Raising and lowering large LED fixtures

Has anyone either found or created a method to adjust the height of large (47" x 43" 17lb+/-) light fixtures without having to adjust 4 adjustable rope clip hangers ...

every time for each light?
Love it if there was something motorized but even a single manual pulley per light would be terrific.
Thanks in advance for any info

The big problem with most contraptions is they eat up vertical space. Of course high ceilings mitigate that issue. I have seen the Sun Hoist product, more for two point lights. There is the Level Lift manual setup, again, better for two point hangers but you could perhaps halve your work load.

Maybe a product here that you can build and market.

For commercial setups there's this company:

Sun Winch is another one I forgot. not sure how that would work on a four point fixture.

Just found this one when searching specifically for LED light lifts. Not sure what's going on there lol

I've been struggling with the same issue. When I have to drop the lights lower for indica dom plants, it makes getting into the closet a hassle since the fixture is so low.

I am about to go the opposite direction. Going to hang my lights as high as they can go, and invest in some wire shelving 'carts' with caster wheels that I can adjust the shelf height to bring the plants up to the lights instead. Im not sure if this would work well in a tent unless you could easily wheel them out. But just an idea I thought I would share.

My fixture weighs in at 46 lbs and sometime ago I mounted a lift in my tent.



As @Renfro said it took up to much head space. It was kinda cool but lasted less then 20 hours.

Heavy you say?


PITA for sure...

As it was well said already, its hard to create that without using vertical space. I would suck it up and deal with it as best as possible. I also like liftting things from the floor towards the light as a helping solution.

Im sure it does not need saying but just in case, having a dimmable fixture helps at least some with light moving.

Flatrate said:

My fixture weighs in at 46 lbs and sometime ago I mounted a lift in my tent.

View attachment 4663326

As @Renfro said it took up to much head space. It was kinda cool but lasted less then 20 hours.

Click to expand...

Off topic but how do you like that timber light I'm looking into buying some new lights

Flatrate said:

It was kinda cool but lasted less then 20 hours.

Click to expand...

What failed? The top of the tent? lol

I leave my LED fixtures as high up as I can so I dont have to continuously move it as it stretches.

My logic is as the plant grows it requires more light to grow so it gets closer to the LED and gets more light that way. I havent had any growth issues in my veg doing this the past 2 runs.

newbplantgrower420 said:

I leave my LED fixtures as high up as I can so I dont have to continuously move it as it stretches.

My logic is as the plant grows it requires more light to grow so it gets closer to the LED and gets more light that way. I havent had any growth issues in my veg doing this the past 2 runs.

Click to expand...

Might could make veg take longer than it should have.

The logic for hanging lights high holds very true in large rooms with lots of lights. Wall losses are a thing and are to be avoided in a tent by keeping the light closer.

Renfro said:

Might could make veg take longer than it should have.

The logic for hanging lights high holds very true in large rooms with lots of lights. Wall losses are a thing and are to be avoided in a tent by keeping the light closer.

Click to expand...

doesnt that mylar reflective foil material in the tents reflect 95%+ of light? thats the same material i staple gunned on the walls in my veg room.

you lose some light but its better for me to lose a bit of light than continuously adjust multiple lights throughout the weeks.

The other thought/argument for keeping the lights fixed and changing plant heights via whatever method available... measuring out the light meter readings take time, as does adjusting my active cooling fans blowing on top of the fixtures. I dont have the fancy apogee meter so I am playing a guessing game anyway trying to balance between numbers and what the plants seem to like.

Im hoping that fixing the lights in place will let me take accurate readings one time, and then have an idea of X height is 800ppfd, a little lower is 600 etc, lowest is 400 or whatver. Then its just a game of making sure the canopy is at whatever height it needs for a given growth period, if that makes sense.

I raise and lower the 14" height adjustable roller table. I'm an old and have to K.I.S.S

You can use 4 idler pulleys and a 4 line sheave block; after the sheave block terminate the lines on a piece of steel about 6 - 10 inches long and attach that to a small hoist by a single line.

Here's what a theatrical sheave block looks like (just to show general layout); you can achieve the same thing with 4 small plant pulleys mounted on your tent's top spreader bar.



A couple of these, side by each, would fulfill the sheave block function

(https://www.amazon.com/Rocaris-Stainless-Double-Lifting-Hanging/dp/B07WVYCPMQ/ref=pd_bxgy_3/145-1212035-6496051?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B07WVYCPMQ&pd_rd_r=7ce7df69-c65d-415f-9f8d-66c967071913&pd_rd_w=cru7H&pd_rd_wg=p0XWV&pf_rd_p=ce6c479b-ef53-49a6-845b-bbbf35c28dd3&pf_rd_r=VKXMX1BF1D8Z6SXHKT4V&psc=1&refRID=VKXMX1BF1D8Z6SXHKT4V)



You'll lose some headroom but nothing drastic.

Lines come up from the 4 corners of light and run through single idler pulleys
(eg. https://www.amazon.com/Nxtop-Stainless-Pulley-Lifting-Hanging/dp/B07DBWJNGQ/ref=psdc_256397011_t3_B07WVYCPMQ)



to the sheave block at the end of your tent.


Then single line runs from steel bar to hoist.


"Stagehands do it on cue."

airedog said:

You can use 4 idler pulleys and a 4 line sheave block; after the sheave block terminate the lines on a piece of steel about 6 - 10 inches long and attach that to a small hoist by a single line.

A couple of these, side by each, would fulfill the sheave block function

(https://www.amazon.com/Rocaris-Stainless-Double-Lifting-Hanging/dp/B07WVYCPMQ/ref=pd_bxgy_3/145-1212035-6496051?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B07WVYCPMQ&pd_rd_r=7ce7df69-c65d-415f-9f8d-66c967071913&pd_rd_w=cru7H&pd_rd_wg=p0XWV&pf_rd_p=ce6c479b-ef53-49a6-845b-bbbf35c28dd3&pf_rd_r=VKXMX1BF1D8Z6SXHKT4V&psc=1&refRID=VKXMX1BF1D8Z6SXHKT4V)

You'll lose some headroom but nothing drastic.

Lines come up from the 4 corners of light and run through single idler pulleys
(eg. https://www.amazon.com/Nxtop-Stainless-Pulley-Lifting-Hanging/dp/B07DBWJNGQ/ref=psdc_256397011_t3_B07WVYCPMQ)
.....

Click to expand...

Outstanding suggestion ... perfect foundation for a classic Rube Goldberg

Is there not an adjustable table that would allow you to adjust the plants all together rather than each light? If there isnt there should be

Boatguy said:

Is there not an adjustable table that would allow you to adjust the plants all together rather than each light? If there isnt there should be

Click to expand...

yeah @quirk posted one a few posts ago

I am building some "carts" out of these wire shelves, poles and caster wheels. it wont be as quick as quirks one handed operation but hopefully simpler than adjusting my lights all the time.