Thule MultiLift Storage System

The metal mounting plates are not designed to match 1-1/2" ceiling joist width. I used 3/4" plywood cut 6" x 36" for the install. (See photo)I opted to replace to cord which was included in the kit, with 550 paracord. This allows me to lower the roof rack completely to the floor. Since the paracord is thinner (but as strong if not stronger) it does not cause problems when spooling. Make sure your cord is the same length on each side after its tied to ensure an even lift.The physical install can be tricky. It's definitely easier with a helper. Pay close attention to the direction of your ceiling joists, unless you're using a full sheet of plywood, then it's a non-issue.Once installed, it functions great. I'm impressed at how easy it works. Even though I didn't like the price, I'd buy it again.

As others have stated, installation was a little more time consuming as attachment points are not set up for more common 24” OC truss spacing. This can be overcome with a simple wooden frame.That aside, this lift is very solid and operates smoothly. It is supporting my Thule Motion XT XXL. I didn't want second thoughts of the safety of my family walking beneath it.Many thanks to other reviewers posting their installation photos and mounting ideas. I used 3 cedar 2x4’s cut to approximately 6’6”. They run perpendicular to the cargo carrier and were spaced using the template. I used 4”x1/4” SPAX power lags to pick up the trusses.

This works as described. I'm using it for a Thule roof rack though its designed for just about anything long and bulky that you can hoist using two rope loops (one in front and one in back) such as a kayak. It serves the much needed purpose of having my Thule not take up so much room in the garage when not in use (used to be either leaning on something or unnecessarily stayed on the car). So it's definitely of value.Some things to be aware of:For installation, their supplied screw anchors were metric size and wound up right in between bit sizes of my drills. I wound up using my own self tapping anchors which were simpler and worked fine.Tip for using the template to locate screw holes - tape it in place in the ceiling then mark the holes -- it's too wide a reach to get it otherwise and it will spin away from you.Installation is generally pretty simple. 6 screws hold the center component in place and then 2 screws each for the 4 wheels. You loop the rope over the wheels and through the center guide, tie it, place the load between the 2 rope loops, and then crank it up to the ceiling.So generally this is a very helpful item for a very specific need and it does the job.Two minor complaints -First, the rope is not long enough to go all the way to the ground from our 10' or so ceiling. I believe the intent is to lift the load directly off the top of your car roof, which makes the shorter length make sense. However, if (as in my case) you have a motorized garage door opener (with chain running over the car) and your garage is short enough that you have to park under it (or if you don't have enough clearance between open door and roof to store the rack), you can't mount this lift right over where you park and hoist stuff right off your roof -- the door mechanism is in the way. And since the ropes are not long enough to reach to the ground, it's a bit cumbersome to get something into the loops -- we needed to hold the roof rack up at about 5' off the ground and loop the ropes -- really a 3 person job (at least 2). This could be solved simply with a longer rope.Second, while it serves a much needed purpose, it does seem a little pricy for what it is. That said, it's a pretty niche product and would probably be a pain to replicate in a DIY kit from home depot, so still worth it to free up the garage space.

Okay, my ceiling has a rafter setup that made installation a little challenging but once I got the framing up things proceeded well. Once up, it operates well and easily - vastly easier than wrestling it up onto the car all the time.I think the complaint about the rope length is not totally unfair but people need to think through this more clearly. If the rope was long enough to reach the floor then it would not wind as nicely around the cranked rod. If the cranked rod was larger in diameter so that the rope would still wrap nicely then you'd have to turn the crank harder because each turn would raise the cargo box by more. To keep the same cranking resistance they would have to put in some kind of reduction gear which would certainly increase the cost of the mechanism.The only time I want the rope to go lower is when I want to take the cargo box on/off the multi-lift w/o a car underneath it. That's pretty much only when I want to wash it and for that you need to get some help.