Attaching an electric hoist to roof trusses?
I recently had a workshop constructed in my backyard. The workshop is 18’ x 24’ and has a high pitched roof constructed with open trusses which allow enough space for a 12’ x 24’ second story with 8’ clearance in the center. Thus, the roof trusses also provide the framing for the floor of the second story.
The second floor has a composite (AdvanTech) subfloor with a 4’ x 6’ opening to the first floor. I would like to attach an electric hoist to the roof trusses to lift cabinets and other furniture up from the first floor to the second through the 4’ x 6’ opening. Most things I would be lifting would be in the 200 – 400 lb. range.
I’m concerned about weakening the trusses, or worse, collapsing the roof. My contractor said that the trusses could support about 200 lbs. each and if I install a hoist I’ll need to install a cross beam that spans several trusses to distribute the load. However, I’ve read in other forums that even this concept may not be structurally sound.
Any ideas on how I can attach a hoist to the trusses without compromising their strength? Should I construct a truss within the trusses to distribute the weight to the floor of the second story? Of course, the floor of the second story is also the bottom of the roof trusses.
– Lyptus
Replies
He may be right, but I think he's the wrong guy to ask. Do you know who made the trusses? They'd be the ones to ask. If necessary they could pass the question to their engineer.
I'm sure that several guys here could figure out how to do it, if it were their own garage. A lot harder to give trustworthy advice at a distance, to someone whose construction skills are unknown, working on a setup they can't see.