I am accessing the feasibility of using a gear rack and pinion gear to move a moderately heavy object. I have never used gear track for a larger project so I don't have an intuitive basis for judging the fitness of gear rack for this application. To set aside the factors of velocity and acceleration let me ask the question this way : 

What approximate size gear rack and pinion gear would be needed to vertically suspend a 2000 pound weight?

Alternatively, how much weight could be reliably suspended with a 1" wide 6 tooth per inch gear rack?