HyLoft JR Storage System — and the Current Alternative
Ceiling storage is the only unused space in most workshops. The JR is superseded; the full-size HyLoft racks are what to buy.
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The JR was a smaller unit in HyLoft’s ceiling storage range and has been superseded by the current rack sizes. The product scored here is the 45 x 45 in rack, which is the size most workshops end up wanting.
Why overhead first
Look at a cluttered workshop and the floor is full, the bench is full, the walls are half used and the ceiling is empty. Ceiling storage is the cheapest square footage you will ever add.
The catch is access, and it dictates what goes up there: offcuts you are keeping, seasonal gear, empty cases, the box the machine came in. Not tools you use, and not anything you will resent getting a ladder for.
Fixing it properly
This is the part that matters, because the consequence of getting it wrong is a loaded rack coming down.
Find the joists. Not the plasterboard, not a guess. A stud finder or a careful probe, and confirm by fixing into what feels solid.
Fix into the centre of each joist, with lag screws long enough to get proper purchase — the supplied hardware is usually adequate but check what it is going into.
Spread the load across several joists rather than concentrating it.
Respect the rating. The stated capacity assumes correct installation into solid timber. It is not a target to aim at.
Check the clearances first
Measure before ordering. Garage door tracks, door travel, light fittings and the height of a vehicle bonnet all interfere with ceiling racks, and a rack that fouls the garage door is an expensive mistake.
Hold a broom handle at the intended height and open the door.
What not to put up there
Anything heavy, anything you use weekly, and anything you would not want to catch. Heavy things belong low. Overhead storage is for volume, not weight.
What works
- Ceiling space is dead space in almost every workshop and garage, and a rack turns it into the storage that stops the bench being used as shelving
- Adjustable drop height lets you tuck it tight to a low ceiling or hang it lower where a vehicle does not need to pass underneath
- Steel construction with a stated load rating, which matters because the failure mode of overhead storage is not a minor one
What doesn't
- It has to be fixed into ceiling joists, not plasterboard — find them properly, and lag into the centre of each one
- Anything stored overhead is awkward to reach, so it is for things you need twice a year rather than twice a week
- Dropped ceilings, trusses at odd spacings and garage door tracks all complicate the install more than the instructions suggest