# lifting system



## MrMcFeely (Jun 30, 2008)

What kind of measurements would you have to do in order to determine if the structure of your garage could hold a wench that can lift your car engine?


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## Bushytails (Jul 1, 2008)

Well, just make sure your wench is a wee lass, and you won't have any problems.  

I'm not sure there's any specific measurements you can make, unless you're a structual engineer and want to do lots of calculations...  and if you were, you probably wouldn't be asking.

Best bet would be a general inspection of your roof structure.  Is it well constructed?  Are rafters and joists 2x6 or larger, or 2x4s?  Is it held together properly, either with lots of nails or with strongties properly attached?  Are rafters/etc solid pieces of wood, or did the builder cheap out and nail a bunch of scraps together, or even worse, use "engineered wood"?  If you jump on a joist, does it feel solid?

It also matters a lot on the engine you're pulling...  I'd pull my car's engine with a piece of rope looped over a 2x4.  I wouldn't do that with my truck's engine.

The most important part is to mount your winch/hoist to a structure that distributes the load over a number of rafters.  Rather than bolting it directly to one joist or rafter, get some 4x6s, mount them lengthwise to distribute the load over several joists/rafters, then mount to them.  Unless you have a poorly constructed garage, or a very large engine, this should be sufficient.

If your garage has another room over it, your options are a lot more limited.  Floors are typically a lot weaker than roofs.  Your best bet would be to just build a strong structure on the bottom of it, such as two parallel 10' 4x6s, then bolt to that.


--Bushytails


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