Racor PHL-1R Pro HeavyLift 4-by-4-Foot Cable-Lifted Storage Rack
by Racor
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List Price: Our Price: $127.00 You Save: $83.00 (40%) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Buy Used: from $118.00 (click here) Category: Tools See more product details |
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of Racor PHL-1R Pro HeavyLift 4-by-4-Foot Cable-Lifted Storage Rack
Customer Review: A GREAT "ELEVATOR" FOR YOUR ATTIC
Summary: 5 Stars
WHILE THIS PRODUCT IS A FANTASTIC SOLUTION FOR CREATING STORAGE SPACE IN GARAGES WITH FLAT CEILINGS AND NO RAFTERS, IT IS ALSO A VERY EFFECTIVE "ELEVATOR" FOR LIFTING LARGE OR HEAVY ITEMS (BOXES, ETC) UP INTO YOUR RAFTERS.
CONVERSELY, IT MAKES LOWERING THOSE HEAVY ITEMS, FROM THE RAFTERS TO THE GARAGE FLOOR, EFFORTLESS.
MY GARAGE HAS A VAULTED CEILING AND "LOFT-STYLE" RAFTERS. I INSTALLED THE RACOR STORAGE RACK SO THAT, WHEN ELEVATED, THE 4' X 4' PLATFORM IS IN A POSITION ADJACENT TO THE EDGE OF MY LOFT.
I CAN THEN SLIDE BOXES ONTO THE PLATFORM FROM THE RAFTERS AND THEN LOWER THEM DOWN, LIKE AN "OLD-SCHOOL" DUMBWAITER.
I NO LONGER NEED TO WORRY ABOUT BALANCING MYSELF ON A WOBBLY LADDER WHILE TRYING TO HOLD A LARGE HEAVY BOX.
ADDITIONALLY, I CAN THEN STORE FREQUENTLY USED ITEMS ON THE ADDITIONAL 16 SQUARE FEET OF STORAGE THAT THIS PLATFORM PROVIDES.
I HAVE HAD THIS INSTALLED FOR ABOUT TWO YEARS AND I REALLY LIKE IT.
IT CAN BE INSTALLED ON AN ANGLE (YOUR CEILING DOESN'T HAVE TO BE FLAT OR HORIZONTAL).
I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THE MANUFACTURER OFFER THE ADDITION OF A MOTORIZED GEARBOX (LIKE A WINCH) AS AN ACCESSORY.
Customer Review: clever design for increasing garage storage
Summary: 4 Stars
I have a small garage and so I purchased this item to get some more storage space. It works well and is very sturdy. I put about 200lbs on it with no sign of strain. Cranking it up by hand takes some effort; the electric drill attachment for the crank was too large to fit in my cordless drill chuck.
Installation took me several hours working alone. If you have a helper and another ladder it would probably go a lot faster. One of the washers was missing from the package, but fortunately I had some spares in my tool box.
Here are a few tips for installation that weren't covered well by the instructions.
1. The wire mesh shelf comes in three pieces, and it's easy to put then on upside down. Make sure that the cross wires are on top so they fully support the load.
2. Don't bolt the two axle pieces together until after you insert them into the ceiling brackets; it won't fit. Put each side of the axle in separately, then bolt the two together.
3. The wire mesh on the shelf is very widely spaced so it won't properly support some items. Lay a thin piece of plywood down on the shelf before loading it up.
Customer Review: Good product, cheap screws
Summary: 4 Stars
I purchased this device after careful consideration of the reviews. I appreciate the tips and input provided by other reviewers. I found installation to be challenging, but not overly difficult as the pitfalls had been made known by others. My install took about 5 hours. I am going to purchase a second unit and, now having experience, expect it to take less than 3 hours to install.
I wanted to make use of "wasted" space in my tall garage and have the ability to raise and lower a load of multiple items without a ladder. This product meets my expectations and the unit's platform raises and lowers smoothly.
I have a finished ceiling and did not bother trying to attach to joists exactly 48 inches apart. I lagged 2x4s to the ceiling joists with 5/16 x 6 lag screws and then had flexibility to mount the support arms. The included lag screws are cheap. I snapped two and rounded the heads on two others. I did pre-drill holes as instructed. I recommend that you substitute stronger hardware.
Overall I recommend this product if you are handy or have a helper who is.
Customer Review: Almost perfect
Summary: 4 Stars
The bottom line is that this product is exactly as advertised and was the perfect solution for what I wanted to accomplish .. storage of the middle seats of our Toyota Sienna which otherwise take up a lot of garage floor space. Now, the reason I did not give it a 5-Star rating. The assembly instructions are weak and would not be supportive of the mechanically dis-inclined. There is an 800 number to call for help so that might take care of the instructions problem. Then there are the lift cables. It appeared that one of the cables (which are assembled at the factory) was done by either a very disgrunted employee or someone with inadequate skills or training. The cables are a double loop with locking clamps design at each end and one of the cables had much too large of loops making it about 20 inches shorter than the other cable. When I set out to correct the problem, I discovered that the cable clamps were only finger tight which could have proved disasterous with sufficient (but within specs) weight. So, if you are up for a bit of an assembly challenge, you should be quite happy with the end result.Customer Review: Took 3 days off and on to put up !
Summary: 5 Stars
I got the products real fast. Also orderd the bike lift. Started with the heavy lift. Once I got it unpacked, putting the lifting grid was not a real problem. However, my studs did not line up with the holes on the lift and thus needed to go get some 2 x 4's to mount the mounting assembly. Also needed to get bigger lag bolts as the ones provided were not long enough. Save yourself time by purchasing larger lags and washers as you will need them. I worked off and on running into various problems....not Racor's fault..but mine...finally got it up and it works great. Noticed that the lifting cable was frayed...not a good thing..and called Racor and they sent out another cable right away. Tried to get one from Amazon and they sent me a whole new unit ! Had it on my porch until I could get UPS to come and pick it up...that was a hassle.
Overall it is a great product. But make sure you mount it on a 2 x 4 if your studs dont' line up with the mounting holes. Buy 3 inch lags and washers to go thru the 2 x 4 , drywall and into the stud.