Free planning tool
Check vertical fit before you compare racks.
Use measurements taken with the garage door fully open and the usual vehicle in place. The result narrows fixed-platform products by their published ceiling-drop ranges.
Vertical fit checker
Will a fixed rack fit here?
Example values are prefilled. Replace all four with measurements from your garage, then compare the vertical envelope with manufacturer-stated drop ranges.
Your result
This is a geometry check, not installation approval. Confirm footprint, joist conditions, fasteners, load limits, and every requirement in the current manufacturer manual. Ask a qualified professional when the framing is uncertain.
What the math means
One useful elimination test.
Maximum rack drop
Ceiling height minus the highest overlapping obstruction and your planning buffer. A fixed platform that hangs lower than this may enter the space needed by the open door, vehicle, cabinet, or other obstruction.
Minimum drop for your tote
Tote height plus a two-inch platform allowance. That two inches is this site's own assumption, not a manufacturer figure. We have not found a deck thickness or a required clearance above a stored item on the product pages we cite; the FLEXIMOUNTS GR48 page, checked August 21, 2026, gives overall dimensions and the dropdown range only. The deck, its lip, and the room your hands need to slide a tote into place all consume vertical space that a published dropdown range does not describe. We chose a deliberately small number, so a borderline rack stays on your shortlist instead of being dropped from it. Real platforms, lips, handles, and retrieval clearance differ, so verify the exact product and tote after shortlisting.
An intersecting range
A product remains a vertical candidate when at least one manufacturer-stated drop setting falls between the minimum and maximum. This does not confirm footprint, joists, mounting hardware, travel path, or safe load.
An empty bay with the door closed produces the least useful numbers. Open the door, park the vehicle, and measure the full proposed footprint.