Spoiler: yes
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Why Ceiling Racks Put Your Home at Risk
Trusses are built to hold up your roof — not boxes, bins, or bikes.
When you bolt racks into them or stack storage overhead, you’re forcing vertical loads into wood never engineered to carry them. Over time that stress can:
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Crack truss chords
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Pull out fasteners
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Sag roof lines
And here’s the kicker: from below, everything can look fine while hidden connections are already failing.
Check Out the Freestanding Alternative
Proof From the Real World
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Ceiling Rack Recall (2022): The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recalled 17,500 Fleximounts® racks after at least 18 fell from ceilings due to buckle failures — a clear risk of serious injury or death. (Source: CPSC)
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Structural Inspection Case: A 1975 tri-plex garage was found with six king posts ripped out of gussets from years of overloading. The inspector called it one of the worst failures he’d seen in 20 years.
These aren’t one-off “freak accidents.” They’re what happens when trusses are asked to carry loads they were never designed for.
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Truss King Posts Pulled Out of Gussets (Real Case)
Home: Tri-plex (built 1975)
Finding: Six king posts literally pulled out of their gussets above the garage.
The inspector — with 20 years of experience — had only seen one other case like it, and never this extensive.
Likely causes:
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Bottom chords tied together and used to lift an engine (improper loading).
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Overloading the attic with heavy stored items across webs.
From below, the garage ceiling looked perfectly normal. But the trusses were already failing, connections tearing apart in silence.
Keep Your Feet On The Ground
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The 600 lb Myth
Ceiling rack companies love to brag about “600–800 lb capacity.” Sounds tough, right? Here’s the truth:
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Those numbers only measure the rack itself in a controlled test.
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They do not reflect what your trusses can actually support.
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Your ceiling wasn’t engineered for vertical storage loads — ever.
👉 A rack might survive 800 lbs in a lab. Your roof? Probably not. That’s why recalls happen. That’s why inspectors keep finding failures.
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Freestanding Overhead Storage
- ARackAbove -
ARackAbove is 100% adjustable. Including shelf height set your height/needs.
ARackAbove is different by design.
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Freestanding: No drilling into trusses. No ceiling attachment.
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All of the weight is on the ground. Not your ceiling
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Patented System: Engineered posts transfer weight to the floor where it belongs.
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Tested Strength: Supports up to 2,000 lbs safely.
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Portable: Adjusts to your garage and moves with you.
Instead of gambling with your home’s structure, you get overhead storage that’s strong, safe, and built to last — without ever touching your trusses.
Does ARackAbove Need the FlexBeam Support? Yes, and No— and it’s actually a huge upgrade. In garages wider than 13.5 feet, ARackAbove uses one slim support pole, less than 1.5″ wide. This single pole is what allows the rack to hold over 2,000 lbs. It won't be in your way. The FlexBeam support can slide it left or right to give your bigger car more room and keep your walking path open. It’s marked with reflective safety tape, and it blends in so well customers forget it’s even there.
