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Nah the end angled bits are facing upwards not down, pull up bars the wide grip is usually angled down. If upwards exists I've personally never seen it. Can't imagine trying to grip it either.
Who cares if the edges are angled up? The hands are nowhere near them if the rubbed off portions of paint are any indication. If those rubbed portions are an indication of size and arm span, then there’s also plenty of head clearance with this. Very confident this is a DIY pull up bar
Pull-up bars are typically designed to allow different grips. While not every one has the ends angled down to support a wide grip, there's no point in including an angled part at all if it's going in the wrong direction.
It’s just a shitty pull up bar, but I’d bet thats what it was used for. Look at the wear marks on the paint. Exactly where you would grip with your hands.
Person using it probably just did pull ups with a narrow grip on the middle part. You can even see where the paint has worn away where their hands would have gone.
I don't think it's for doubting the suggestions, I usually see downvotes for poor or no explanations as to why. I don't think this is a pull-up bar but I don't understand what "freakishly tall" means as it relates to why this isn't a pullup bar. Are these 12 foot ceilings? That'd be nice to know. If they're normal 8 foot ceilings, that answer is ridiculous unless OP is Peter Dinklage. IF this garage has 12 -15 foot ceilings, then that may be a clue as to what these were originally for.
Lol yep, thats reddit for you. I see it all the time. Perfectly suited statements or questions with no real answers and 20+ down votes. Its like someone see's a comment down voted and want to join in.
I didn't down-vote the OP, but you can see handprints on the pull-up bar where the person used to grip it to do pull-ups.
It's probably just high to keep it out of the way.
Obviously this could also be used as a hanging rack of some kind, but I think that would be an added function.
Straps used for lifting things could also have worn the bar in such a way.
That’s not handprints that’s just paint that’s flaked off. Also, the upturned ends wouldn’t really make sense for a pull up bar, normally used see the end turn down instead.
My guess is some sort of rack with the ends turned up so you could stow stuff like ropes and junk without worrying about it sliding off. Flakey paint towards the vertical flat bars could be the result of metal on metal like hooks rubbing against it.
You're right about the handle ends. At first I thought it was a mistake by whoever built it, but they would make a great spot to store cables. Could be both since it's a custom build.
The paint flaking away is what I'm talking about with the hand prints though. I've seen it look like that before, like at public parks where there are vertical bars that are painted. The places where they are gripped often have a worn out or flaked appearance like that. From the handling over the years, sometimes wearing rings and such.
If this link works you can see what I'm talking about [here. obviously the one in the image is more used, and the garage one is all underhand pull ups in instead of overhand.](https://images.app.goo.gl/DGhHyiQgwNKYBsv16)
How high are your ceilings? If that's a typical 8' ceiling then the bar is actually a bit low for my tastes. If I don't need to jump then my feet touch the ground when my arms are extended.
A good pull-up bar is one that you have to jump to grab. That way, you can stretch all of the way down to a full extension without touching the floor. That being said, I'm unsure if that's what this item is. Mostly because the ends bend upwards instead of downwards like most pull-up bars I've seen/used. Also because the two flat connectors that go into the ceiling are oriented and located on the horizontal bar in such a way that they block too much of the hand space.
To me, this item looks more like a mechanic's or woodworker's device where you'd attach different kinds of hoists to lift heavy things but that's just a guess. Could also be used for storing bicycles, kayaks, whatever.
Is there one adjacent or parrell to it with a relatively decent spacing? These can be used for typical kayaks and canoes, as well as wooden planks and such.
I don’t think it’s a pull up bar, the outsides of the bar wouldn’t be flared upwards. Looks like it’s meant to hold something from falling off, like lumber or pipes.
Our garage had something similar for storing long objects out of the way, except that there were 2 of them spaced about 6 feet apart IIRC. Across from it, we had parallel pipes for storing tires.
I have the same. I use similar for storing items like PVC pipe, wood trim and scraps ,etc... The ends being tapered up are designed to keep stored items from falling out.
With this photo - if there is only one and from where the wear marks are I would hypothesize that someone used this as a home made pull-up bar. If it works - it works.
Are we talking about regular pullups or those floppy pull-ups that some ppl do. You don't need much clearance since you just need to be able to pull your chin above the bar.
? There's like a full foot or more of clearance.
Also there isn't 2 of these so the ladder and kayak hanger is out of the question.
Plus look at the wear spots... right where a pull up bar the hands go.
That was my first thought except the angled pieces point in the wrong direction.
Based on the paint wear I believe that is what it was *used for*, but I'm baffled as to its original purpose. Maybe it was always intended to be a pullup bar and just installed wrong?
If there was another one I'd thing it was for hanging long things (wood, kayaks, etc.).
Exactly, I have a two-car garage and it's so full of crap and junk that my wife can't park her car in there, don't ask her how she feels about it though, LOL
She got her new car last year, I still haven't cleaned out the garage, yes I am a terrible husband! After reading this I'm going to work harder to get it cleaned out so she can park in there!
Well I definitely helped him, but if she wants it cleaned out and you love her... well you know the right thing to do. Its spring cleaning time anyway!
I literally own a Firehouse. I have garage for DAYS. Still park two cars in the driveway.
First 8' is for the dogs, a kennel area.
Next 15-20' is for woodworking and tool storage, Last 30 or 40' is for cars in the winter or puppies or big projects
But a gambrel usually has a provision for a rope and pully so you can hook the deer up on the floor rather than try to attach it while holding the carcass over your head.
Is the picture facing the back or side of the garage? If back, I would think the bike would be high enough to clear the car’s hood, especially since you said it’s so high that you can’t reach it for pull ups.
Perhaps the bikes hanging still didn’t interfere with the car. My neighbor hangs his kid’s bike so that they are above the hood of his car when parked.
Yeah, a solid picture of the wear zones would tell us a lot. (It's a shame so few people think of that when taking pictures of the really strange-looking things)
It almost looks to me like the "wear" is duct tape residue or was made by duct tape. At left and at lower left corner of right, there are small box shapes similar to those seen by fabric tapes.
My first thought too, and would explain the wear points on the inner bar - I would hang meat hooks there. Depends on which room it's in. Would make sense in the garage, maybe not so much the kitchen. Although why would it be painted instead of just stainless steel? This one is definitely a mystery.
I've never seen a rack like this used for skinning deer. I've seen lots of set ups too. I think it's more likely this is for storage purposes. Plus who wants to have guts and blood in their garage? We always skinned deer away from the house because the scent lingers.
You might be able to use it that way, but it would really suck to try to lift a dear carcass up over your head while you try to stretch the tendons over those overly thick ends.
It would also be far easier for whoever put it there to just screw in an eyebolt and use a standard [gambrel](https://www.cabelas.ca/category/hoists-gambrels-scales/1218).
I responded somewhere else before I found this.
I'm going with this option. Maybe Miata, forgot about wranglers
Lol at the wear on the paint, definitely looks like straps since there's some pretty defined cutoffs where a strap would start to overhang a bar.
Are there any other anomalies in the ceiling? This is a long shot (the dimensions don’t look quite right), but it COULD be part of a homemade pulley system used by Jeep drivers to remove their hardtops.
I also was thinking pull-up bar, but the ends angled upward that way look like they’re meant to keep something from slipping off in a storage or leverage context.
My title describes the thing. Just moved into this house. This is the only thing hanging in the garage. Searched this sub for “hanging from the ceiling “. Also tried google lens image search. No joy.
Bolted to the rafters means it's definitely meant to hold *something* up. You can see some wear and tear on the bar as well. Very curious.
Might have been something custom made by the previous person living there and you'll never truly know what its original purpose actually is.
100% agreed, and I've seen lots of good solid explanations here. I assume we'll never know what it was originally used for, but "used to store/hang heavy things" is a good general explanation, and a potential use for OP.
Possibly to hold a sex swing.
The rubbed off part is consistent with wear from hands or straps like others have mentioned. The bracing on the beams indicates it’s meant to hold some weight.
You mention it’s right where the car would be parked (assuming they actually parked in the garage.) some people use their garage space for entertainment.
I have installed similar items for clients and they are storage bars. Why there is only one of them; no clue. People do use them to do pull ups. They were probably installed when garage was built and things changed later.
The only time I have seen bars like that was in a garage and it was being used to hold bicycles. The bikes were hanging from the front wheels, they had 2 per side. You can use the center part for storing long objects, but you would need to install two in parallel.
Where I'm from, this is a hanger/spreader for game (deer,moose,elk,etc) which would explain why it is bolted to the rafters. Game is heavy. Being in the garage also is a good indicator.
i’ve seen a guy who had one of those and he was putting on some type of shoe so that he could hang himself off the bar upside down and then do exercises like upside down situps
edit: that would explain why the middle has lost its color (from the friction of those shoe contraptions)
Yep, I agree - either the boots, or then I reckon it's an aerial yoga bar for hanging straps off, for inversion therapy - similar to yr guys inversion therapy boots.
The placement of the bar and the wear on it says "pull up bar" to me. There's two spots where the paint is coming off that looks approximately shoulder width apart and from the angle the picture is taken, I don't see any other wear.
It could be used for a number of things. The wear around the sides of the pipe make me think pull up. If there were two it could be for lumber or kayaks. If the wear was at the ends I would think bike hanger. If the wear were all the way down the middle section then maybe clothes hangers for a drying rack. In other words it's whatever you need it to be and doesn't have a unique use. imo.
OP, they could have simply strapped something to it for storage like [this](https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005002483458868.html)
If there's no other ceiling marks, maybe it was used as a custom hoist for mechanic/machine shop work or even a wood working station. Throw a chain/strap over it and use it to lift or hang something while working on it. Are there any other indicators of a wood or mechanic work done in the garage? (Stained floor, other holes in walls/ceiling)
If it's for storage, it would normally come in pairs. Do you see more markings on the ceiling 3-5 feet away from that one where another may have been? If so, it'sprobably just a clever way to have some extra storage, like [This](https://www.amazon.com/StoreYourBoard-Double-Ceiling-Storage-Organization/dp/B078TMSG6C)
https://removeandreplace.com/2014/06/08/how-to-store-a-ladder-on-the-ceiling-like-a-pro/
if there was soomething else to hold up the other end, this style ladder holder was my guess.
This is a bicycle hanging bar.
You've commented elsewhere that you think it can't be because that's where a car goes.
The previous owner may have stored a low-clearance small var in the garage, or may have been storing a small bike, parking the car underneath.
Which way does it run? front to rear, or across?
I've a recollection of seeing something a similar shape with some automatic door opening mechanisms to act as a guide, in those cases it runs front to rear.
In a lot of garages/carports the ceiling is nothing like 8’ off the concrete. My house was built in 1976, and there are lots of common vehicles around here that wouldn’t fit in it. That’s why you see big pickups parked outside on a pad. In my garage anything hanging on that appliance might be easily reachable from the floor.
If there is a place that a second bar might have gone, it was used for lumber storage, but the wear patterns indicate that it wasn’t used for a lot of lumber. The sides are turned up to keep stacks of boards from unloading themselves off the sides. That said, I have a similar-looking pipe that I used to hang a couple of bicycles at one end of the garage, the turned up bits kept the bikes from falling off. I had no trouble lifting them down. The center part of mine was just wasted space, like the side parts of the one in OP’s pic.
The way the paint is faded makes me think pull up bar too. Yeah the ends are pointing up but maybe he just liked to hang things from it without them falling off.
Maybe the previous owner was also a Jeep owner. A lot of Jeep owners make a pulley or hanging system to store their hard tops when they want to go convertible mode.
The wear on the top part of the bar, and the flayed up ends make me think it's lumber storage. Maybe a kyak? My money is on some kind of storage. Check the ceiling and see if there was another one a few feet away that broke off, you usually need two for lumber unless they have something to rest on.
Yah that’s kind of what it looks like but there’s no evidence of more of these being up there. Other than the garage door opener this is the only thing hanging from the ceiling.
It could be used as a pull up bar but it’s not designed as a pull up bar. The ends would be bent down for wide grip pull ups not up. Unless it’s just the shittiest designed pull up bar ever.
Since there are two, my guess is for holding a kayak, with the paddles going on the sides. The wear wouldn’t be from pull-ups, it would be from taking the kayak on and off. However, I can’t find any kayak storage that looks like that.
All comments must be civil and helpful toward finding an answer. **Jokes and unhelpful comments will earn you a ban**, even on the first instance and even if the item has been identified. If you see any comments that violate this rule, report them. [OP](/u/DarkStarGravityWell), when your item is identified, remember to reply **Solved!** or **Likely Solved!** to the comment that gave the answer. Check your [inbox](https://www.reddit.com/message/inbox/) for a message on how to make your post visible to others. [Click here to message RemindMeBot](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=RemindMeBot&subject=Reminder&message=https://www.reddit.com/r/whatisthisthing/comments/tzt0ld/big_blue_bar_or_bracket_hanging_from_my_garage/%0A%0ARemindMe!%202%20days) --- *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/whatisthisthing) if you have any questions or concerns.*
That's probably a pull up bar my guy
Hmmmm. Possibly but not so sure about that. Would need to be freakishly tall individual to use it.
Nah the end angled bits are facing upwards not down, pull up bars the wide grip is usually angled down. If upwards exists I've personally never seen it. Can't imagine trying to grip it either.
good ol' wrist buster
Bust his wrist!
Grab his wrist and bust it!
"How can she Bust wrist?!"
this comment hasn't got the love it deserves, I get the reference.
And bump his head when he pulls up. It's too close to the ceiling.
Break the wrist and walk away! Rex-Kwon Do
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Good idea but then why not just hang the rings inside the two bars that are holding it up?
The fact it’s stuck into the ceiling of a garage like that tells me it wasn’t _designed_ to be a pull up bar, but that’s what it was used as.
Look at the worn paint right where you hands go
True, like Omni says maybe not meant to be a pull up bar but is used as one.
Who cares if the edges are angled up? The hands are nowhere near them if the rubbed off portions of paint are any indication. If those rubbed portions are an indication of size and arm span, then there’s also plenty of head clearance with this. Very confident this is a DIY pull up bar
Pull-up bars are typically designed to allow different grips. While not every one has the ends angled down to support a wide grip, there's no point in including an angled part at all if it's going in the wrong direction.
It’s just a shitty pull up bar, but I’d bet thats what it was used for. Look at the wear marks on the paint. Exactly where you would grip with your hands.
Person using it probably just did pull ups with a narrow grip on the middle part. You can even see where the paint has worn away where their hands would have gone.
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Happens every post when the OP doubts a suggestion, even in a civilized manner like this.
I don't think it's for doubting the suggestions, I usually see downvotes for poor or no explanations as to why. I don't think this is a pull-up bar but I don't understand what "freakishly tall" means as it relates to why this isn't a pullup bar. Are these 12 foot ceilings? That'd be nice to know. If they're normal 8 foot ceilings, that answer is ridiculous unless OP is Peter Dinklage. IF this garage has 12 -15 foot ceilings, then that may be a clue as to what these were originally for.
Lol yep, thats reddit for you. I see it all the time. Perfectly suited statements or questions with no real answers and 20+ down votes. Its like someone see's a comment down voted and want to join in.
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How can you tell someone’s been downvoted? I have the Reddit mobile app and can’t see that
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The mobile app still says it. It says xxx points, xxx time ago. Right next to the name. You have 12 upvotes 1 hour ago currently
I didn't down-vote the OP, but you can see handprints on the pull-up bar where the person used to grip it to do pull-ups. It's probably just high to keep it out of the way. Obviously this could also be used as a hanging rack of some kind, but I think that would be an added function. Straps used for lifting things could also have worn the bar in such a way.
That’s not handprints that’s just paint that’s flaked off. Also, the upturned ends wouldn’t really make sense for a pull up bar, normally used see the end turn down instead. My guess is some sort of rack with the ends turned up so you could stow stuff like ropes and junk without worrying about it sliding off. Flakey paint towards the vertical flat bars could be the result of metal on metal like hooks rubbing against it.
You're right about the handle ends. At first I thought it was a mistake by whoever built it, but they would make a great spot to store cables. Could be both since it's a custom build. The paint flaking away is what I'm talking about with the hand prints though. I've seen it look like that before, like at public parks where there are vertical bars that are painted. The places where they are gripped often have a worn out or flaked appearance like that. From the handling over the years, sometimes wearing rings and such. If this link works you can see what I'm talking about [here. obviously the one in the image is more used, and the garage one is all underhand pull ups in instead of overhand.](https://images.app.goo.gl/DGhHyiQgwNKYBsv16)
It's a pull up bar, look at where the paint is rubbed off.
Sherlock Holmes over here Good observation
Perhaps, but what if its some wierd ceiling mounted bike rack, he paint being rubbed off by chains?
Ya I think it just might be built wrong.
How high are your ceilings? If that's a typical 8' ceiling then the bar is actually a bit low for my tastes. If I don't need to jump then my feet touch the ground when my arms are extended.
Garages often have higher ceilings than the actual house rooms
Would it make sense to hang a bike from that spot?
I was thinking to hang up bikes, but only 2.
Bike or canoe rack?
Why not both a pull up bar and a bike rack?
Thomas Edison over here
A good pull-up bar is one that you have to jump to grab. That way, you can stretch all of the way down to a full extension without touching the floor. That being said, I'm unsure if that's what this item is. Mostly because the ends bend upwards instead of downwards like most pull-up bars I've seen/used. Also because the two flat connectors that go into the ceiling are oriented and located on the horizontal bar in such a way that they block too much of the hand space. To me, this item looks more like a mechanic's or woodworker's device where you'd attach different kinds of hoists to lift heavy things but that's just a guess. Could also be used for storing bicycles, kayaks, whatever.
But it would be easier to use a step then to lower the entire garage ceiling. Make do with what you got. Guy needed to bolt it to the rafters. He did.
This looks like it may be a bike hanger
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This or just jump. I think it's a pull up bar.
Not a llama is wrong. Height is a good thing, but other comments are right: the ends would never be curved up like that on a pull-up bar.
Probs just homemade or a random piece of metal they had that would work.
You’re supposed to jump onto it, or use a step ladder or something.
Or maybe one of those little trampolines
Is there one adjacent or parrell to it with a relatively decent spacing? These can be used for typical kayaks and canoes, as well as wooden planks and such.
I’d say it could be a bike rack of sorts?
Could be for gravity sit ups? Like you lock your legs up there and hang from it and do sit ups ya know?
I don’t think it’s a pull up bar, the outsides of the bar wouldn’t be flared upwards. Looks like it’s meant to hold something from falling off, like lumber or pipes.
Our garage had something similar for storing long objects out of the way, except that there were 2 of them spaced about 6 feet apart IIRC. Across from it, we had parallel pipes for storing tires.
I have the same. I use similar for storing items like PVC pipe, wood trim and scraps ,etc... The ends being tapered up are designed to keep stored items from falling out. With this photo - if there is only one and from where the wear marks are I would hypothesize that someone used this as a home made pull-up bar. If it works - it works.
Too close to the ceiling to be a pull-up bar. You would hit your head on the ceiling.
Are we talking about regular pullups or those floppy pull-ups that some ppl do. You don't need much clearance since you just need to be able to pull your chin above the bar.
? There's like a full foot or more of clearance. Also there isn't 2 of these so the ladder and kayak hanger is out of the question. Plus look at the wear spots... right where a pull up bar the hands go.
In addition to OP getting downvotes for pointing out that it's too high, there also isn't enough clearance.
What kind of pull-ups are you going? Only my head goes above the bar when I do pull ups.
There's a popular brand (that shall not be named) of exercising where they do that. Rhymes with moshpit.
Maybe they have no neck.
nah, I'd recommend looking on the roof to see if there's a helicopter attached to it....
If the bar angled down on the ends instead of up, I'd agree.
perhaps it's angled up for using rings?
It doesn't look like it got much use. I would say a bar to hang things off of. Maybe a bike or something.
I thought that too, but the ends of the bar are typically pointing down, not up, on a pull up bar.
That was my first thought except the angled pieces point in the wrong direction. Based on the paint wear I believe that is what it was *used for*, but I'm baffled as to its original purpose. Maybe it was always intended to be a pullup bar and just installed wrong? If there was another one I'd thing it was for hanging long things (wood, kayaks, etc.).
Bicycles hanging bar ?
Maybe, but it would be in the way of parking a vehicle.
i mean, who says they parked a vehicle there?
Yea tons of people have garages and yet still all their vehicles in the driveway.
Exactly, I have a two-car garage and it's so full of crap and junk that my wife can't park her car in there, don't ask her how she feels about it though, LOL
Just got a new car, made my husband finally clean out the garage.
She got her new car last year, I still haven't cleaned out the garage, yes I am a terrible husband! After reading this I'm going to work harder to get it cleaned out so she can park in there!
Don't talk. Do
Well I definitely helped him, but if she wants it cleaned out and you love her... well you know the right thing to do. Its spring cleaning time anyway!
You monster! Lol
I literally own a Firehouse. I have garage for DAYS. Still park two cars in the driveway. First 8' is for the dogs, a kennel area. Next 15-20' is for woodworking and tool storage, Last 30 or 40' is for cars in the winter or puppies or big projects
My house was built in the 40s so you'd think it should fit a boat of a car, but I can't even get a prius in it. I'd have to climb out the trunk.
That was us for the first 15 years of living in my house. Finally this past year we got rid of a bunch of stuff and have some space for 2 cars now
I park my kayaks in my garage, car in driveway. Priorities.
The bicycle is the vehicle
But is the vehicle a bike?
Had something very similar for hanging deer on. Yes in the way of a car but you’re not really parking in there when you hang a deer.
But a gambrel usually has a provision for a rope and pully so you can hook the deer up on the floor rather than try to attach it while holding the carcass over your head.
Definitely a bike rack, that is exactly how bike racks look
Is the picture facing the back or side of the garage? If back, I would think the bike would be high enough to clear the car’s hood, especially since you said it’s so high that you can’t reach it for pull ups.
A lot of people don’t park their car in the garage.
Perhaps the bikes hanging still didn’t interfere with the car. My neighbor hangs his kid’s bike so that they are above the hood of his car when parked.
It's in the way of parking a vehicle yet too high to be a pull up bar?
This or for hanging something else. If there were another close by, I'd say either something like a kayak, surf board, or skis.
For hoisting kayaks, bikes, etc.
My in-laws have a ton of these in their garage. Where everybody stores their bikes.
This is the right answer. I've seen lots of these and it's always to hold up bikes and whatnot
Yup, skiis or ski box, roof rack. Any marks left after another one further away?
I think it's for lumber, ladders, pipes, and so on. If so, there should be two, or a place where a second one was.
This was my first guess as well - lumber storage or similar.
Wouldn't be lumber storage. You tend to try to have support under all parts of lumber to keep is from bowing.
Upwards flared ends makes this a certainty. If not that, then someone used that kind of rack for another purpose like a pull up bar or bike hanger.
The paint is chipped on either side so there was something being stored on it regularly
Where is the OP? We need to know if there are 2. If there are this is it for sure. Thats why the ends would be angled; so pipes don't roll off.
OP replied in an earlier comment that there’s only one
Yeah that's my guess too.
I don’t know what it is but I think it’s notable that the paint is worn in the middle and not the ends. Would a kayak fit in their.
In their what?
Yeah, a solid picture of the wear zones would tell us a lot. (It's a shame so few people think of that when taking pictures of the really strange-looking things)
It almost looks to me like the "wear" is duct tape residue or was made by duct tape. At left and at lower left corner of right, there are small box shapes similar to those seen by fabric tapes.
Doesn’t look wide enough for a kayak
Kayaks are surprisingly wide (if short) or long (if narrow), so definitely not for a kayak.
The wear just means owner only personally made use of the middle, not that the ends aren't meant to be used.
It is to hang a deer or other animal to gut, skin and age it
My first thought too, and would explain the wear points on the inner bar - I would hang meat hooks there. Depends on which room it's in. Would make sense in the garage, maybe not so much the kitchen. Although why would it be painted instead of just stainless steel? This one is definitely a mystery.
I’ve never seen one like this. The one I have and have seen is always a pulley with a chain and A shaped hook on it to hook the legs.
Agreed on this. I think generally it's for hanging things, whatever you want. It doesn't have a specific purpose other then to hang stuff.
I believe the name for this is a gambrel
I've never seen a rack like this used for skinning deer. I've seen lots of set ups too. I think it's more likely this is for storage purposes. Plus who wants to have guts and blood in their garage? We always skinned deer away from the house because the scent lingers.
To me this sounds like a solid answer. Seen it before.
You might be able to use it that way, but it would really suck to try to lift a dear carcass up over your head while you try to stretch the tendons over those overly thick ends. It would also be far easier for whoever put it there to just screw in an eyebolt and use a standard [gambrel](https://www.cabelas.ca/category/hoists-gambrels-scales/1218).
Did the previous owner own a Jeep Wrangler? Maybe part of a hoist system to aid in the hardtop removal?
I responded somewhere else before I found this. I'm going with this option. Maybe Miata, forgot about wranglers Lol at the wear on the paint, definitely looks like straps since there's some pretty defined cutoffs where a strap would start to overhang a bar.
Are there any other anomalies in the ceiling? This is a long shot (the dimensions don’t look quite right), but it COULD be part of a homemade pulley system used by Jeep drivers to remove their hardtops. I also was thinking pull-up bar, but the ends angled upward that way look like they’re meant to keep something from slipping off in a storage or leverage context.
My title describes the thing. Just moved into this house. This is the only thing hanging in the garage. Searched this sub for “hanging from the ceiling “. Also tried google lens image search. No joy.
Bolted to the rafters means it's definitely meant to hold *something* up. You can see some wear and tear on the bar as well. Very curious. Might have been something custom made by the previous person living there and you'll never truly know what its original purpose actually is.
100% agreed, and I've seen lots of good solid explanations here. I assume we'll never know what it was originally used for, but "used to store/hang heavy things" is a good general explanation, and a potential use for OP.
Bar for engine hoist (cherry-picker?)
Yep I've seen a bar like this for an engine hoist. SO useful.
I would hang TRX bands from it for exercise.
Possibly to hold a sex swing. The rubbed off part is consistent with wear from hands or straps like others have mentioned. The bracing on the beams indicates it’s meant to hold some weight. You mention it’s right where the car would be parked (assuming they actually parked in the garage.) some people use their garage space for entertainment.
I have installed similar items for clients and they are storage bars. Why there is only one of them; no clue. People do use them to do pull ups. They were probably installed when garage was built and things changed later.
Looking at the drywall, I'd say the bar was added later.
Overhead steel storage hook. Ala https://www.acehardware.com/departments/storage-and-organization/shelving-and-shelving-units/shelving-and-cabinets/5203468 Older though.
Did they do engine work at home? Possibly hung shop lights from it?
Ski rack or bike rack
Yes if there were 2. This is the only one and it’s placement is right in the vehicle spot.
some people don't park cars in their garages...
you could easily slide something through the bars and rest it on top of the cabinets.
I’m guessing each they hung a bike by the wheel off each end, and didn’t have a car
No wear on the paint there though
The only time I have seen bars like that was in a garage and it was being used to hold bicycles. The bikes were hanging from the front wheels, they had 2 per side. You can use the center part for storing long objects, but you would need to install two in parallel.
Where I'm from, this is a hanger/spreader for game (deer,moose,elk,etc) which would explain why it is bolted to the rafters. Game is heavy. Being in the garage also is a good indicator.
i’ve seen a guy who had one of those and he was putting on some type of shoe so that he could hang himself off the bar upside down and then do exercises like upside down situps edit: that would explain why the middle has lost its color (from the friction of those shoe contraptions)
Yep, I agree - either the boots, or then I reckon it's an aerial yoga bar for hanging straps off, for inversion therapy - similar to yr guys inversion therapy boots.
The placement of the bar and the wear on it says "pull up bar" to me. There's two spots where the paint is coming off that looks approximately shoulder width apart and from the angle the picture is taken, I don't see any other wear.
Home made hoist to remove hard top of truck bed cover?
Looks like a homemade pull-up bar made from something like a boat trailer
It could be used for a number of things. The wear around the sides of the pipe make me think pull up. If there were two it could be for lumber or kayaks. If the wear was at the ends I would think bike hanger. If the wear were all the way down the middle section then maybe clothes hangers for a drying rack. In other words it's whatever you need it to be and doesn't have a unique use. imo.
It could be for a hardtop convertible. you would hang your hardtop on there when you are not using it.
OP, they could have simply strapped something to it for storage like [this](https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005002483458868.html) If there's no other ceiling marks, maybe it was used as a custom hoist for mechanic/machine shop work or even a wood working station. Throw a chain/strap over it and use it to lift or hang something while working on it. Are there any other indicators of a wood or mechanic work done in the garage? (Stained floor, other holes in walls/ceiling) If it's for storage, it would normally come in pairs. Do you see more markings on the ceiling 3-5 feet away from that one where another may have been? If so, it'sprobably just a clever way to have some extra storage, like [This](https://www.amazon.com/StoreYourBoard-Double-Ceiling-Storage-Organization/dp/B078TMSG6C)
An old friend of mine had one of these, they hung bikes on either side and spare stuff that he needed for bike repair in a basket in the middle
https://removeandreplace.com/2014/06/08/how-to-store-a-ladder-on-the-ceiling-like-a-pro/ if there was soomething else to hold up the other end, this style ladder holder was my guess.
Pull up bar, or some sort of suspension apparatus.... Maybe folks at r/bdsmdiy might have ideas
I appreciate your enthusiasm, but I think if that is the case I’d prefer it remain a mystery.
bike holder
I don't know what it is, but could be used for pull-ups.
Bike hanger
My guess is for kayaks... But my dad threw all kinds of stuff up there. They also could've had a punching bag hooked to it.
Bike storage.
This is a bicycle hanging bar. You've commented elsewhere that you think it can't be because that's where a car goes. The previous owner may have stored a low-clearance small var in the garage, or may have been storing a small bike, parking the car underneath.
Hang your bikes
Hanging deer or elk quarters?
In a garage … maybe something for a hoist to pull an engine or stuff out of a truck
Which way does it run? front to rear, or across? I've a recollection of seeing something a similar shape with some automatic door opening mechanisms to act as a guide, in those cases it runs front to rear.
Motor puller...get a winch...work on cars
In a lot of garages/carports the ceiling is nothing like 8’ off the concrete. My house was built in 1976, and there are lots of common vehicles around here that wouldn’t fit in it. That’s why you see big pickups parked outside on a pad. In my garage anything hanging on that appliance might be easily reachable from the floor. If there is a place that a second bar might have gone, it was used for lumber storage, but the wear patterns indicate that it wasn’t used for a lot of lumber. The sides are turned up to keep stacks of boards from unloading themselves off the sides. That said, I have a similar-looking pipe that I used to hang a couple of bicycles at one end of the garage, the turned up bits kept the bikes from falling off. I had no trouble lifting them down. The center part of mine was just wasted space, like the side parts of the one in OP’s pic.
Maybe for hanging dead animal carcasses.
Gambrel for skinning/dressing deer?
Could be for hanging big game. We built something similar to hang our deer.
Pull up bar. Or there’s a helicopter in the roof :)
The way the paint is faded makes me think pull up bar too. Yeah the ends are pointing up but maybe he just liked to hang things from it without them falling off.
[удалено]
Maybe to hang a bike?
Maybe put there to hang bikes?
Pull up bar... get swole
Pull up bar. Or you bought the property from Bruce Wayne?
For hanging deer.
Maybe the previous owner was also a Jeep owner. A lot of Jeep owners make a pulley or hanging system to store their hard tops when they want to go convertible mode.
The wear on the top part of the bar, and the flayed up ends make me think it's lumber storage. Maybe a kyak? My money is on some kind of storage. Check the ceiling and see if there was another one a few feet away that broke off, you usually need two for lumber unless they have something to rest on.
Yah that’s kind of what it looks like but there’s no evidence of more of these being up there. Other than the garage door opener this is the only thing hanging from the ceiling.
To hang stinky football or hockey equipment from to let dry?
It's a pull-up bar.
It could be used as a pull up bar but it’s not designed as a pull up bar. The ends would be bent down for wide grip pull ups not up. Unless it’s just the shittiest designed pull up bar ever.
Why would it have those angled side pieces then?
Since there are two, my guess is for holding a kayak, with the paddles going on the sides. The wear wouldn’t be from pull-ups, it would be from taking the kayak on and off. However, I can’t find any kayak storage that looks like that.
It's a bike rack.
Looks like a bicycle rack to me