Free ceiling winch (for me)

[Daan]

So a friend of my wife, has this in her garage. She didn’t know what it was and asked me about it when we were over visiting. I of course freaked out and told her I dearly wished I had something like it in my garage, and she told me to just take it 😳😳😳
After her repeating that several times (and refusing money for it) I plan on going back to retrieve it in the next couple days. Now I just have to figure out how to mount it in MY garage… anybody have any experience with these?
I have a stuck 259 in my Hawk, and a 289 I need to pick up off my garage floor and do some maintenance stuff to, so this winch would be a lifesaver for me. Assuming I can hang it up correctly. Their house is a lot newer than mine, and has a much lower ceiling in the garage. I feel like I should find a Pro to put it up, but I don’t really know anyone who does stuff like that.
It looks like it’s attached to 2x6’s and I went up into their attic and didn’t see anything above it in there, so I ASSUME if I get something similar in my garage I’ll be OK… but if someone here has or had something similar and has any advice, I’m all ears!
Thank you!

[bensherb]

The big question is , what is holding up those 2x6's and what is the free span legnth? One issue I see with the way its mounted is that it is only usefull in THAT one location. To be honest, I'd build a rolling gantry to mount it on. That way you can lift something and move it instead of lifting something and trying to figure out what to do with it now that it's up. I have something similar that just lifts (the frame is steel), and its usually a PITA to do anything with it since it doesn't move, but I just have a 1.5 ton chain block on it, not a winch. FYI, Harbor Freight no longer sells that winch, but they have one with the same specs from a different maker for $170.

[SB Avanti]

1 ton Capacity Telescoping Gantry Crane from Harbor Freight. A little expensive but well worth it. I have one in my garage and I love it.

https://www.harborfreight.com/1-ton-capacity-telescoping-gantry-crane-62510.html?_br_psugg_q=gantry+cranes

[sweetolbob]

Be aware that the capacity of your winch is 1500# rolling not lifting as it's meant to pull ATV's out of snow banks. As a full dressed 289 probably hits 700# or so, I'd be sure not to be under it.

I have a couple of these 880# HF units but I only used my 3 ton chainfall or engine hoist to mess with engines. The HF units are very good for lifting furniture, refrigerators or engine blocks out of my pickup.

https://www.harborfreight.com/880-lb...electric+hoist

YMMV, Bob

[E. Davis]

So a friend of my wife, has this in her garage. She didn’t know what it was and asked me about it when we were over visiting. I of course freaked out and told her I dearly wished I had something like it in my garage, and she told me to just take it 😳😳😳
After her repeating that several times (and refusing money for it) I plan on going back to retrieve it in the next couple days. Now I just have to figure out how to mount it in MY garage… anybody have any experience with these?
I have a stuck 259 in my Hawk, and a 289 I need to pick up off my garage floor and do some maintenance stuff to, so this winch would be a lifesaver for me. Assuming I can hang it up correctly. Their house is a lot newer than mine, and has a much lower ceiling in the garage. I feel like I should find a Pro to put it up, but I don’t really know anyone who does stuff like that.
It looks like it’s attached to 2x6’s and I went up into their attic and didn’t see anything above it in there, so I ASSUME if I get something similar in my garage I’ll be OK… but if someone here has or had something similar and has any advice, I’m all ears!
Thank you!

First of all. Those are not two by sixes. Maybe you measured them but they look like two by tens and they are a sandwich of three so you have basically a 6 inch by ten inch beam . For that winch I wouldn't want anything else for safety's sake. You may have to do a little bracing up in your garage to mount this thing in a safe manner.

[Bob Andrews]

That looks like what guys use that have cars with hard tops, like a jeep or a bronco or a 50s Corvette, or maybe a pick up truck cap. It’s just a cheap lightweight winch that they mount on the ceiling to lift the top up and hold it out of the way when they want it off the vehicle.

[JohnM15]

I have one of these and have installed many of engine with it:

https://www.harborfreight.com/2-ton-capacity-foldable-shop-crane-69514.html

[52-fan]

I did not even realize that type of winch came in 120 volt versions. If it was installed correctly, it would be useful.

[Daan]

I have one of these and have installed many of engine with it:

https://www.harborfreight.com/2-ton-...ane-69514.html

good to know!

[Daan]

I got it down today. It was a little difficult by myself, but I only died a little bit😂 It was held up by 2x10’s and angle iron. I need to measure my garage to see where I can hang this. I was up in their garage attic and the 2x10 beams didn’t appear to be attached to any of the trusses up there, unless there was fancy hidden woodwork I couldn’t see. So since my garage is 100% open, I shouldn’t have a problem putting a beam up.
Apparently the original owner of the house ran a quasi-legal motorcycle shop out of it, so that makes a little more sense. They had lots of lights, a few 60-amp outlets and about 500 110-outlets, plus a giant built in electric heater-I was definitely feeling some Garage Envy!

[Daan]

Why do women live longer than men? 😂 I don’t know how I got it down without falling through the ceiling or dropping the winch on myself… but that’s enough climbing around for today.

[tomlewis]

Please Google the difference between a winch and a hoist. This unit is a winch. It is not designed to do what you envision and is unsafe at best with any kind of suspended load and deadly at worst. It is designed to pull loads horizontally and only under the ideal conditions will it come close to the rated capacity. That thing is dangerous overhead.

Tom

[Daan]

Well I do need a winch… there’s a bunch of things I could have used a winch for