A motorcycle pulley winch, cable lift system?

[CafeTools]

In the past I have attached nylon tie downs or chains to a car lift post, then attach to a motorcycle frame to lift it up. This makes it easy to work on certain things like fork seals, removing wheels etc. Obviously the gas tank usually needs to be removed to have better access to the frame.

Anyways I was thinking of attaching a system to the ridge beam in my shed. I have a 2x10 ridge beam about 15 feet up high.

I would ideally want a electric winch with a push button. Am I the only one who wants this? It doesn't seem common but theres many benefits.

 

[CafeTools]

The more I look I think something like the $99 harbor freight winch will work if I bolt it to the roof beam.

 

[Kevkx125]

Seems like a good idea just make sure your beam can support the weight

 

[Jinks]

A friend with an aftermarket shop used that all the time. A couple of soft ties on the bike, & just hook the winch in them. A great idea if the beam is strong enough!

 

[driftpin]

My loft lift, I can use it to lift my motorcycles, but I have a Handi-Lift. Much-preferred for working on bikes.

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=348003&highlight=loft+lift

The last pic, you see how I adapted a one-ton HFT winch to get stuff into the loft, or to lift something heavy on the floor. I was still in the mock-up stage, why I had the ram removed, and replaced with a wood beam, and vise-grips to check the pulley layout.

 

[Jackfre]

Moped or 1200GS? it matters. Whichever way you go you have to spend the load across the structure. If the structure is a little shy, or you do not have the figures to support a heavy lift you could still do it with a few stiff legs.

 

[matt_i]

Electric chain hoist is very nice but I have the Harbor Freight cable-hoist and its fine for intermittent duty, I use it to raise and lower a staircase occasionally.

 

[CafeTools]

So that harbor freight winch will work? Any ideas on how to attach it to my 2x10x16 foot ridge beam. Here's some pics of my shed and beam.

 

[gnpenning]

So that harbor freight winch will work? Any ideas on how to attach it to my 2x10x16 foot ridge beam. Here's some pics of my shed and beam.

This begs to be changed to the old hay barn style. Doors above the main door and a trolley system that came out side and inside.

 

[bwringer]

I use a chain fall sometimes in a similar way. I put straps over the joist, rather than drilling holes in the wood.

If you're just lifting one end of the bike, it's only a couple hundred pounds, not the full weight of the bike. Anything you could do chinups from (so darn near any joist) will be fine.

That said, it's a little less useful than you might think because the bike can swing around. I much prefer to lift from the bottom whenever possible because it's so much more stable. But once in a while being able to lift from the top saves the day.

 

[CraigStu]

I had one of the HF cable units in the shed at our previous house. I had an 11 gallon gas tank w/ wheels. I filled it up, and used the hoist to lift it each time to fill the tractor. Gravity worked great. Not sure how the trusses on 2 ft centers in my garage compare to your situation but I used a come-a-long to lift V8 engines. Got a long eye bolt that went through the drywall, and through a 4x4 that laid across 2 trusses. Just standard, not storage rated trusses. 500# or so no problem.

 

[mike93lx]

A single 2x10? I wouldn't hang much weight from that at all.

 

[Superbec]

So that harbor freight winch will work? Any ideas on how to attach it to my 2x10x16 foot ridge beam. Here's some pics of my shed and beam.

are you joking?

that construction may hold some weight bout I wouldn't trust my motorcycle hanging there .

 

[Millwrong]

I have a winch mounted to the trusses in my shop, and it comes in handy quite often. More so for placing heavy things on a table, or lifting items to put jack stands under, however. Working on something hanging from the line, swinging back and forth probably wouldn't be a whole lotta fun.

 

[driftpin]

I have a winch mounted to the trusses in my shop, and it comes in handy quite often. More so for placing heavy things on a table, or lifting items to put jack stands under, however. Working on something hanging from the line, swinging back and forth probably wouldn't be a whole lotta fun.

I agree, it's better to-use as a temporary lift for placing cribbing or stands underneath the bike, and then lowering the bike onto them. Or, make a platform and lift the bike onto it, but you don't have much for headroom there.