dbowl79
Member
Garage Ladder Hoist / Pulley System Advice!
I recently purchased a Racor ladder lift to help store a 120" long stepladder (when closed) along my garage ceiling void that is 123" between the rear ceiling soffit and front garage wall. Needless to say, there's little room for play and the walls stand to get banged up a bit.
I built a "U" bracket from 1/2" black iron and mounted it on a ceiling with a 2"x4" above the garage door spring. I decided against using the "J" hook provided by Racor as many reviewers stated that a stepladder will easily slide / fall out of the bracket since it was designed for extension ladders where the weight is distributed evenly, not to mention I literally only have an inch and half of play on both ends. I felt a U hook would provide more stability and also get me closer to the front garage wall, which is required.
I mounted the Racor pulley a little forward towards the front of the garage in hopes that it would apply forward pressure (towards the "U" bracket) and also to allow the foot of the ladder to swing up inside the soffit.
With the hoist ******** the second step, the ladder wants to slide backwards away from "U" bracket and crash down top first. With the hoist ******** the bottom step, the ladder pulls forward as hoped on lift, but now I can't seem to get the pulley system to release and now I have a stuck ladder. No biggie.
My concern is that this system may not work given the recommended position of the pulley system (directly above the last step) as I believe the pulley rope would be constrained by either the soffit or hit the bottom step of the ladder.
In looking at the pictures, can anyone suggest a remedy / solution to this dilemma? Is it simply a matter of moving the pulley location back a few inches above the bottom step, or is it time to go to plan B and DIY a pulley system?
Any advice / guidance from users with a similar system or who have faced a similar issue would be VERY MUCH appreciated!
Thanks in advance all!
Dusty B.
Columbus, OH
I recently purchased a Racor ladder lift to help store a 120" long stepladder (when closed) along my garage ceiling void that is 123" between the rear ceiling soffit and front garage wall. Needless to say, there's little room for play and the walls stand to get banged up a bit.
I built a "U" bracket from 1/2" black iron and mounted it on a ceiling with a 2"x4" above the garage door spring. I decided against using the "J" hook provided by Racor as many reviewers stated that a stepladder will easily slide / fall out of the bracket since it was designed for extension ladders where the weight is distributed evenly, not to mention I literally only have an inch and half of play on both ends. I felt a U hook would provide more stability and also get me closer to the front garage wall, which is required.
I mounted the Racor pulley a little forward towards the front of the garage in hopes that it would apply forward pressure (towards the "U" bracket) and also to allow the foot of the ladder to swing up inside the soffit.
With the hoist ******** the second step, the ladder wants to slide backwards away from "U" bracket and crash down top first. With the hoist ******** the bottom step, the ladder pulls forward as hoped on lift, but now I can't seem to get the pulley system to release and now I have a stuck ladder. No biggie.
My concern is that this system may not work given the recommended position of the pulley system (directly above the last step) as I believe the pulley rope would be constrained by either the soffit or hit the bottom step of the ladder.
In looking at the pictures, can anyone suggest a remedy / solution to this dilemma? Is it simply a matter of moving the pulley location back a few inches above the bottom step, or is it time to go to plan B and DIY a pulley system?
Any advice / guidance from users with a similar system or who have faced a similar issue would be VERY MUCH appreciated!
Thanks in advance all!
Dusty B.
Columbus, OH
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