Ceiling – How to hang racks from the garage ceiling with trusses

ceilinggarage

During installation of the 4' x 8' SafeRacks, I discovered that the ceiling joists in my garage are 2×4 trusses, instead of solid joists. Unfortunately, the product comes with 3" lag bolts, and after consulting with their customer service, they insist that I need at least 2" of solid wood penetration (the ceiling truss would only provide 1.5").

Would it be acceptable to substitute the 3" lag bolt with 2x 2" lag bolts per location? The product is rated to hold 600lb, and I doubt I would utilize the full weight capacity. At the same time, I don't want to put my family at any safety risks.

EDIT: Thank you for your comments so far. I really appreciate your responses! Here is a picture of my garage ceiling, prior to drywall being installed.

8/27 EDIT: Given the expert advice here, I have decided to return the racks. I'm going to look for shelving that are mounted on the sidewalls. I'm very glad that I found this site. Thank you – you guys rock!

Best Answer

2x's laying flat as opposed to on edge are going to bend or break when weight is suspended from it over time. The longer the board the faster it will compress or fail. To remedy this problem you must add support to the existing framing members. I think the simplest way is to install additional 2 x 4's (on edge) attached against the edge of the original 2 x 4's. It should have a "L" shape profile. You didn't mention the span of the rafters, but you may consider adding webbing above the platform. All this is are lengths of 2 x 4 attached to the platform joists at one end and the other to the mating roof rafter above. This is probably over kill, but still another way to prevent a failure.