Engine Lift in Garage

[Camar068]

I've got 2 ft floor joist in the basement that are about 12 1/2" apart. If I make a square frame say 3'x3' resting on 4 joist, with a hook in the middle, do you think it would be plenty to put a hoist on it to lift an engine/tranny with out hurting the house?

I don't have drywall up so that isn't an issue. I could also put some iron, from each corner, to the center and have the hoist above the ceiling line in case we put drywall up later.

Above the joist is the living area with an unfinished basement. The house is roughly 50'x25' with a pretty steep pitch.

Thanks In Advance

Edit: the house was built in 2007, and has cinderblock that the joists rest on.

 

[firebane]

Engine and tyranny won't weigh enough to hurt anything.

 

[ScottyB]

Engine and tyranny won't weigh enough to hurt anything.

Tyranny can be very heavy. Try to avoid it.

 

[firebane]

Tyranny can be very heavy. Try to avoid it.

yes I suppose

 

[DoubleDingo]

The joists were designed to support the load of the house they're supporting. To willy-nilly add some bracing to use for using those joists to remove engine/tranny/tyranny, whatever it is, you need to have it engineered or risk damage to the house. Of course I may be over thinking things, but messing with structures and drastically changing their original design loads without doing some engineering is an accident waiting to happen.

You didn't say what those joists are spanning, what load they currently carry, nothing but them being 2 feet and the spacing. That says nothing to any additional load they can carry, and I guarantee they weren't designed for what you're planning to do.

If you severely sister them and add a lot of additional support you should be fine, but proceed with caution.

 

[MadOgre]

I've got 2 ft floor joist in the basement that are about 12 1/2" apart. If I make a square frame say 3'x3' resting on 4 joist, with a hook in the middle, do you think it would be plenty to put a hoist on it to lift an engine/tranny with out hurting the house?

I don't have drywall up so that isn't an issue. I could also put some iron, from each corner, to the center and have the hoist above the ceiling line in case we put drywall up later.

Above the joist is the living area with an unfinished basement. The house is roughly 50'x25' with a pretty steep pitch.

Thanks In Advance

Edit: the house was built in 2007, and has cinderblock that the joists rest on.

STOP!!!!!!

Get an engine hoist you will wreck your house or at least the floor above the joists.

 

[MadOgre]

Houses use load bearing to support structures above. That means there is always something that is directly under the thing being supported and it is supported all the ways to the foundation. Those floor joists are as big as they are to be able to support the weight of people walking on top of the floor. Not to be pulled on from below. If they are spaced at 12" it is because they are supporting something.

You may luck out or you may inflict serious structural damage to your house!

 

[MadOgre]

If your set on having a hoist, get a steel I or H beam and run it from wall to wall with posts underneath at both ends to support it.

 

[Georgeb]

2X^ Support it to the floor on each end

 

[MikeB]

2X^ Support it to the floor on each end

That's your best bet. However, are the floor joists supporting load-bearing walls above or just the flooring? If just the flooring, I have to think 500-600 lbs spread over four 2x10s or 2x12s isn't going to create any more of a problem than 3-4 people standing on the floor above.

 

[350runner]

be safe and just get an engine hoist man. if your just wanting the cool factor then YEA talk to Scotty and I beam that ish up man.

Sent from the dust in front of you!

 

[Camar068]

Looks like a hoist or I beam then. The last thing I want to do is mes the house up. the reason it was built in 2007 was because we had a faulty outlet that ended up burning the whole house down. Don't want to go through another tragedy like that again LOL.

Thanks Guys

 

[DoubleDingo]

Looks like a hoist or I beam then. The last thing I want to do is mes the house up. the reason it was built in 2007 was because we had a faulty outlet that ended up burning the whole house down. Don't want to go through another tragedy like that again LOL.

Thanks Guys

If you had done some forward thinking when it was being designed, you could have had the engineer design those joists to include an engine hoist. It would have raised major red flags for the building department reviewing the plans, and they would have made sure it was plenty stout and the inspector would have been watching much more closely to how it was being built. But to just do it now because it seems convenient, that's a very bad idea. It's doesn't matter if the joists are just supporting just the floor above, they are sized the way are and spaced the way they are because they were designed that way. Not designed to lift anything from below.

 

[MadOgre]

Looks like a hoist or I beam then. The last thing I want to do is mes the house up. the reason it was built in 2007 was because we had a faulty outlet that ended up burning the whole house down. Don't want to go through another tragedy like that again LOL.

Thanks Guys

Ya for sure don't use them if the house was built in 2007 it has what is called a TGI floor joist and they will not tolerate being pulled on at all!!!! If it was an older house that used solid 2x10s or 2x12s then you probably would have gotten away with it. That is on the premise that it was built properly!. Now days they are built so cheaply by shady framers that use one nail per board that its no wonder they turn into tooth picks at the slightest bit of nasty weather!

Floor joist will not support load bearing walls. Beams will be used in place of the floor joists

Interior walls are not load bearing. if they are they will have support that goes all the ways to your footings or concrete pad that is poured into the concrete floor, so you wont see it.(the pad)

I would say if you slid some beams in beside your floor joists and made sure that they were supported all the ways to the concrete then that would be better but with out seeing it in person I would say it will be cheaper and easier to just go buy an engine hoist for $150