So, it's cleaning season. You want to get rid of old boxes or heavy items and put them in your attic. Instead of breaking your back to store them, why not use a pulley system to lug them up at a fraction of the weight?

Inspiration for this Instructable first came about when my boyfriend and I had an extremely difficult time storing our fake Christmas tree in our attic after Christmas. This is our first home, and we certainly didn't like the idea of towing heavy things up a steep ladder. We are by no means lazy, it's more of the safety concern. I mentioned how difficult something like this must be for the elderly. Or, how could someone living alone ever accomplish such a feat!?

Could a roll system help assist with lugging materials and boxes up the attic with ease? With that being said we brainstormed this idea.

After we finished our Instructable, our work load was cut by 75%. Pulling up my heavy box of art supplies was substantially easier! Let me show you!

Step 1: What You'll Need

The best benefit of 3D printing the wheels was to have the ability to modify them so the wheels would fit perfectly on the ladder and attach to the barrings. In our example, our wheels have a lip on them to better guide across the ladder.

Please let me stress, this is our specific measurements to our own attic ladder. Everyone's may vary. To successfully do this at your home, measurements must be made on your end and any variations need to be applied. Here is a list of materials you will need.

3D printer for the wheels

Hardware

skateboard bearings (average set size)
5/16 inch washers
5/16-24 nut. 4 count
5/16-24 X 1-1/2 bolt
2+ pulleys (your choice) The more you have the easier the load will be
50ft of para chord or rope

Tools

Nail gun
saw or jigsaw
clamps (optional)
socket wrench
drill with bits
speed square
tape measure

Wood

3/4in. x 2ft. x 2ft. plywood
1in. x 2in. x 4ft. hardwood

Step 2: Visualize and Make Your Design

These designs were made in Solid Works. They are a basic design. I have attached the STL in case you wish to print out the exact work for the wheel yourself.

Track_Wheel.STL
Download View in 3D

Step 3: Measure and Cut Plywood

This will be the bodywork of our Instructable. Measure the length of your attic ladder. This will determine the length of wood to be cut. Cut the plywood to 14" wide, unless your ladder varies. By using a jig saw, in order to cut straight, we clamped a long piece of wood and used it as a fence to cut a nice straight line. First world problems!

In the end though, we produced the same result.

Step 4: Making the Wheels!

The most tedious part! Drill 4 holes in the 1"x2''x 2' wood pieces. This is where your wheels will go. Then use your socket wrench to screw in your bolt. To successfully attach the wheel, it will go as follows.

Screw in bolt
place washer on top of bolt
place wheel on top of washer
screw skateboard bearing to the wheel
finally, attach the nut to the barring to hold it all in!

Step 5: Attach the Wheels to the Body

Yay, now you should have four working wheels! Now it's time to attach the wheels to the body work of your Instructable. In order to prevent them from moving, it is highly recommended you clamp it down because the work is going to get flipped over.

To attach the wheels to the body, flip over the plywood board and use the nail gun to attach the components. We marked where the underside wood is with a pencil to keep a more straightened nail line. Be sure to leave 1 inch on the sides so the wheels will fit onto the ladder.

Step 6: TESTING 1,2,3...

With all wheels successfully attached. Be sure to try out how well it will all fit on your ladder. If it glides nice and smooth, you are right where you need to be.

RESIST URGE TO SKATEBOARD DOWN THE ROAD

Step 7: Making the Backboard and Adding Stability

The backboard is very essential. It will need to be strong enough to carry heavy loads without buckling or breaking. Because of this, we added a small wood barrier to the back of the board just to give it more stability.

To also give more stability, we cut 1"x2''x 2' wood piece so it will fit in the bottom and complete the underside. This not only gives a place to attach the para chord later, but it also gives strength and stability.

Then, cut the plywood into 8" tall 14" wide so it will fit snugly on the body. This is the backboard. Place aside for later.

Use a leftover piece of plywood to attach to the bottom. This is simply to have the nails grip onto something and make the bond more durable.

To make the wood barrier, cut the 1"x2''x 2' wood piece to fit the back of the backboard. Use your handy dandy clamps to hold the wood steady and attach with a nail gun. Then , place your backboard in front of the wood piece and attach with a nail gun, with help from the clamps. Nail any spots you missed or feel needs more grip.

Step 8: Attach Pulleys and Para Chord

Drill a hole for the para chord to fit in. Double knot and use a lighter to melt the para chord to prevent it from un-raveling (optional).

Attach your small pulley to the para chord in the front.

Attach your larger pulleys well to a stable board built inside your attic. You don't want them to fall out!

Thread your para chord through the pulleys in accordance to the diagram I have provided. I used #3. This is the 3 pulley system. The mechanical advantage in the diagram suggests the work load to be cut 75%.

Notice the MAGIC!

Step 9: Wow!

Notice as your work load is cut 75%!

You can either pull your load from below, or one could do it from the attic. If you are working alone, you can pull the load from the attic without assistance! Game changer to someone living alone with no help at all.

Now I no longer fear going up the creaky stairs to the attic or falling off and breaking my back!

Hope you enjoyed my Instructable, take care!