Side loaded Shouldered Forged Eye bolt

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Twowaxhack

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I want to side load a 1/2” shouldered forged eye bolt with approximately 150 pounds (50 gal water heater) and hoist it up into the attic.

I’ll have a 1/2” double braided nylon rope tied to the eye. The rope will drop to the top of the water heater where it’ll go around a pulley then travel back to the top and go through another pulley and then I’ll be pulling down on the rope from the floor of the attic.

The pulley and Eye bolt will penetrate a 2x8 hip rafter with 3/4” plywood gussets on each side of the penetration to beef the rafter up.
That’s a 3” pulley.

47AB5974-9373-4CC0-A5FC-69668B78C7C0.jpeg
The open space between the washers in this pic is where my wood will be. The nut beside the pulley is there as a spacer to keep the pulley off the wood.

Am I crazy or will this work ?
 
Should I use two Eye bolts, one for my pulley and then another eye bolt a few inches away for my rope anchor point ?

Would this split the load between the two eyebolts ?

Puppies will be playing under the water heater as I lift so we have to make sure it doesn’t fall 🤪
 
The eyebolt has a load rating of 2,100 pounds. ( I assume vertical load )

The pulley has a load rating of 650 pounds.
 
Twowaxhack said:
Am I crazy or will this work ?
Click to expand...
I'm not sure about the answer to the first part of this question, but the second part is yes, it will work. 🤣

As you pointed out, side loading an eyebolt isn't the best. but as this is a forged one and not a wire one, it will not break under a 150-pound load.

However, a better approach that I would have used would have been to use a couple of 1/4x2 steel straps maybe 12" long with a hole in each end. Then just use a regular bolt through the rafter and one through the pully, which would load each of them in shear.

And using a second eye bolt for the anchor point will not reduce the load on the eye bolt with the pully going down to the water heater. Both eyebolts, the one going down to the water heater and the one with the pully you are pulling on will see 75 pounds. If you add an eye bolt as a separate anchor point, it too will see a 75-pound load.

With all your powerful strength, don't just jerk the rope to lift the water heater, but rather use slow easy pulls to lift it into the attic.
 
MicEd69 said:
And using a second eye bolt for the anchor point will not reduce the load on the eye bolt with the pully going down to the water heater. Both eyebolts, the one going down to the water heater and the one with the pully you are pulling on will see 75 pounds. If you add an eye bolt as a separate anchor point, it too will see a 75-pound load.

With all your powerful strength, don't just jerk the rope to lift the water heater, but rather use slow easy pulls to lift it into the attic.
Click to expand...
As shown, I’m using one eye bolt to anchor the pulley And the rope anchor point together.

Using two eye bolts, one for the pulley and one for the rope wouldn’t split the load between the two ? Right now, wouldn’t all the 150 pound load be on that one eyebolt ?

Think about the puppies man……😬

I’m not following you about the straps you’re talking about.
 
If you are really concerned about this, add a second pully at the water heater. Anchor the rope at a separate point, and then run the rope down to the first water heater pully, then up to first rafter pulley, then down to the second water heater pully, then up to the pully you are pulling through. That splits the 150 pounds into three 50-pound loads. One supported by the new separate anchor point, the second at the pully above the water heater, and the third at the pully you are pulling on.

Not a huge problem for a 1/2" forged eye bolt.
 
Yes, I understand adding moving pulleys adds to your mechanical advantage.

I just thought have two anchor points up on the beam would lessen the load compared to have one bolt pulling double duty supporting the pulley and the rope anchor point.

My whole thing is head room. I can barely get the tank into the attic standing up before I hit the hip rafter

And I’m trying to just use two pulleys 🤣. They’re $24 each 😬

Maybe I should just stay my ass on the ground and let someone else do it 🤣
 
Twowaxhack said:
As shown, I’m using one eye bolt to anchor the pulley And the rope anchor point together.

Using two eye bolts, one for the pulley and one for the rope wouldn’t split the load between the two ? Right now, wouldn’t all the 150 pound load be on that one eyebolt ?

Think about the puppies man……😬

I’m not following you about the straps you’re talking about.
Click to expand...
Oops, I was thinking about the strain on the rope, not the load on the eye bolt. In any case, you won't have a problem with a 1/2" forged eye bolt, even if I wouldn't do it that way.
 
I have a 5/8” grade 8 bolt that I could use for anchoring the pulley. Then I could use the eyebolt for the rope anchor point.

Show me how you’d do it, I’d love to see it. I’m open to ideas.

But yeah, I think the weak link in all of this will be the rope. I actually don’t have the rope yet. I can’t find anyone local with 1/2” double braided nylon rope. I haven’t found it yet anyway.

I need this **** tomorrow…….
 
If I were the building inspector I would require a permanent anchor point to be installed for facilitating lifting a water heater into the attic if you chose to install it there.

Back injuries are a real thing……

I have about 65” to the bottom of the hip rafter. My water heater is about 60” tall and I have rigging on top of the water heater. So I’m ruining out of room. I can’t have anything hanging from the bottom of the hip rafter.
 
If I had plenty of head room I would use two 6’ step ladders with a 1” steel pipe spanning between the two with a hoist attached.

But no room.

If I was still 32 I’d pull it up with a rope. That’s how I use to do it. But I was bench pressing 315 back then ✌️
 
Funny you bring this up. I have to change out my neighbor's water heater and i considered doing the same to pull it down from its pedestal. Double pulley gives double the pulling power.
 
Twowaxhack said:
Show me how you’d do it
Click to expand...
I said I would have used a couple of 1/4" x 2 straps, but that was before I knew your headroom limitation. I assume you also have a limited size hole to bring it up into the attic, correct?

You really don't have a problem with the eyebolts and 150 pounds. Or use the separate anchor point like above, or for better mechanical advantage, anchor the rope to the water heater like above. it reduces the load on the one eye bolt by a third.
 
yes, it’s a limited size hole. The hole is 22” x 24” that I must hit. It’s a pull down staircase. The hinges and other crap are in the way at one end, so I’m limited to coming straight up at the other end of the opening.

I need to get enough knowledge and gear together to be able to do this solo, so I appreciate the help.
 
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I have to come straight up where I marked in red, 10’ from the slab below.

There’s a hip rafter on a 10/12 pitch above the opening. That’s my anchor point. The idea is to hoist it up all the way and then slide a support board under it and let it down onto the support board. Screw the support board down then un-rig it. Move it off the support board then move the old one onto support board. Rig it, remove screws in support board. Then lift it slightly and pull the board out from under it. Then lower the old heater. Drink a beer…….
 
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