Store your utility trailer on the ceiling

http://panofish.net/garage-trailer-lift/

This I can see doing actually. Right now my trailer is stored outside in the snow.

I've actually thought about this for if I ever find myself needing a utility trailer.

"I have all this time to psycho-anal-organize my tools, create a lift for my utility trailer in an otherwise empty garage - but no time to paint."

Christ, people are weird.

poopshovel wrote: Christ, people are weird.

But that is working on the incorrect assumption that there are "normal" people out there. Sad to say, there aren't any.

I like how he mentions that you should consult an engineer before doing something similar, but then he simply hung the cables from the bottom chord of those trusses which are not meant to carry a load.

It would have been a lot simpler and safer just to tip the trailer up against the wall when it's not in use.

stuart in mn wrote: I like how he mentions that you should consult an engineer before doing something similar, but then he simply hung the cables from the bottom chord of those trusses which are not meant to carry a load. It would have been a lot simpler and safer just to tip the trailer up against the wall when it's not in use.

Seriously. Dollars to doughnuts this guy is a berkeleying engineer. Double or nothing: He went to Georgia Tech.

If my garage was taller maybe....ah screw it. I'd have a twin-post hoist.

I have a Hobie 18 Sailboat hanging in a building.. Using a very similar setup..

Only instead of a winch.. I use the Main sheet system from the boat... and the load is carried by a structure designed for it.. and more given that my boat weighs half what his trailer does..

I wish I had more headroom.. I would just leave the boat on the trailer and pick the whole thing up..

A friend of mine has the shell of a Bugeye lashed to the ceiling of his garage. There's a finished floor above, so it's not trusses, but I'm not entirely certain it's an acceptable use of the structure...

stuart in mn wrote: It would have been a lot simpler and safer just to tip the trailer up against the wall when it's not in use.

I have a small trailer and store it like this.....easy

Wait, what do you mean that the bottom boards in a roof truss are not supposed to bear load? Isn't that what the garage door attaches to?

I am seriously asking, I don't know Jack or Jill about architecture, and I have a kayak hanger that was designed to hang from the cross members in my roof truss, and my garage door is attached to the same beams up in the front of the garage.

stuart in mn wrote: It would have been a lot simpler and safer just to tip the trailer up against the wall when it's not in use.

Proof that the guy is an engineer. He ignores a beautifully simple idea in exchange for an overly complicated contraption that took hours of designing, force analysis, computer simulations, etc. to pull off.

moparman76_69 wrote:

stuart in mn wrote: It would have been a lot simpler and safer just to tip the trailer up against the wall when it's not in use.

Proof that the guy is an engineer. He ignores a beautifully simple idea in exchange for an overly complicated contraption that took hours of designing, force analysis, computer simulations, etc. to pull off.

I'm an engineer, and I tip my trailer up against the wall. Part of being an engineer is being able to come up with a solution that works but is also simple.

Brett_Murphy wrote: Wait, what do you mean that the bottom boards in a roof truss are not supposed to bear load? Isn't that what the garage door attaches to? I am seriously asking, I don't know Jack or Jill about architecture, and I have a kayak hanger that was designed to hang from the cross members in my roof truss, and my garage door is attached to the same beams up in the front of the garage.

Well...strictly speaking, the bottom chord of a typical W truss can hold some weight without problems, but they're not designed for any real amount.

I don't know offhand the structural loads from a garage door, but I imagine their weight is partially supported from the rails bolted to the wall, plus they're a temporary load - the door is closed more often than it's open, while this guy's trailer is a continuous load.

That's how I hang two kayaks. In Europe they hang sailplanes in the air.

Dan

I could not get a good look at the mounting.. but I understand what you are saying about the bottom chord.

We have something similar here at Harrah's Atlantic City. Over the pool, is a 90 foot diameter glass dome. A dozen guys can walk on it when cleaning the glass, but you cannot hang anything from the trusses that hold it up. The reason: Compression. Weight on top of the dome compresses everything down to the bottom lip. Anything hung from inside, tries to pull the dome concave.

Now, I cannot see how he hung the trailer in that video.. but if he is a good engineer, I can only hope he added reinforcements or went up to the upper part of the roof truss and simply ran the pully hangers down to ceiling height.

And yes.. why do people NOT paint their garages? A nice coat of white or some other light colour would do wonders for making that place a bright place to work

He's clearly not a rigger, either. That looks to be 1/4" aircraft cable going around pulleys/sheaves designed for 3/8" rope. Those sheaves aren't designed to do that, and will fail.

his first issue was buying a home built by Pulte.

once the novelty wears off the trailer will sit outside in the weather

I hang my trailer from the ceiling of my garage. It's just a Hf tire trailer that I welded a metal box to. Floor space is at a premium in my garage and I'm afraid of theft if outside. I just use a 120v winch and 2 snatch blocks. It's worked well for the last three years. I use a couple tie down straps as a safety incase the winch or cable were to fail.

Looks like the trailer is aluminum, if so it doesn't weight squat.

Neat idea, but I think I could think of better things to hang on the ceiling. The trailer can sit in the back yard.

Sorry guys, my ears were burning

I am not a structural engineer, but I play one on the web. I actually have a Bachelors in Electronics Engineering and I am a computer programmer with computer graphics background. The "consult an engineer" statement is meant to provide a little legal protection from anyone that tries this and injures themselves. The trusses are engineered by Pulte (I don't think much of them either), but they can carry considerable static loads. My trailer is aluminum and weighs about 25% of a steel trailer. The trailer has been hanging there (except when I pull it down for hauling something) since 2003. I admit the lift is overly complicated, but I'm strange like that, because I seriously enjoyed designing, constructing and using it. I can't put the trailer in my back yard, my neighborhood won't allow it.

A few other people liked the idea, so they tried it for their stuff:

http://panofish.net/garage-boat-lift/

http://panofish.net/garage-trailer-lift-3/

http://panofish.net/garage-trailer-lift-4/

Thanks guys for checking out my blog... just couldn't help chiming in!

I thought it was pretty neat.
haters gon hate

I hang my boat trailer under my camp about 25 feet up in the same fashion. In fact, my boat hoist works on the same principle and holds a 2700 pound bay boat. Both of my hoists hang from sistered 2x12 beams so I'm not too worried about failure. My utility trailer lives outside in the rain.