Harbor Freight 1,320 Electric Hoist in the Rafters?

[mike44]

Question for you construction/framers out there, or if you have hands on experience.
Is it reasonable to spread out the 1,320# load over say, 4 rafters to support the hoist and the load?
I am thinking of a roller strut design with u-bolts wrapped around the rafters to support this hoist https://www.ebay.com/itm/1320Lbs-Mi...G0:sc:FedExHomeDelivery!95926!US!-1:rk:7:pf:0
Have you done it?
Did you lift a 1,000lb load safely?
Is this a stupid idea?
What about 500lbs?
Thank you.
It sure looks like a great way to lift heavy objects on to the lathe (12" chuck) or welding table or.......

I did mount an electric hoist to the rafters, not the joists. This was in an opening in the ceiling of my shop next to the pull down stairs. The hoist is rated for 440 lbs or 880 lbs using a snatch block . I bolted 4 steel brackets across 4 rafters and a 1-1/2" steel pipe bolted to the brackets. The most weight I have lifted so far was about 325 lbs. In your case I believe you mean joists. I lifted a 900 lb mill-drill with a come-a-long using the ceiling joists for support. I installed two 4x4's , one on top of another to make a 4 x 8 . This spanned 3 joists. Then bored a hole thru and added a 5/8" length of acme threaded rod with plate washers. The come-a-long hooked up to the rod. I used acme thread because I had it on hand.
This worked out fine but you need to know if your joists can take the weight. My joists are 10" engineered ones on 2-0' centers.

mike

 

[FOMOGO]

Might consider something along these lines. Perhaps a little less heavy duty. Attach by spreading the load along the top double plate of the wall, and leave the ceiling out of the equation. Several different routes to make it rotate 180 deg. Planning on making several of these for my new space. Mike

 

[epanzella]

If you put the rail underneath and parallel with the ridge board you can strap the joists up to the rafters on either side of the ridge with 1/2 inch plywood strips. (2 per joist) Spanning 4 joists and rafters it would hold anything that little winch could lift. Forces on the rafters try to spread the walls out and the main function of the joists is to prevent that. It's important that ALL the joists have plenty of nailing both to each other in the center of the span and to the rafter tails right over the exterior walls. I'm assuming you have at least a 3 pitch on your roof. The more pitch the stronger it is. BTW, my son has one of those in his shop and loves it. It lifts a deer or a quad with equal enthusiasm. And, speaking of the half moon club, I'm a charter member!

 

[Janderso]

I am a fan of Youtube. This thread is about overhead hoists.
Did anyone see the "Amateur Redneck' video on this subject?
I have done some less than professional things in my day.

You need to skip to the hoist part of the video.
Harrold, I'm laughing with you. Very entertaining.
(I hope I am not breaking any rules)

 

[Janderso]

Seeing the pictures of the deer, my wife and I went out to the property in Paradise, CA.
The Camp fire consumed over 450 square miles.
We had wildlife all around us. The deer were everywhere. The last 3 times we were up there I did not see one squirrel or a deer, anywhere.
Last Sunday, we saw a small family of 5 deer. They had their winter coats so they looked scruffy. They appeared to be fed though the food supply is non existent.
Daffodils and crocus are blooming, signs of new life are emerging after all the devastation.

 

[westerner]

I am certainly not an engineer, and my thoughts are not to be trusted even if I was. But I will put in my two cents from experience.

My shop is 24' wide. Engineered trusses span the 24', in a 4/12 roof pitch, flat ceiling. The trusses are engineered for a 60 pound/square foot static (snow) load. 2x6 top chord, 2x4 bottom chord, 2x4 web. The web is a "W". Top points of W are "center of right side", Center, "center of left side" on the top chord.
Bottom points of "W" are 1/3 of span (8feet) from wall, either direction, on the bottom chord.
I apologize for the vague description. I can get some pics if it would help anyone.

I built this shop in 1988. At that time, I recognized I will need some lifting help in the future. (one of the few salient thoughts I had at the time )
I put 4x6 Douglas Fir beams in the trough of the lower web, spanning 7 trusses (14 feet), one in each trough. This left me with a span of 8 feet, from one trough to the other, across the lower chord. I put another 4x6 Douglas Fir beam across the 8' span from trough to trough, on top of the 14 footers, 90 degrees to, and laid 6' of 6x2 steel channel iron on top of that. The engineer on the project determined that the materials on hand met the appropriate structural requirements

Since that time, I have had numerous great heavy things hanging on the chain fall that is centered on the Douglas Fir/channel iron spanning the 8' from trough to trough. Deer, Bull Elk, Toyota 4 cylinders, Ford 300 six, Big Blocks in the classic American Style, and innumerable lighter things that went on the chain cuz I just flat did not want to lift it myself

One day, it may all come down around my ears, but so far I have heard no complaints from above. I recognize that the truss is engineered for a compressive load, not a tension one. That said, you ever try to remove one of those "gang nails" they assemble these trusses with?

My two cents, worth what you paid, which was less than the 2 cents

 

[LJP]

I have a 20' deep building, 2x12 joists @ 12" on center. I put in horizontal blocking between two joists every 3' and reinforced with joist hangers.
Then hung a steel I beam from this blocking, Steel sits on 2x6 studded wall at the back and built-up triple 2x12 header over the center of the door.
Harbor freight 1 ton trolley hung on beam and HF 1 ton manual chain fall. I back my trailer in the door and have lifted a 13" South Bend lathe w/cast iron base off the trailer alone (among many other heavy machines). Not a problem. Stick a temporary 4x4 under it in the center if you want to shorten the span. I usually lift my 15" Troyke rotary table onto the Bridgeport with it. Beam was placed above the Bridgeport (2' off center) for this reason.

 

[westerner]

Strength of Materials- Is it just me, or were things getting done just fine, with minimal disruption, and A LOT less fuss, BEFORE the "ambulance chasers" came to rule? Sorry, mini-rant over.

 

[john.k]

yeah,and houses were built of decent materials........the wood used now would have been burnt as mill waste in the fifties............

 

[gdavila]

My shop (garage) was stick framed in the early 50's. The 2 x 10 joists are 20' long and rest on top of the walls, which are over 10' high. To reinforce the joists, I cut new joists and screwed them alongside the originals, effectively doubling them up. I played them with the crown up, the jacked up the originals to match before using drive screws to mate them. Doing this removed many years of sag and will allow me to hand the rail for the hoist. 500-1000lbs should be no problem.