little over 9ft tall ceiling. Sheet rocked, so I can't see what the beams actually look like. There's also a floor above the garage, not roof. So I'm a little unsure what the actual structure looks like above the garage ceiling. I'll be using a 1ton electric hoist. I think they rate it as 1ton using a pulley if I remember right.

I edited my post to add the bit about forklifts after you replied.

IMO, a 1 ton hoist is way to big to attach to a wood framed garage ceiling unless it was specifically designed for it.
 
* 3 sections of 10ft 1 5/8" 12 gauge channel

12 gauge? WTF is that supposed to lift? Are you talking about unistrut? 3/8" lag bolts? You are considering lagging into the BOTTOMS of the ceiling joists?

I sure hope you aren't actually lifting more than 200 lbs a couple feet off the ground with this.
 
12 gauge? WTF is that supposed to lift? Are you talking about unistrut? 3/8" lag bolts? You are considering lagging into the BOTTOMS of the ceiling joists?

I sure hope you aren't actually lifting more than 200 lbs a couple feet off the ground with this.
Yes, Unistrut.

Maybe it's time for more research then, I can build a motor with my eyes closed, but I'm no structural home engineer ;) I'm trying my best to avoid getting a cherry picker. Don't have the space to keep it around even folded up.
 
12 gauge? WTF is that supposed to lift? Are you talking about unistrut? 3/8" lag bolts? You are considering lagging into the BOTTOMS of the ceiling joists?

I sure hope you aren't actually lifting more than 200 lbs a couple feet off the ground with this.

This is where I'm at so far. Based on your response, I take it this is a bad idea? :)


Screen Shot 2022-05-12 at 10.03.42 AM.png
 
You can't safely lift an engine with that stuff. No way. That whole setup is only as strong as the weakest link which is a single 3/8" lag into the ceiling.

If you skip welded unistrut to a real beam that was then properly attached to distribute the load across all the ceiling joists you could lift what the unistrut is rated for, which even then isn't more than a pretty small engine.
 
Wish I could see above the sheetrock. Based on some additional reading, my guess is that we have "floor trusses" above this ceiling. Something like the photo below. If that is the case this is a bad idea. Might be time to go back to the drawing board.

Screen Shot 2022-05-12 at 10.11.49 AM.png
 
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What do you want to accomplish and how much room do you have? There are lots of ways to lift things without attaching something to the ceiling.
 
You can't safely lift an engine with that stuff. No way. That whole setup is only as strong as the weakest link which is a single 3/8" lag into the ceiling.

If you skip welded unistrut to a real beam that was then properly attached to distribute the load across all the ceiling joists you could lift what the unistrut is rated for, which even then isn't more than a pretty small engine.
Based on the Unistrut specs and the 2 sets trolleys w/ 8 wheels total. I think that part should be plenty fine. But you're 100% right on the ceiling structure. Unless I have a way of attaching to a BUNCH of the ceiling trusses this is not going to be safe.
 
What do you want to accomplish and how much room do you have? There are lots of ways to lift things without attaching something to the ceiling.
Typical garage. Just want an easy way to get a long block out of a vehicle/SUV without having to store a cherry picker.
 
I don't know what your finished setup was going to look like, but you say two trolleys/8 wheels so I'm guessing that means you will have a third piece of unistrut acting as a bridge mounted to the trolleys with a third trolley below to attach the hoist?

You can only lift what ONE of the trolleys is rated for. Adding more trolleys doesn't increase the load handling unless the load is equalized between them.

You need a beam about 8" tall to span those two unistruts and lift 1000 lbs mid span with minimal deflection.

All this stuff considered, do you have room for a small gantry like this: 1 ton Capacity Telescoping Gantry Crane - https://www.harborfreight.com/1-ton-capacity-telescoping-gantry-crane-62510.html

A gantry like this can often be stored over a toolbox, machinery or a parked vehicle.
 
I don't know what your finished setup was going to look like, but you say two trolleys/8 wheels so I'm guessing that means you will have a third piece of unistrut acting as a bridge mounted to the trolleys with a third trolley below to attach the hoist?

You can only lift what ONE of the trolleys is rated for. Adding more trolleys doesn't increase the load handling unless the load is equalized between them.

You need a beam about 8" tall to span those two unistruts and lift 1000 lbs mid span with minimal deflection.

All this stuff considered, do you have room for a small gantry like this: 1 ton Capacity Telescoping Gantry Crane - https://www.harborfreight.com/1-ton-capacity-telescoping-gantry-crane-62510.html

A gantry like this can often be stored over a toolbox, machinery or a parked vehicle.
Yup, you got it. Was planning on one more 8ft section of Unistrut between those two.

I saw that Gantry as well. It's definitely an option.


Maybe my best option is to just suck it up and get a 2ton engine lift, and deal with the space it takes to store it. Seems like the most logical thing to do.
 
Cherry picker isn't really good at anything and they take a lot of room. Forklift is good at so many things and they take up exact same room as Cherry picker.

Rolling gantry is more useful than cherry picker and much safer than cherry picker and takes up the least room compared to cherry picker or forklift provided you can store it over the top of something.

I bought my first forklift 16 years ago. A little 1960's Hyster 2500 space saver for $800. I don't remember what friend I loaned my cherry picker out to shortly after I bought that forklift, but I never asked for it returned and I hope whoever it was never brings it up because I don't want it back.
 
Cherry picker isn't really good at anything and they take a lot of room. Forklift is good at so many things and they take up exact same room as Cherry picker.

Rolling gantry is more useful than cherry picker and much safer than cherry picker and takes up the least room compared to cherry picker or forklift provided you can store it over the top of something.

I bought my first forklift 16 years ago. A little 1960's Hyster 2500 space saver for $800. I don't remember what friend I loaned my cherry picker out to shortly after I bought that forklift, but I never asked for it returned and I hope whoever it was never brings it up because I don't want it back.
I think that's the same exact forklift I had at our old shop. It was older than me but worked everytime I turned the key. Gasoline powered and easy to fix when things broke. Loved that thing! But I think my wife would have sleeping in the backyard if I showed up with a forklift that was going to be stored in the garage. ;)
 
Alright, crisis averted thanks to the feedback in this thread. Appreciate it y'all !! Just grabbed a 2ton cherry picker. I'll figure a place in the garage to keep it.


Now, hmmm... anyone want a 2200lbs electric hoist? I bought it from a neighbor, but its brand new still in the box. If nobody here wants it I'll likely put it on the local craigslist/FBMarketplace.
 

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