Racor PHL-1R Pro HeavyLift 4-by-4-Foot Cable-Lifted Storage Rack
by Racor
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Product Details
Manufacturer: RacorModel: PHL-1R
Color: Black
Product features:
- Roof-mounted garage stock rack; pulley system raises and lowers for easy access
- Lifts and stores up to 250 pounds high above garage floor without using a ladder
- Heavy-duty steel support beams; assembly required
- Includes support beams, 4 by 4 platform, winding axle, vinyl coated steel cable, mounting hardware
- 4-square-foot storage platform; 76 pounds; 1-year limited warranty
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of Racor PHL-1R Pro HeavyLift 4-by-4-Foot Cable-Lifted Storage Rack
Customer Review: Great product, poor instructions
Summary: 4 Stars
Like others, I read most of the reviews here before ordering and installing this product. That was time well spent. I had no problems with the installation other than with the lag screws.
I bought 4 of these for my garage and installed them all myself. After following the instructions (mostly) for the first one, I found lots of small ways to make the installation easier when working by yourself.
First, the lag screws. Many other people recommended getting better ones from your local hardware store. I found that didn't help much. I still broke a number of them. That probably relates more to the 40 year old wood in my house than anything else. It can't hurt to get your own screws, but pre-drilling holes and being careful probably help just as much.
The first thing the instruction say is to assemble the grid. Bah. Who needs a four foot square grid in the way while you're putting the rest of the lift together? Put that off till last. It will make things much easier.
Next is finding the joists. Definitely need to do that. But then they have you put the arms together before putting them up on the ceiling. Again, bah. That's a lot of weight to hold up over your head, particularly when you're working alone. Instead, do some marking on the ceiling. Find the joists, then measure out the 48 inch length of the arm assembly. Figure out where you want the arms. Now find the center of that - 24 inches from either end. Mark the center. Then take the center piece up and hold it to the ceiling. Mark the holes with a pencil so you know where to pre-drill. Set the t-bracket aside and drill the marked holes. Now you can run your lag screws through the t-bracket and into the pre-drilled holes. But don't tighten them up. Leave them a bit loose - perhaps a 1/4 inch from tight.
Now take one of the arms. Before you start, take off the pulley at the end. You need that out of the way so you can get at the last hole. Take the arm along with one attaching screw, washers, and nut. Put the arm on the t-bracket, using the bottom hole only for the moment. You can swing the arm up to the ceiling and mark the holes for pre-drilling. Let the arm swing back down and hang from the t-bracket while you drill. Swing the arm back up and loosely attach it with the lag screws. Again, leave the screws a bit loose. Repeat for the arm on the opposite side. Now, with everything a bit loose, put the final two screws and nuts in that attach the arm to the t-bracket. Snug those up, then snug up all of the lag screws. Re-attach the pulleys. I liked to take a file to the pulleys to clean up the last bit of excess metal from the molding process.
The assembly process for the other arm is identical. To make sure it's up square, first find the center of the joist you are going to attach it to. Then use a bit of high school geometry. Make a guess as to the center of the second arm, then measure from the each end of arm that's already attached to your guess about the center. Adjust along the center of the joist until the measurements are equal. That will be the center for the second arm. Make sure the center hole on the t-bracket is along this center line and the arms will be square and parallel - as long as your ceiling joists are parallel, that is!
The winding axle goes quicker if you put both cables on at the same time. Put them on, put the square end of the winding axle as far through it's end as you need, then put the round end in it's bearing. Attach the bolt and washer in the round end, and the axle will stay up while you fiddle with the gear assembly.
Put the cables through the pulleys, then do a quick measurement to make sure they are hanging down to about the same level. If you ceiling is sloped - as mine is - you'll need to pull a fair amount through to the uphill end to roughly level things out.
Now, back to that grid. Don't assemble the whole thing first. That's the hard way to do things. First, the instructions don't mention it, but there is a top and bottom to the grids. Look closely at the grids and you'll see that there are five sets of wires running the long way. One side will have all of the wires on top of the cross ways wires. That side is the top. Next, one of the grid pieces has four flat pieces attached on the long sides. That one is the center piece. Those flat pieces slip into the adjoining grid pieces. Finally, the other two pieces have four wires close together on one side and only two on the other. The two wire side goes next to the center piece and the four wire side is the edge.
Attach the rectangular beams to the cable ends hanging from the ceiling. I prefer to put the beams under each arm rather than perpendicular to the arms. Make sure the smaller holes in the beam are to the outside of the grid area. Adjust each beam so that it's roughly level, sliding some cable through the nylon retainers on the winding axle if necessary. Now attach one grid piece to the beams. You'll see that having the beam hanging from the ceiling makes this pretty easy. You can get at both sides of the beam very easily this way. Don't tighten the nuts completely yet. You'll need some play as you assemble up the grid. Loosely attach the other two grid pieces, making sure you have the right side up and each grid piece in the right place. Once all of the j bolts and lock nuts are loosely in place, go back around and tighten them all up.
Finally, level up the grid. You can just eyeball it if you like, or measure from the floor (if it's reasonably level) to the grid. Adjust the corners up and down until it's level. I found it easiest to leave the top nut all the way to the top of the eye bolt until you're done leveling the grid. Or you can use a level if you want. You'll have to go around a couple of times, adjusting corners up and down until you are level. Don't go overboard, as the cable will probably stretch a bit after the assembly has been hanging a while.
If you're putting the lift over a garage door, make sure you have some way of knowing when the lift is high enough to open the door. I hung a washer on a string that just clears the open door. I put it right next to the lift so I can see when the lift is above the washer.
A couple of final points. When working on a ladder, make sure you are leaning forward over the ladder rather than backwards away from the ladder. Not only is it safer, it's a lot easier on your back. And get an old margarine tub or small tupperware-type container to hold the screws, nuts and bolts. Its a whole lot better then chasing them all over the floor. A tool belt will help hold all the things you need while you're up on the ladder. A cordless drill will speed things up with the lag bolts into the ceiling. Get a bit that holds a socket to make driving those nasty things easier. All of the bolts and nuts that come with the kit are metric, so put away your SAE sized tools. You'll need 8, 10, 12, and 13 mm sizes, if I remember things correctly. I used some oversized fender washers under the lag screws to help spread the load out a bit.
Hope some of these tips help you all out a bit.
More Racor PHL-1R Pro HeavyLift 4-by-4-Foot Cable-Lifted Storage Rack Customer Reviews:
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Description of Racor PHL-1R Pro HeavyLift 4-by-4-Foot Cable-Lifted Storage Rack
This ceiling-mounted garage elevator lets you load and lift storage items overhead, out of the way, without a ladder. Simply load the 4-by-4-foot steel platform while you safely stand on the ground, then raise it to the ceiling by cranking the handle. It's great for boxes, tires, large tools, snowblowers, ladders, lumber, third-row car seats, canoes, kayaks, and more.The RacorPro PHL-1R Pro HeavyLift Storage Rack lets you load and lift heavy items to the ceiling for storage without the need for a ladder. It helps to free up valuable floor space in your garage or storage area and allows you to store heavier items, such as furniture, lawn mowers, tires, canoes, snow throwers, and more. The heavy-duty 4-by-4-foot platform is built to last and provides 16 square feet of additional storage space in your garage or storage area.
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 The heavy-duty design can handle 250 pounds. View larger. |
 Raising and lowering heavy items takes minimal effort, thanks to the lift's unique pulley system. View larger. |
The PHL-1R is both tough and durable, and it's built to handle heavier items up to 250 pounds. The heavy-duty steel support beams and 4-by-4-foot platform are made from high-quality materials that are made to handle tough loads and provide years of consistent performance. The unit is built to lower 8 feet from the ceiling, accommodating storage spaces with taller ceilings. The drill driver attachment allows you to raise and lower the platform using your own drill.
The unique pulley system makes it easy to raise and lower heavy items with minimal effort on your part. With a durable winding axle that works in conjunction with the pulleys and strong nylon cables, the PHL-1R handles the brunt of the weight so you don't have to, while raising or lowering the platform quickly and smoothly.
Safety Lock Ensures Safety and Stability
The innovative safety lock ensures that the load stays locked into place when fully raised to the ceiling. Simply use the winding crank to engage the safety lock when the platform is raised to its highest position, and use the winding crank's integrated hook to disengage the safety lock and safely lower the platform.
An Additional 16 Square Feet of Storage Space for Your Garage
The PHL-1R's tough 4-by-4-foot platform gives you an additional 16 square feet of valuable storage space in your garage or storage area. This allows you to store your lawn mower out of the way during the winter or to store your snow thrower during the summer months, clearing valuable floor space and creating tidier, more useful quarters.
The RacorPro PHL-1R HeavyLift Storage Rack measures 49.25 x 17.5 x 7.25 inches (packaged) and weighs 74 pounds (packaged). It comes in a smooth black finish and includes all necessary hardware. Additional tools required for installation include: stud finder (for drywall ceilings), adjustable or box end wrench, socket wrench, cordless drill/driver, Phillips screwdriver, pencil, and a 4-foot straightedge or chalkline.
What's in the Box
Winding crank assembly, two arm assemblies, two cable assemblies (including nylon cables), three wire grids, two wire beam supports, center spindle square end, center spindle round end, gear drive, Allen wrench, four end caps, 20 hex bolts, four Allen head screws, two hex head screws, two fender washers, eight long machine bolts, 16 washers, eight nuts, 12 "J" hooks, 12 washers, 12 nuts.
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