Odd build request

[dunginhawk]

So I am looking for some advice I have given up on converting my sunken media room in to a golf sim. Too much wholesale change etc. INstead, i have 3 garage stalls, ill use one of those.
That said. I want to make it super easy to use, and totally moved out of the way when not in use.
My idea is this.

I want to attach hinges to the bottom of the wall, attached to 3/4 plywood (hitting mats on top of that). When in use, the mat(s) can be lowered down on to the garage floor via a winch or whatever.
When not in use, ill flip a switch and they will be whisked away, sucked flat against the wall.

I am trying to figure out what actual item to use to crank them up there. I could spend the money on a pretty high powered winch (or a cheaper on) and that would probably do the trick.
Just curious if there are any other ideas for getting those mats off the ground, up and out of the way.

PS, already sold on getting a Homecourse hitting screen system. That way it can retract up and out of the way as well.

thanks in advance for the help.

[dunginhawk]

Also, i have a storage shelf that holds 300# right above this location as well. it holds a big metal shelf... i could remove that, and put 4 anchor spots in to the wood and raise it with the already existing stuff

here is that is already up there. https://www.walmart.com/ip/Racor-Cei...&wl13=&veh=sem

wouldnt look as cool but could work

[brob2k1]

From reading your post it sounds like you might want to take a look at what I’ve done. Here is the link to the thread with my build notes and some pictures. https://golfsimulatorforum.com/forum...tems-and-links

it takes me about 5 minutes for full setup or take down. The majority of that time is booting up the computer and getting my projector placed. Takes less than a min to get the screen and platform in place.

[dunginhawk]

So ive read through that post, pics, etc and Its a little confusing to me on something... YOu mention the racor unit, but not sure if you are actually using it. It appears that you went with a winch for the floor hitting mat section, but i cant exactly tell how you are getting it against the wall. Id love for you to elaborate, or perhaps take a quick video of the unit going up and down?

I plan to have the projector ceiling mounted. The PC tucked away. I also plan to have it all running through my smart things smart hub with Google home controlling most of it as far as powering on the unit. So the only thing I would manually need to do is click the single button for the homecourse to drop the screen, and some button (winch or otherwise) to drop the mat.
Im just debating on winch vs racor... reason im leaning racor at the moment is the thing is already installed in the exact location Id want to use it. Today at menards I bought all the steel cable I would need to extend it down to the floor. I bought some recessed D rings which could go in to the plywood (flush) and carpet could fold back and be seamless.

I have a few weeks at least to get the mat stuff figured out as I wont order the homecourse til its back in stock in early June.

EDIT. I actually just thought of a killer idea to get double the size of hitting mat / floor in a single racor without impacting the visuals hardly at all. its a little hard to explain so i drew a bad picture which may be harder.

So id remove the metal shelf from the racor, leaving 4 free hanging steel cables. Extend those with the already purchased steel cables and barrel locks. connect a clasp (think carabiner) to the recessed d rings. This will allow me to lift up the main piece of wood.
Connect a piano hinge to the 2nd piece of wood (on the underside of this picture, but i needed the visual) and that will allow me to fold the front piece back on top of the other piece before raising it up. The lines going vertical are to allow the wood to slide IN to the cables otherwise that piece would just hit the cables and not fold flat. Once the cables are slide in those lines (grooves) it will be flat and ready to crank up. Because the cables are only 1/4" or so, the carpet fibers would mostly obscure that small cut in the wood , and even if not entirely, its more a putting surface and there for looks than more hitting mat.

thoughts>?

[brob2k1]

So I thought about using the Racor but then figured it was not worth it if it was only going to be large enough for a stance mat. The amount of time it would take to bring it down, unfold a platform that I would have to build, ensure that it was even, etc. would take to much time to get setup. Remember with the racor it's a pain in the ass to lower if your base is larger than the width of it.

I mounted the winch to the side of the wall / ceiling. I have an eye hook on the side of the platform that I connect the winch to. under the platform I banged in a bunch of small furniture thing (can't remember the name but will look it up if you want). the base slides against the ground until it hits the wall and then starts to lift. When I lower it, it just goes down and I can slide it by myself into the position that I want. My plan is to eventually connect the winch and the screen to my Alexa setup. I did some basic testing and it works. My fear is my 4 year old telling the Alexa to lower the platform :-). He already tells Alexa to play the monster truck song enough.

If you can get the platform built with the racor and easily retract the cables back up that would be a nice setup. What is the height of your ceiling and how would you manage the max height of the cables retracting. Looking at my racor right now there is about a good ft that can't be retracted. would that get in the way of your swing?

[dunginhawk]

Yeah, ill have to take a look.. unfortunately im in nashville for business for the week... My plan is to just leave about 5 inches (where the steel cable doubles back on itself) then unhook the extensions and set them aside... this should allow me to retract all but a couple inches in to the racor rod. My ceiling is about 10 ft 6 or so. So should be plenty tall.
So correct me if im wrong brob2k1, but its hard to go above the width of the racor ONLY if its not stable or level right? for instance, the base is 4x4 if i wanted a 4x8 piece of wood, id need 2 feet hanging off of each side. As long as its balanced, it should be ok right? maybe i could make it 4x6, and another 4x6 piece folded back on itself. I think ill try it out first without mats.
I mean its just the cost of a couple sheets of ply to test it out. if it works, nice... I already have a drill with the racor extension on it. so lowering it and raising it shouldnt be bad.
If that doesnt work, ill figure out the winch angle, which would be good too.

[brob2k1]

With the racor your stuck with the 4x4 width for two reasons (1) stability (2) the damn cables get in the way. That's really the reason I decided to go with the full platform. that and the thought that one day i'll cut some holes in it for a fun putting surface that the kid can play on.

[dunginhawk]

So brob, that was the thought of using the cuts in the wood, to allow other pieces, mainly just 1 to fold back on top of itself. I think i plan to try 4x6 sheets instead of 4x8, I completely agree that 4x8 would be a little unwieldly for the racor to handle. I plan on removing the cables and hoisting it up once its on the wall. Like I said, i dont doubt that the winch idea is better overall, but this is just so close, and already mounted right in place haha. I do have a winch though (that i used in my basement to hoist up a CNC machine) which has plenty of power. Do you think its possible to build a platform with just 3/4" ply + hitting mat, vs a full 2x2 or 2x4 frame? I dont think i want to put that much wood in to it.

EDIT
also, is there anything on the market that will automatically roll carpet up? for instance, if i wanted to roll out 20 feet of standard cheap green mat from Home depot, is there any way to easily roll it up (so i can use the garage)????
thanks