Here are some shots of a prototype device that I built from stuff lying about the garage. The parts include a 48" piece of Unistrut, a piece of chainlink fence top rail, two old crutch tips, miscellaneous Unistrut hardware, piece of old broom handle for the upper crutch tip, rope, piece of plastic pipe, a couple of screws, etc. The only thing that I had to go after was the garage door pulley - about $3 at Lowes.
I have not loaded the roof, yet; but, I feel that this device will help greatly after I add a couple of kayaks or a luggage carrier.
Like I said, this IS a prototype. If I had a welder, I would do a few things differently and cut down on the overall weight. Some of the hardware is more bullet-proof than needed.
The first step, after positioning the lift, is to raise the rear section enough to put stop pin (old screwdriver in this case) in the Unistrut. This allows me to stand and complete the lift with my leg.
The lift at the front is totally by leg power - much easier than doing an overhead lift.
-Buzz
