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Seeking guidance for installing Racor hoist

Morbo

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3 second intro - Hey there, first post here, new to Jeeps, picked up our Rubi just over a month ago... loving it so far!

Sorry in advance for the extremely long post.

Picked up a Racor hoist and Topsy brackets/straps. I'm a bit of rube when it comes to these types of tasks, ironically, I still over-think these things because of aforementioned ignorance. I end up going around in circles thinking about how best to perform a task I really don't know is the right way to do in the first place. Hence the reason I'm posting here...

On to my dilemma. Looking to mount the Racor in my garage and have a peculiar predicament. It's a 3-car garage (2-car bay and a 1-car bay). For the 2-car bay, it can't go in one spot because the entryway to the house is elevated. Even though we're short, we'd still be ducking to walk in and out of the garage. The other spot can handle it but I have my tools, workbench, etc. in a cubbyhole there. Want to avoid tying up this space so I'm not worried about smacking stuff into the roof while it's suspended. The plan is to leave the roof suspended all summer long and also for the occasional warm Fall/Winter day as well.

Mounting in the 1-car bay is preferred but has its challenges. I added the picture below to help illustrate. I have the opening to my attic space there. I never go up there but for this to work at all, I need to use the framed opening to mount the Racor brackets. The light, and possibly extension cord, will need to be relocated. Sucks, but not a showstopper. In doing some trial and error, I believe the configuration illustrated in my picture may work but looking for input from others who have installed the Racor or have a good understanding of mounting things to walls/ceilings/etc.

Challenges:
  • Couldn't find any measurements as to how far from the side/back walls anyone mounted the hoist so I'm not sure how close to the back wall I could go safely. Keeping 14" behind the spare tire gives me enough room to slide around behind the Jeep and it's really the minimum I can go without concerns over clearing the garage-door opener. I'd prefer to go back a few more inches if at all possible. Is there any downside or reasons to not have the Jeep so close to the back wall when removing the top? I figured I'd remove the 6 bolts in the cargo area and disconnect the rear wiper hose and wiring harness prior to backing in the Jeep, then remove the front 2 bolts prior to removing the top.
  • Joists/unnecessarily using 2x4s - This is my main concern. The joists in this area run front-to-back and, per the instructions, you should only use 2x4s if the joists run perpendicular. I cannot rotate the hoist to be perpendicular and mount behind the attic opening because I will not have enough room to back the Jeep in far enough. There's no way I can mount the hoist without using the frame around the attic opening. I would need to mount 2x4s to basically be shims for the hoist brackets (the rectangles in picture below). Everything running parallel and bolting to the joists. Is this a safe method to do? I would want to bolt the 2x4s to the joists and then get extra long lag bolts for the brackets to pass through the 2x4s and also tap into the joists as well (at least half of them if not all of them).
  • Assuming using 2x4s as shims and bolting everything up to the joists is suitable, any suggestions how long the lag bolts should be? I was already planning to replace the supplied screws with bolts since screws can strip out easily. If I'm mounting 2x4s to the joists, would 6" bolts be enough? If I'm going to mount the Racor hoist brackets to the 2x4s, would 6" long bolts work too or should they be longer? Keeping in mind I would think it'd be beneficial to still try and bolt the Racor brackets "directly" to the joist by going through the 2x4 and into the joist.

Would this way be safe? Am I overcomplicating things? Worst case, I move it to the 2-car bay and just be extra cautious when working in my cubbyhole.

Thanks in advance for any help/guidance anyone can offer.

49778588176_6e9edd19d2_o.jpg
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Steevr

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3 second intro - Hey there, first post here, new to Jeeps, picked up our Rubi just over a month ago... loving it so far!

Sorry in advance for the extremely long post.

Picked up a Racor hoist and Topsy brackets/straps. I'm a bit of rube when it comes to these types of tasks, ironically, I still over-think these things because of aforementioned ignorance. I end up going around in circles thinking about how best to perform a task I really don't know is the right way to do in the first place. Hence the reason I'm posting here...

On to my dilemma. Looking to mount the Racor in my garage and have a peculiar predicament. It's a 3-car garage (2-car bay and a 1-car bay). For the 2-car bay, it can't go in one spot because the entryway to the house is elevated. Even though we're short, we'd still be ducking to walk in and out of the garage. The other spot can handle it but I have my tools, workbench, etc. in a cubbyhole there. Want to avoid tying up this space so I'm not worried about smacking stuff into the roof while it's suspended. The plan is to leave the roof suspended all summer long and also for the occasional warm Fall/Winter day as well.

Mounting in the 1-car bay is preferred but has its challenges. I added the picture below to help illustrate. I have the opening to my attic space there. I never go up there but for this to work at all, I need to use the framed opening to mount the Racor brackets. The light, and possibly extension cord, will need to be relocated. Sucks, but not a showstopper. In doing some trial and error, I believe the configuration illustrated in my picture may work but looking for input from others who have installed the Racor or have a good understanding of mounting things to walls/ceilings/etc.

Challenges:
  • Couldn't find any measurements as to how far from the side/back walls anyone mounted the hoist so I'm not sure how close to the back wall I could go safely. Keeping 14" behind the spare tire gives me enough room to slide around behind the Jeep and it's really the minimum I can go without concerns over clearing the garage-door opener. I'd prefer to go back a few more inches if at all possible. Is there any downside or reasons to not have the Jeep so close to the back wall when removing the top? I figured I'd remove the 6 bolts in the cargo area and disconnect the rear wiper hose and wiring harness prior to backing in the Jeep, then remove the front 2 bolts prior to removing the top.
  • Joists/unnecessarily using 2x4s - This is my main concern. The joists in this area run front-to-back and, per the instructions, you should only use 2x4s if the joists run perpendicular. I cannot rotate the hoist to be perpendicular and mount behind the attic opening because I will not have enough room to back the Jeep in far enough. There's no way I can mount the hoist without using the frame around the attic opening. I would need to mount 2x4s to basically be shims for the hoist brackets (the rectangles in picture below). Everything running parallel and bolting to the joists. Is this a safe method to do? I would want to bolt the 2x4s to the joists and then get extra long lag bolts for the brackets to pass through the 2x4s and also tap into the joists as well (at least half of them if not all of them).
  • Assuming using 2x4s as shims and bolting everything up to the joists is suitable, any suggestions how long the lag bolts should be? I was already planning to replace the supplied screws with bolts since screws can strip out easily. If I'm mounting 2x4s to the joists, would 6" bolts be enough? If I'm going to mount the Racor hoist brackets to the 2x4s, would 6" long bolts work too or should they be longer? Keeping in mind I would think it'd be beneficial to still try and bolt the Racor brackets "directly" to the joist by going through the 2x4 and into the joist.

Would this way be safe? Am I overcomplicating things? Worst case, I move it to the 2-car bay and just be extra cautious when working in my cubbyhole.

Thanks in advance for any help/guidance anyone can offer.

49778588176_6e9edd19d2_o.jpg
First, congrats on the new Rubi. Good choice on the Racor lift. We love ours. While the hardtop is on the Rubi for the winter, the storage rack comes in handy to store the soft top, the original box for the slide out windows, Freedom top bag, slide out window storage bag and some additional misc stuff for our boat (snap in carpet and bow filler cushions).

Looking at your picture, I think you should be fine shimming up the Racor frame. My only question is, how thick is the frame around the attic opening? I'm guessing it's thinner than a 2X4. If that's the case, I would recommend you rip off the frame on the side that the Racor frame will overlap and use a long 2X4 to cover not only that side of the attic frame, but also as long as what's needed for the Racor frame. If you don't do that, you're going to have two different size thickness of wood to mount the Racor frame to.

For the lag bolts, I read other threads and went with the recommended Spax brand lags (available at Home Depot). I went with the 3" long lags, which put 2 1/2" into the joists (I have 1/2" drywall). If you're going to go through the 2X4's, I would recommend you go with at least a 4 3/4" long lag (3" plus another 1 3/4" to go through the 2X4). If they don't make that size, then go up to a 5" long if they have it.

Here's a pic of my setup. I back the Jeep in from the left side of the photo just like you. My joists run the other way, so my crack had to be at the tailgate of the Jeep. It's not visible in the picture but just behind the hanging bike, I have a shelf unit on the wall, so it's pretty tight once I get the Jeep in and have to climb behind the tailgate and the shelf to crank it.

As a precaution from the winch mechanism failing during storage, I also screwed 4 eye hooks into the joists and attached a second set of straps to the Racor storage shelf. I have my Mustang GT sitting underneath it so I'd hate to have it fall on the car.

Let me know if there's any other questions I can help with.

IMG_3016.JPG


IMG_3015.JPG
 
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Morbo

Morbo

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Thanks for your help @Steevr. The frame is 2x4 as well thankfully, which was why I was just thinking of adding a piece of 2x4 to it instead of replacing and keep it simple. I think I saw the thread you mentioned about using the Spax bolts, thanks for the additional recommendation for those.

Any thoughts on how many bolts I should use to secure the 2x4s to the joists? If I was mounting across joists as it shows in the directions, looks like at best it would be 6, using 2 bolts per joist. But since these are all going into the same joist not sure if I should use more bolts. I was originally thinking of putting in 8 to secure the 2x4 to the joist.

Thanks again for the advice.
 

Steevr

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Since the 2x4’s will be going along the joists and acting as shims, I would use all 10 holes on each side of the lift and use the lag bolts to go all the way through the 2x4 and into the joist. You could use several flush wood screws to hold the 2x4 shims in place to the joists when you prepare to attach the lift to it.

if you want a little more security, you could make the 2x4 on the non attic side a little longer than the lift rail and attach an additional lag screw at each end. On the attic side 2x4 you could put an extra lag on the long side closest to the wall. Just make sure to get the arms of the lift aligned on the existing 2x4 by the attic opening so that the lags go through the 2x4 attic trim and that it hits the joist. If you miss the joist by the attic opening, only 3/4 of the lift will be secured into the joists.

Hope that helps. Good luck and just take your time. Don’t rush it.

Steve
 

ChimpanZed

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Picked up a Racor hoist and Topsy brackets/straps. I'm a bit of rube when it comes to these types of tasks, ironically, I still over-think these things because of aforementioned ignorance.
49778588176_6e9edd19d2_o.jpg
We’re all figuring this out together. I read your post and smiled as I’m going through a similar predicament. I’m 1/2 way done with my install, mostly because I’m installing it in a really high garage, with joists that run the wrong way, and centering requires 2x4s. My story, so far, is here.

A few thoughts:

I decided to put the Racor lift 30” from the wall. That is, the Topsy brackets are 2.5’ from the far wall in my garage. I figured that left ample room for the spare tire, and a bigger spare and tire carrier if I get one in the future. It also puts the top as close to the wall as practical to maximize space, while also clearing an outlet that will one day be used for hanging lights.

My joists are 24” apart per the norm, but there is no joist in the center of the garage. My OCD needs the top centered in the garage because I have to sleep from time to time. I’m using 78” 2x4s to span 4 joists (per instructions) and give me another 3” per side to make sure the wood doesn’t split with bolts too close to the ends.

I’m using 3/8” x 6” lag bolts through the 2x4s, through the sheetrock, and into the joists. I figure this allows at least 3” of lag bolt thread into the joists. I also used a very long 5/32” bit (I think - let me confirm) to create pilot holes through the sheetrock and joists. Apparently the “correct” pilot hole size for 3/8” lag bolts into soft lumber is 11/64”. Good luck finding a long 11/64” bit at Home Depot. I went with the very closest I could find.

I think you have a few options with your setup. So long as the Racor is connected to the joists you’re good. I suspect that the attic door frame isn’t directly connected to the joists so I worry about anchoring to that. You can buy very long 3/8” lag bolts for cheap and can install them at an angle if needed. You might also be able to fabricate some attic bracing that connects the frame to the joists.

I’ll think through your situation and see if I have any epiphanies working on mine.
 

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Morbo

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Thanks @ChimpanZed. I appreciate your help. Hoping to put in my online order for bolts today or tomorrow.

The side of the attic frame I'm using is connected to the joists, albeit by only a couple of screws so the plan has always been to reinforce that side with some lag bolts.

Hoping to get this up this weekend. And hoping to post a successful follow up.
 
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Morbo

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Happy to report back I got the Racor hoist installed yesterday. The 6" lag bolts were more than enough, they actually punched through the top of the studs by a couple of millimeters. Planning on giving it a test run tonight with the hardtop.


Loaded it up with stuff and let it hang for about 4-5 hours. If my bathroom scale is at all accurate, there's about 180 lbs of stuff on there.
49797260876_8fd30f6b37_o.jpg


Tucked away for now.
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Steevr

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Happy to report back I got the Racor hoist installed yesterday. The 6" lag bolts were more than enough, they actually punched through the top of the studs by a couple of millimeters. Planning on giving it a test run tonight with the hardtop.


Loaded it up with stuff and let it hang for about 4-5 hours. If my bathroom scale is at all accurate, there's about 180 lbs of stuff on there.
49797260876_8fd30f6b37_o.jpg


Tucked away for now.
49796715488_9ae0f0a06e_o.jpg
Congrats!! Looks great!! And it looks like you didn't have to relocate the shop light and extension cord.

If you want to add a little peace of mind in case the crank mechanism were to fail, you can screw eye hooks into the joists at each of the 4 corners and add the safety straps as I did in my photo. I picked them up at Home Depot. Easy to use in small spaces since they are not the ratchet type.
 
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Morbo

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Congrats!! Looks great!! And it looks like you didn't have to relocate the shop light and extension cord.

If you want to add a little peace of mind in case the crank mechanism were to fail, you can screw eye hooks into the joists at each of the 4 corners and add the safety straps as I did in my photo. I picked them up at Home Depot. Easy to use in small spaces since they are not the ratchet type.
Pretty sure it will have to be relocated, testing tonight to make sure. Definitely going to add the additional eye hooks and straps soon. Just happy to have it up for now.
 

CNY-JLUS

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I am looking at a similar setup, using the Topsy brackets for the rear window. Where did you find the Racor lift? Having trouble locating them.

I have pretty low ceilings (7'4"), with the freedom panels in the storage on the platform, how close to the ceiling can you get the rack? What is the distance from the ceiling to the bottom edge of the hardtop?
 
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Morbo

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I am looking at a similar setup, using the Topsy brackets for the rear window. Where did you find the Racor lift? Having trouble locating them.

I have pretty low ceilings (7'4"), with the freedom panels in the storage on the platform, how close to the ceiling can you get the rack? What is the distance from the ceiling to the bottom edge of the hardtop?

Found it on Amazon. Can't give an exact measurement, but I'm able to get the platform about 16-18" from the ceiling.
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