Hanging extension ladder from ceiling?

[signcrafter]

I'm out of wall space so thinking about hanging my 28' extension ladder from the ceiling. On some sort of pulley system to raise and lower it. Ceilings are about 12 feet tall. Anyone else do this and have pics of their setup? I'm thinking the easiest way would be to put a couple hooks on the wall up at the ceiling. Then hook one end of the ladder on those hooks and use a pulley and rope setup to raise the other end of the ladder up to the ceiling. But open to any and all ideas.

 

[matt_i]

Look at bike and kayak systems which already have the pulley system worked out. Modify for rope length.

 

[rcktpwrd]

They work great for bikes, should work well for a ladder too

https://smile.amazon.com/s?k=bike+p...PH8T3S&sprefix=bike+pully,aps,196&ref=a9_sc_1

 

[LeeG]

I wanted to hang a ladder above my garage door, but there was very little clearance (less than 3" beyond what the ladder would take).

Here's what I came up with.

View media item 102096
The vertical pieces are tied into a 2x4 that is laying across the top of the truss chords. The piece the top of the ladder rests on is fixed, with just enough clearance for me to rest the lip of the ladder on it when I am setting it in place. The piece for the base of the ladder has an eye on one side, and a hook on the other, allowing me to lift the cross-bar out of the hook and rotate it 90 degrees so I can remove the ladder.

View media item 102097
This has been very practical. There is just enough room to clear the garage door, and I don't loose all that precious wall space to store my 8' ladder.

 

[jonshonda]

They work great for bikes, should work well for a ladder too

https://smile.amazon.com/s?k=bike+p...PH8T3S&sprefix=bike+pully,aps,196&ref=a9_sc_1

^I used one of those bike lift systems for a ladder and personally hated it. If they would have just spent another $15-20 on materials and a pulley with a bearing, it might work out. The hooks also don't hold the rungs of the ladder at all, and there really isn't a fool proof way I found to ensure the hook would hold the ladder. When you are pulling the ladder up it seems like one end is always lower then the other and you constantly have to mess with making it level so it won't slide off the hooks.

I can post pics of my setup, but it might not work with 12' ceilings. Mine is 10'.

 

[pioneer1]

Lots of youtube videos on this. I did my step ladder similar to what LeeG did.
Used a HF bike https://www.harborfreight.com/bicycle-lift-95803.html for my spreader. Made some chains to attach to the spreader. Both work great.
The bike rack is rated for 44lbs. How heavy is your extension ladder?
Here's 1 I looked at. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007PM4KPW/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[slow]

my brother hangs a ladder on his garage. He suspends it using a pair of axle straps and 2 hooks on the ceiling, sorry no pictures.

 

[tarmy]

Mine are on a winch...

 

[Sluggo0018]

I hang my 32 foot aluminum extension ladder exactly as you describe. I use a rope and pulley on the bottom end. For the other end, I have a simple U shaped holder made of 2x4's mounted near the ceiling. I bring the ladder into the garage and insert the top end into the U shaped bracket and leave the bottom end on the floor. Then close the garage door to get that out of the way. Then use the rope and pulley to lift the other end until it is above the garage door tracks and hook the loop in the rope to a stud I have mounted in the side wall of the garage to hold the ladder in place. I use another small section of 2X4 with a rope sling to form a triangle to lift the bottom end of the ladder. I can do this process myself without too much effort or drama. Hope this makes sense.

Someday, if and when I finally get my 2 post lift, I will need to find another place for the ladder.

I would take a photo, but the ladder is actually in use in our two story foyer. My wife is painting this area. She got a little stir crazy with having to stay home and decided to change colors.

 

[CasesCustoms]

I used this and am happy with it:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007PM4KPW/?tag=atomicindus08-20

It does hang down a few inches from the ceiling but I store a few long items on top of the ladder also.

 

[Grant F]

I used this and am happy with it:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007PM4KPW/?tag=atomicindus08-20

It does hang down a few inches from the ceiling but I store a few long items on top of the ladder also.

X2. May be a little more expensive but everything is ready to go in one kit. Really like mine for 32 footer.

 

[R6 Racer]

I have 4 ladders & a set of ramps hanging above my one garage door. I did it just like you described. Hooks on the wall & a pulley in the ceiling. 2 more pulleys, one on the wall between the 2 hooks for each ladder & 1 more at the same height over beside the door. A fastening point halfway down each side of the door keeps the ropes tight & the ladders up.
I'll try to remember to get you a pic tomorrow. But it works super simple.

The bike lift would work too. I plan on rigging 2 together to hold an assembly table up against the ceiling. (got the idea of hanging an assembly table from Jack Olsens place)


Steve

 

[Innovate1]

I use some simple hooks on the ceiling for ladders now for them on edge since the ceilind is low enough to reach them - hook one end up and then the other. Will need to use some pulleys for my new higher ceiling.

You can hang just about anything with a few pulleys if the weight isn't too heavy. Dad made a lift for a pickup canopy in his pole barn and used a small manual boat winch on a side pole. Used two 2 x 4s under it and 4 lines.

More pictures would be great.

 

[Trapps]

I wanted to hang a ladder above my garage door, but there was very little clearance (less than 3" beyond what the ladder would take).

Here's what I came up with.

View media item 102096
The vertical pieces are tied into a 2x4 that is laying across the top of the truss chords. The piece the top of the ladder rests on is fixed, with just enough clearance for me to rest the lip of the ladder on it when I am setting it in place. The piece for the base of the ladder has an eye on one side, and a hook on the other, allowing me to lift the cross-bar out of the hook and rotate it 90 degrees so I can remove the ladder.

View media item 102097
This has been very practical. There is just enough room to clear the garage door, and I don't loose all that precious wall space to store my 8' ladder.

THIS. IS. AWESOME. Thanks!

 

[CraigStu]

It is easy to do w/ a few pulleys and some rope and a cleat. One house of ours came w/ one of the bicycle rigs where the latch for the rope is up on the ceiling. They were terrible because it was hard to get the rope into a position where they would release. Never again. Even for just an aluminum ladder you want a multi-part pulley system. 2 to 1 minimum.
https://www.ropebook.com/information/pulley-systems/
I run the rope through that system and then over toward the wall through another pulley near the wall/ceiling and then down to a cleat on the wall at a handy height.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Sea-Dog-...=sem&msclkid=03777ff0cf481432b21021793609a90e
I recommend you look for the highest quality pulleys you can find and, if they don't have bearings, lube them well. The amount of friction cheap pulleys add is surprising. Oh and buy the best braided line you can find. No three strand.

 

[Bryan Burns]

I bolted plywood to the angle irons supporting my garage door opener and attached large shelving brackets to the plywood. I use a stepladder to get to the ladders.

 

[Lynden]

You don't need cables and pulleys. Keep it simple.

If you aren't strong enough to lift your ladder up to and down from the garage ceiling (one end at a time), how will you be able to carry it outside and stand it up against a two story house.

 

[Dustball]

I went simple for mine. Two pieces of 1x6s screwed to the joists, two hooks on one end, one hook on the other.

I hook one end of the ladder on the two hooks, get on a step stool and raise the other end up where I turn the hook 90 degrees perpendicular to the rung to catch the rung. To take it down, I turn the hook 90 degrees parallel to the rung and bring it down.

The series of holes inline with each other was so I could pick the best position to hook and unhook the rung when turning the hook.

 

[rayra]

I just made a simple trapeze sort of rig tied to my 8'+ garage ceiling rafters. plywood end plates, some emt conduit passed thru and flattened on the ends. The EMT acts like rollers. Heavy aluminum multi-folding ladder, pretty heavy. I stand on a small sturdy wood box about the size of a milk crate and I can feed it in there pretty easily. Same taking it down.

 

[Innovate1]

You don't need cables and pulleys. Keep it simple.

If you aren't strong enough to lift your ladder up to and down from the garage ceiling (one end at a time), how will you be able to carry it outside and stand it up against a two story house.

That may be true for a regular ceiling and what I do with about a 9' ceiling. But for my new 14' ceiling I would need a ladder to get my ladder down. Short of getting some sort of man lift I am going to need some sort of pulley system. Seems like the simplest system for high ceilings. Some sort of hook(s) on one end, pulley on the other.

 

[Notgrownup]

I am not gonna ***** about my space availability after seeing some of these pictures....lol

 

[stonesfan68]

I have a pretty cramped garage as you can see...

I purchased some “L” brackets to connect the 2x4 lumber to the ceiling joists, and then ran some 3/8” or 1/2” all-thread between the lumber to support the ladder. The PVC covers the all-thread and helps the ladder roll out of storage. It works great. Of course it created another horizontal surface for which to store pool floats, etc.

 

[Lynden]

That may be true for a regular ceiling and what I do with about a 9' ceiling. But for my new 14' ceiling I would need a ladder to get my ladder down. Short of getting some sort of man lift I am going to need some sort of pulley system. Seems like the simplest system for high ceilings. Some sort of hook(s) on one end, pulley on the other.

You're correct. I hadn't considered 14-foot ceilings. However, if I had 14-foot ceilings, I wouldn't store the ladder on the ceiling. I would stand it up against the wall.

 

[rayra]

I am not gonna ***** about my space availability after seeing some of these pictures....lol

Sheeet, I bet you can even park a CAR in your garage.

 

[wes73]

How I store my 24 foot extension ladder with 10 foot ceilings. I cut a pocket in the ceiling between two trusses and stand it up.

 

[Innovate1]

You're correct. I hadn't considered 14-foot ceilings. However, if I had 14-foot ceilings, I wouldn't store the ladder on the ceiling. I would stand it up against the wall.

I will probably put it against the wall for a while but I expect wall space to become more limited as time goes on. Then it goes high on the walls or ceiling.

 

[eastbaysubaru]

I used this and am happy with it:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007PM4KPW/?tag=atomicindus08-20

It does hang down a few inches from the ceiling but I store a few long items on top of the ladder also.

X2. May be a little more expensive but everything is ready to go in one kit. Really like mine for 32 footer.

x3. Works great.

-Brian

 

[R6 Racer]

A little late, but here's my set up.
Sorry they aren't clearer.


Steve