So stupid I had to post it...

This is from another forum. He's restoring an 88 skier & this was his method for pulling the motor.

uuuuuumm No!! Some people really over think things. Others just don't think at all.

If its mounted to structural members, whats a couple hundred pounds per joist? Like if i went up and walked on one?

I say its a little sketchy, but if done right, would work. Its just a small block.

I agree with comp. If those are within the joist they should be able to carry the load. Honestly, its a much smarter way that I would have come up with. If its a small block Chevy or Ford it should be fine.

So what. It looks like its working.

What's stupid about it? There are beams up there, you know?

I'm more concerned with the size of the tackle they are using than the ability of the joist or engineered beam to take the load. If that's cotton rope there is a definite problem, if its nylon or poly that would be OK but the pulleys look small also. Honestly if it comes down unexpectedly it will likely be due to how it's tied off either to the block or whatever the other end it tied to... true redneck engineering would have it tied off to a car bumper that was backed up to act as a winch.

Alright, alright stupid was a little harsh. After all it worked. I'm sure most could have thought of another way. And yes it is tied off to a car bumper.

I'm more concerned with how they get the motor down/boat out with the cables in the way? DOH

Are there no shade trees around?

Well I know its probably only for a few minutes but usually the bottom chord of roof truss's are not designed to put a load on in that direction. So those "Beams" could come crashing down along with the roof. So IMO that is extremely stupid.

i wonder whats on the other end of that picture doing the actual pulling of the motor. Maybe a kid on his hot wheel now that would be stupid.

i'm thinking the cables are tied to someone's bumper to lift the engine. using those little pulley's would be a b!tch. looks like your typical house farm with no trees.

trippy boat. the rubrail is still in place along with the top cap but where's the windshield?

My father had an 18" steel I beam buckle doing exactly that. I wouldn't call the guy "stupid" but I would not pull that trick with normal attic joists after seeing the steel beam.

I think its pretty creative. Everyone is quessing whats holding the pulley. If if held the motor until the work was completed then the set up was successful.

Pretty sketchy, but if it worked it worked. I have used a big tree and a come-along (hand winch) when I've pulled boat motors (twice now), which probably doesn't look much better.

The fact that it worked does not make it smart. At all. And yes, in my humble opinion, car bumper to ceiling mounted pulleys to boat engine is stupid. Glad to hear it worked out for them though.

In the other thread there is a SUV attached to the other end of the cables!!

OMG!!!!

Personally, I prefer the high risk sketchy route as long as it's faster! Often it backfires, but every once in a while.....

If he calculated the weight ratings for the ropes and the tackle, then the only stupid thing is using the ceiling beams. I would be concerned with the beam strength and the method of attachment to the beams. But, since this appears to have worked, it looks like his instinct was not too bad.

It may get it out and hold it for a while and if that garage is built with over head storage it could be fine. However my time as a carpenter and homeowner does tell me that there are lots of truss configurations used that are not designed to support loads with the bottom tear. Looks like it worked out though so an "A" for street smarts.

would it matter if it were floor joists for a 2 story house compared to the bottom of the truss holding up the roof on a single story?

I have often thought about hooking up one of those hand chain winches to a plate bolted to two or three of my second story floor joists to pull motors in my garage, I have seen it done on a heavy timber construction shop but not in a garage.

As a home builder I will only make one statment- DO NOT TRY THAT AT YOUR OWN HOME! (and if you do my number is #$@^46 I can be reached for all you emergency repairs at triple my normal rate.) Thanks.

Look at the lumber in the corner, he probably reinforced the area before he lifted the engine...

(Message edited by wakeboardsam on April 10, 2009)

I think the lumber sitting in the corner was plan B...2X4 from gunwale to gunwale and sit the small block on it haha.

a kid up here in seattle/everett area did that to his dads house with a cummins block thats nearly 800 lbs. He is on a diesel forum. He had pictures up on photobucket of the broken truss joists . It would have been cooler if he woulda used a I beam across numerous truss joists, to spread the load out.

GITTERDONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"here, hold my beer... Hey y'all watch this"
Is how it starts, the results can be found all over YouTube.

Maybe they are a lot smarter than me, but how are they gonna pull the boat out from under the motor now?

would been better if he tried to use the garage door opener motor to bring it up and down

I LIKE IT!

is this more stupid than a whole thread of people that think garage's have beams in the ceiling? (FYI 99% DON'T).
The engine is hanging from an engineered truss system which (by chance, not design) can handle a load such as this.

Chad, how do you know it's hanging from an engineered truss system? There could be a second floor above the garage which means it's either hanging from an engineered joist or a solid wood joist. I wouldn't do that with an engineered joist. A solid wood joist would be better to screw into, I still wouldn't do it.

Then, as far as beams. What beam are you referring to Chad? An 'I' Beam? If so, I have one of those running the width of my garage. I ripped off the dry wall that surrounded it. It would handle a descent load no problem.

Here's what I wonder. How much do you think that rigging cost? Not terribly much I understand. But really, you can pick up an engine lift/Cherry Picker from Harbor Freight for $129.00-$199.00. The proper equipment in this situation isn't all that expensive. But that's not really the point to this post now is it?

Will a cherry picker work on a boat? Seems like quite a reach.

I took the motor out of my 84 centurion with a regular cherry picker. I thought that I couldn't do it becuase it wouldn't go up high enough but yea it did. worse case you just take the wheels off the trailer and make the whole thing lower to the ground

Personally I would have just lifted it up with one arm, You guys act like an engine weighs a lot.

^lol funny guy

I did something similar several times with a big block. Regular cherry picker didn't have the reach or the height to get it out of my boat so we reinforced the trusses in my garage and yanked it with a vertical come along. I haven't had any issues at all after doing this a handful of times.

I've done something similar. As long as you do the homework it's not that big of a deal. Although if you were a tool it could be trouble.

I'd love to see a vid of it going wrong!