Racor - PHL-R, Garage Ceiling Storage Rack Lift

This is a great product. I highly recommend it for its intended use, as well as for its use in my "modified" fashion (that I will explain below).First of all, if you have the space in your garage to install one, you should, because we all know how full a garage gets with extraneous items. This way, you can store the off-season items you don't need, and rotate it out for things you do. That's what most people do.For me, I wanted a place to store my jeep soft top parts when I had the hard top on. These parts are fragile and expensive, so I wanted them safe and out of the way. As a bonus, I also found a way to hang the hard top, but I'll get to that later. First, the installation.You "could" conceivably do this alone, but it would be a challenge. Better to get a friend (or two) to help. I had my father in law and a buddy, and it went up in a snap. Assembling the shelf is a snap. Where it gets tricky is installing the mounts into the ceiling joists. Make sure you've got a stud finder. The mounts need to go into the studs with 10 screws per mount, evenly spaced. So if you want to install it in a particular orientation and the joists run the other way, you'll have to put up 2x4s first, on the ceiling, and then install the mounts.Luckily for me, the joists ran the correct way for me to install my Racor, which had to be oriented with the winch mechanism on the side (so that I could pull my jeep in and still access it). Think about that orientation before you start installing.Anyway, having a friend help you by holding the mount as you drill pilot holes and insert the screws is very helpful. Went up quick that way. Make sure you do drill pilot holes first, else it will be a lot more work. Also, make sure you measure correctly when installing the second mount, so that it lines up properly.Once the mounts are installed, snaking the cables and attaching to the shelf is no problem. The winch mechanism can be used by hand, but you'll get a real workout, particularly with a load. A drill works great to automate that task, and I highly recommend it.So, for me, I did some mods. I wrapped the edges of the Racor in pipe insulation to provide padding and weight distribution. Then I wove some cam buckle straps through the flooring, leaving the hooks hanging down the sides.So with these hooks, I can "grab" the Jeep hardtop when I back up my jeep right underneath the Racor. One person can then undo the roof bolts, lift each corner, and hook up the Cam strap. Once all 4 are hooked up, I raise the Racor a few inches, and drive the Jeep out. Then I lower the Racor again, adjust and tighten up the straps, and raise it to the ceiling, giving me Hardtop storage without sacrificing valuable square footage in the garage.Bonus that I can store my Jeep soft top parts on the shelf, out of the way, in the winter when the hardtop is on.You can spend more to buy a "custom" jeep roof system that gives you no other storage, or use this with some mods and have a dual purpose system. The roof only weighs ~125 lbs, so plenty of margin for safety.Highly recommend this versatile product.

I use this to store a roof top tent and bed rack that during warmer seasons sits on the bed of my truck for camping. I did not use the entire tray, just the side bars to keep the cables even and straight. Total weight being stored is about 150 lbs., and it lifts it easily using the hand crank.First, make sure you have a good spot for it that does not interfere with the garage door, lighting, etc.Installation was relatively easy, although working on a ladder above your head is kind of a pain. The instructions were clear and easy to follow. I am pretty meticulous, and it took me a couple of hours to install once I added additional bracing in the attic and relocated a bracket for the garage door opener (see why you should check your mounting location first?). I had one of the cable ends assembled wrong and had to take it back apart once, so check your work closely as you go. That mistake only took 10 minutes to correct, though. The 4 bolts at the end of each bracket are somewhat blocked by the pulley, so those took me a while with a wrench. I just remembered that I have some wobble sockets, that might have been easier.Since I am using this as a hoist, I needed to raise it quite a bit before attaching it to the load (like you would with a truck shell, Jeep hard top, etc.). You need to put some weight on the cables to get them to wind correctly until they are attached to your load. I just used a board and a bucket of random heavy stuff sitting around and that was enough to keep the cables winding correctly.Great product, perfect for what I needed.

My son and I assembled and installed this lift in 1 hour, I took photo's along the way for future installs for myself and friends and all in all am very happy with this unit. The assembly was smooth, there are mistakes easily made due to slightly vague directions but reading reviews and a little floor layout/assembly with my son made it a breeze. I had no issues with drilling and bolting to the ceiling but I recommend you have some one help. I just ordered two more, we live in Alaska and shipping is a big deal, Amazon and free shipping will get my business repeatedly. I have high ceilings in the garage, the cables do not allow the platform to lower completely to the floor, approximately 1' from the floor which makes loading the platform slightly challenging, balanced loading and an assistant helps. My first lift is loaded with 8 off road truck tires (no rims), load range E tires so they are on the heavy side, actually over the weight limit with minor deflection, works perfect for using all that ceiling space and opening up the garage. On my next two I will be loading rough neck totes full of gear, a lawn mower and pressure washer - confidence is very high that these units will last and function well for my needs. My only other negative is that the two piece rod used for raising/lowering (with a cordless drill) is fastened together in the middle with a small bolt, be very careful, I cut my hand when using the drill to operate, the bolt is long and when you operate the drill the bolt is spinning - I cut the bolt shorter and wrapped it with tape.