I do not have the Volvo roof box lift, and can't comment on it specifically, but I do have very similar lift systems for my wife's Jeep roof and some bikes. In all of those cases, including the height of the pulley's themselves which are about two inches in diameter, I can get them to about three to four inches from the ceiling surface.

The one of the Jeep top is a block and tackle system that reduces the force necessary to lift such a heavy item while the bike lifts use a simple two pulley set up. Neither of these look like what Volvo is using.

Instead, Volvo appears to be using a mechanical system that is very similar to some storage rack lifts I own which has an eyelet into which a hooked rod is placed and, using a hand crank or electric drill, can be used to raise and lower the storage rack. Mine also has an option of an electric motor which doesn't appear to be an option from Volvo. The box for these mechanics sits aside from the rack itself and uses a crossbar to wind up the cable on the other side of the storage rack. This limits the height that the rack can be raised but the Volvo lift doesn't seem to have this limitation.

My Jeep Top lift:

My storage racks:

My bike lifts:

 

If you buy the Thule one there really isn't a limitation aside from the length of the rope to reach the roof of the vehicle.

 

To further answer your question, I took a look at the installation instructions. If there is a limit, it would be a function of how tall your box is and the maximum amount of rope/cable that the pulleys can take in when wound up. It might be possible that with a particularly slim roof box, the space around the pulleys to store the wound rope would be filled up. In this case, it may be possible to shorten the rope but you'd then have to ensure that it was long enough to still reach your roof box. Tall ceilings should also be considered in the calculation.

 

i bought the Thule kit, which was totally not worth it, that template and the parts you get is not worth $215 lol. The minimum height is about 1 inch below the pulley. We returned the whole thing and made our own. I've also discovered that unless you have the perfect spot for the box to drop down on, between garage door clearance and where/how you park your car, the box lift is not all that useful. I saw on pinterest a set up where they hang the box flush to the wall and i like that way better.


but the answer to you question is about 1-1.5" below the pulley. You could probably pull it up more, but it really starts to feel kinda strained. On top of that, getting some high quality nylon rope and high quality pulleys with lower profiles would give you even more clearance / it would be a fun project and you can customize the type of straps you want.

 

In my crude diagram below, what's the smallest height labelled "Min"?


----------------- Lift mounted on ceiling
↕↕↕↕Min ?↕↕↕↕
╔════════════╗
║**Roof box**║
╚════════════╝
↕↕↕↕↕↕↕↕↕↕

----^^-----^^---- Car rails

I use a Harken Hoister model 7802.B12 (25-90# w/ 12' lift), and in my case the minimum clearance between the roof box and the ceiling is 0". If you look at the photo below, you'll notice that my roof box is tall and the lifting straps wrap underneath the box. The pulleys are located to the sides of the box, not above it. Therefore, I can lift the box high enough for the top of the box to touch the ceiling.

As long as your garage door is tall enough for the XC90 with roof box attached to enter the garage, you should have enough ceiling height to store the box against the ceiling. With the Harken Hoister, keep in mind that the vertical distance that you can lift the box is limited by the horizontal distance between the gathering point for the lifting lines and the back wall of your garage. Because my garage is deep, I can lift the box from floor to ceiling.

I really like my setup and I built my garage with an 8' tall garage door specifically so I could drive inside with a large roof box installed on a tall SUV. Since building my garage, however, I've discovered that many ski resort properties have garages with only 7' clearance. So even though I can fit easily in my own garage, my roof box often scrapes the ceilings of ski resort garages even when it's mounted on the XC90 and not the XTerra. As a result, I will be replacing my roof box with a shorter version before next winter - the goal being to keep the height of the XC90 with roof box mounted under 7'-0".

 

I use a Harken Hoister model 7802.B12 (25-90# w/ 12' lift), and in my case the minimum clearance between the roof box and the ceiling is 0". If you look at the photo below, you'll notice that my roof box is tall and the lifting straps wrap underneath the box. The pulleys are located to the sides of the box, not above it. Therefore, I can lift the box high enough for the top of the box to touch the ceiling.

The Harken is what I use as well for the Jeep top. It works well enough but I find it sometimes can be difficult to disengage the locking clamp.

 

I have the Volvo box lift, the minimum in your drawing would be 0. I lift my box up to the point where it's in contact with the ceiling and tilted to clear my garage door when it opens.

 

To elaborate a little on my last post: my garage door is 7' high. The box barely clears the garage while mounted on the XC90, with less than 1" to spare. The garage ceiling joists are barely any higher, and I have 12" or so clearance between the open garage door and the joists, which is why I'm asking!

 

You guys are fantastic! What great information, pictures, and ideas. I knew this was a good forum, but you exceeded my expectations for responses to my first post. Thank you all!

Zal - I had not even considered my garage door when it opens, and I feel rather silly for not having done so. I'll probably have to back the car in and move my planned installation location on account of that. How did you tilt the box? Looking at the design of the Volvo lift, it's not clear to me it will allow for any kind of consistent tilt.

 

Considering the way it looks to be designed, if the center pulley that takes up the rope doesn't allow for adjustment then shortening the rope on the appropriate side should do this. You could accomplish this in a non-permanent fashion by knotting it close to the end of the side that you want to raise.

EDIT: reading through the instructions, looks like one step involves forming a knot over which the rubber/plastic tubing sits. This might be the place to make the adjustment if the pulley can't take up rope in non-proportional amounts or be adjusted.

 

Nice job on that garage! Looks amazing! I noticed the hvac unit and the stairs in the pics so I popped over to your garagejournal thread to see what was upstairs. Nice!

 

Thank you so much for the plans. I'll certainly use them in my future renovations and for tidying up my current garage. Appreciated

 

SDSpeed,

I hadn't visited here in a few days and missed your question.

I have the Volvo design box (expensive!):
http://accessories.volvocars.com/en-us/XC90(16-)/Accessories/Document/VCC-492192/2017

I have the Volvo "wing profile bars":
http://accessories.volvocars.com/en-us/XC90(16-)/Accessories/Document/VCC-491534/2017

Clearance is just under 82" at the highest point near the rear, give or take 1/4", depending on my tire pressure. ;-) I took 5 minutes to pull into the garage with it installed the first time, to ensure it didn't rub!

In all honesty, the low profile of this box enables me to get in and out of the garage, making me feel better about the price of the box purchase. I've used it very little thusfar, but I do like it. It's my first roof box though, so I don't have much to compare against. It sure looks great though.

I decided to go with the Volvo lift, and am awaiting delivery. I think I know enough to ensure it will work for me with all relevant dimensions, though I'll likely back the car in to the garage so that the garage door doesn't interfere with install / removal. Thanks again to everyone for the info.

 

Thanks, mzeee! Here is another low profile roof box that I was considering (posted by Skitruckmaskin on another thread) - VOLVO OEM load bars + Thule Flow Ski Box:

 

I suggest you measure your garage clearance across it's full width. Mine was less than a true 7'. This Thule box is almost an inch taller according to specs, and I don't know what difference to expect with the bars and different mounting hardware. As I mentioned, I barely clear with my setup.