Hoisting things in to my attic

This is similar to William"s hoist. This is what most call block & tackle. It can double you own strength.

Try this site. http://www.harborfreight.com/gambrel-and-pulley-hoist-99758.html

You would have to hook it to the attic ceiling just above the opening. Run rope through the pulleys and tie to what you are lifting. Then pull down on the rope and guide object up stairs.

Well depending on what it is you might try this. Get a large blanket or I use a king size sheet. Lay the items in the sheet then tie up the two ends. If you are doing this yourself make sure the item is secure in the one knot and use the other to grasp onto and then lift up. I did this and it went right up the ladder. I do this for moving an entire wardrobe from clothes closets too. And I have a large Christmas tree and it is stored downstairs and I get it upstairs with this sheet technique too. Can be used for all kinds of lifting. Been doing this for years. Works best if you have help but many times I did not.

I have had both knees replaced. The sheet idea is what I use, however, since it is a pull down ladder, you could also tie a clothesline rope to the top of the sheet bundle, go up the stairs and throw the rope over a rafter and let it fall to the ground. From there you can hoist the bundle up by pulling on the clothesline from below. If you are alone, hold onto the rope while climbing back up the ladder so that you can push the bundle from the bottom to get it on the floor of the attic. Hope this helps.

Saw a really neat idea on the web. They had made a type of flooring, that was packed with boxes, etc on a platform in garage, and it was motorized. So it could be raised up and down. They had built 3, which was about the width of garage. Neat idea.

One thing you could try is using a pulley system.