Nevermind. Figured out a solution. I feel silly for not having thought of it before. Just mount two drums to a second rod attached to the ceiling, just like a garage door. I can probably even source parts from a garage door manufacturer.
Are you advocating something like this? I could see it working if wires were put on either side to apply tension and keep it balanced, something like you typically find on either side of a garage door. (Do those have a specific name?) Otherwise I think the racks could slide down and cause it...
I agree. That would work. I was hoping to avoid the potential mess of having two cables run onto one spool though. The other thought was using two spools, and use gears so only one handle is required, but I don't know if anything like that exists, and I don't have the means to machine it.
Hello from a non-engineer. This post has a very practical purpose:
I'm about to move into a small loft apartment with high ceilings but limited living and closet space. I'd like to find some way to mount a pipe to the ceiling via pulleys and rope or cable that can be lowered and raised with a...