REVIEWS
18 Reviews
ErikH
I would agree with other reviewers that this item seems a bit overpriced, but would disagree with anyone who says you could cobble it together at a home center. It is not something that could be easily replicated because the winch has the safety margin of not automatically unspooling and dropping the cargo carrier. The current iteration has one fixed point on the crank end of the winch axle, and two moveable points. Even though this configuration would potentially allow for direct attachment to joists spaced 24" apart, the pulleys do not line up with the attachment points for the axle, and thus do not align with the ceiling joists. You will need to mount some 2x6 pieces to the ceiling joists to allow you to securely fasten the pulleys to the ceiling. Put the winch axle on 2x6 as well to keep the forces on it completely horizontal instead of partially vertical. You don't necessarily need to use big pieces of 2x6. I was able to use seven pieces of 18" long 2x6 scrap I had lying around to fasten everything securely to the ceiling joists. If you have an unfinished garage ceiling it might be easier than was the case with the drywalled ceiling in my garage. The pulley plates will accept 1/4 inch lag screws and the fastening points of the winch axle will accept #10 SPAX construction screws or wood screws. It takes a lot of up and down on a ladder with a stud finder, drill, etc., to get the install done so allocate plenty of time for this project. I subbed in paracord for the rope that comes with the lift since I wanted to be able to lower all the way to the floor from the 12' ceiling in my garage. You may need to re-adjust the knot in the cord once you do an initial lift of your cargo carrier to make sure it is level once it is all the way up. If it was a bit cheaper I would give it 5 stars.
Old man a bike
I installed 2x6’s to the rafters and then installed the hardware. Measure carefully. It works great!!
vic_
The pulley system works perfectly. The only issue is the 4 wheels 100% need to anchored into studs. The guide it came with suggested putting the center pole on a stud, which of course is a good idea. But, the suggested placement for pulley wheels on the guide was no where near the 2' x 4's. After messing around with it for a day, I can say the wheels hold more of the weight and need to be secured even better than the center pole. So I moved the wheels away from the recomended placement. BTW, I loaded the pod with camping supplies and it's at the weight limit of the pulley system. It would be less of a big deal if you hung it empty, obviously.
Blues Lover
I have had the lift installed and functioning in my garage for almost 25 yrs with no issues.
ALBSURE
Despite the negative reviews, this item is easy to install and works very well for hoisting roof-top boxes, kayaks, and canoes. I recommend first fastening 3 - 2"x6"x42" boards to the ceiling to simplify installation. This makes for a very sturdy installation, allows you to install parallel or perpendicular to the rafter direction, and eliminates the issue of rafter spacing. The center brackets accept 5/16" lag screws, and the pulley brackets accept 1/4" lag screws. I used 5/16" x 3-1/2" lags to fasten the 2"x6" boards to the ceiling rafters and 2" long lag screws to fasten the brackets to the boards. The vertical weight rating of the lag screws exceeds the weight rating of the Multilift.
astechman
This is a great lift device, well-engineered and built like all the Thule products I have.
Happy Customer
Works great. I ordered this to store our XL Thule on the garage ceiling. Setup was easy.
patrick
I love my Thule roof top carries. They are awesome! But the MultiLift is total junk. Don't buy it!!! It's not setup to be installed with a normal ceiling joist layout. Which wouldn't be horrible if the MultiLift allowed the layout to be customized to match different ceiling options. But it doesn't your stuck with a fixed installation layout that won't work for most US customers. Buyer beware, you'll have to bolt a bunch of wood planks on your ceiling, then screw the MulitLift and it's parts to that. A total hack. ;-(
Paul
Joists are usually 16" on center, this set up is not. Also the screw holes on bracket are spaced apart, so if your floor joists are 2x12's, in reality the joists are really 1 1/2" thick not 2 inch thick. The bracket screw hole spacing is more then 1.5" apart. I used 2x3 on the ceiling to assist. If you look at the middle bracket you can see it completely covers the the wood and the holes are spaced closer to the edge of bracket. You can drill two holes through the center of bracket but I recommend just buying 2x4's. The string works good if you loop it through properly, pay attention to pictures in manual. The knot is simple if you know how to tie one but just look at the picture. Once completed it works great and solved my storage space issue. Just over priced for all the hassle. The only thing that frustrated me was that the screws were missing. I own other Tule products, this was the first product that I wasn't impressed with. The lift in it self is good, just the installation is a pain. Otherwise would have given it 5 stars.
Vishnu
I've had Thule racks for 22+ years and picked this up for storing my Thule box in my garage. I'm beyond disappointed! If your studs don't match up perfectly, you are limited by the width of the bar that winds the rope. Since my pulley wheels had to be wider, the rope rollers didn't work right and box lifted unevenly. Ultimately, I decided I didn't trust the quality of the components and didn't want to rely on it to dangle my box over my car. Don't buy it!
Zach 1821
No template in the box Can't install without it Nowhere is the measurements for the install
CjsinHillsboro
We have a two story house. What irks me is the template is designed for 16” spaced floor joists versus the 22” in new construction. So if you’re not comfortable with how to build anchor points then don’t buy this product. Use #8 screws for the lift mechanism and #12 screws for the anchor boards and pulleys. The rope is plenty long enough to lift the cargo box off of my car and we have an 11’ ceiling. Once installed, it works great.
SchneiderIS
I just sold our home and this was the first in the exclusion list as it goes to the new house. If I build a vacation home I will buy another one to put into it. I bought one of the first units in 2004 and it has worked flawlessly since. My only regret is that I didn't buy the electric motor add-on that was available back then. For those complaining about the difficulty, yes you will need to know how to use a tape measure and work on the ceiling. Alternatively, do like I did and build a frame that you can then screw to the ceiling as one unit.
SP_Arizona
Here is my install. It has worked great no issues over the 1+ years in PHX. However, as the others have stated, the instructions were lacking. Hopefully, Thule does not abandon these support items. This has given me a system that I can use without consuming valuable floor space.
Sean
Extremely difficult install. Brackets aren't design to mount to studs, so need to modify. Pulley's need to be tiered on either side, not what the instructions say. System lifts the box unevenly. Way to expensive for what it is. Rope is not the best quality.
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