Cuda DIY project #2 Hanging a punching bag in the garage. *with pics*

[Cuda1447]

It seems AT is a good source of tips/advice for these DIY projects I suck at, and I suspect some of you get some enjoyment seeing me struggle with these home projects. So let's do it again!



I am going to be hanging a 120 pound water heavy bag from my garage ceiling. I want to make sure I do it in a way that won't cause the roof to collapse on my head. So far, this is what I have for a plan. Find a big thick beam going through the middle of the garage (I want to hang it in the middle so that it can swing in all directions as punch it). Get some extra wood 2x4's maybe, and put those on the big thick beam I find. Drill some sort of a eye hook into these beems/2x4's. Connect some sort of a swiveling clip/apparatus to the eye hook so the bag can spin without spinning on the eye hook. Hang the bag from the swiveling clip and pray the ceiling doesn't collapse.


I'll be climbing up into the attic later tonight to get some pictures. Any suggestions/ideas/experiences with this sort of thing?

 

[Vette73]

You know if it was handframed or a truss build?
Also get a bracket or line the wood up so it grabs several studs then attach bag to that. Don't put all the weight on 1.

 

[Cuda1447]

You know if it was handframed or a truss build?
Also get a bracket or line the wood up so it grabs several studs then attach bag to that. Don't put all the weight on 1.

Alright, so lets say I have two beams that go across the my garage like this:


_________

_________

I should get a 2x4 and go across both of those beams, drill it to the beams and then hang it from the 2x4?

 

[Dirigible]

Take pics of everything before you start. That way the pro will know how to rebuild after everything collapses.

 

[Cuda1447]

Take pics of everything before you start. That way the pro will know how to rebuild after everything collapses.

Haha! You can't talk me out of it that easy. I have enormous confidence after my last project victory.

 

[highland145]

Lawn chair & popcorn for everyone.


Pics but you'll want to distribute the load across several rafters, imo. Plywood secured to each of them and the bag attached to the plywood.

 

[highland145]

Haha! You can't talk me out of it that easy. I have enormous confidence after my last project victory.

Well, you do have a wood saw. What could go wrong?

 

[Cuda1447]

Well, you do have a wood saw. What could go wrong?

I may need the wood saw again... after all, I am working with wood this time!

 

[Vette73]

Alright, so lets say I have two beams that go across the my garage like this:


_________

_________

I should get a 2x4 and go across both of those beams, drill it to the beams and then hang it from the 2x4?

That may work if it is a truss build. If handframed then I would add some wood to connect those in the attic first then do what you listed below.

 

[Dirigible]

Haha! You can't talk me out of it that easy. I have enormous confidence after my last project victory.

Your home improvement skills seem about on par with mine. Previous struggles never stopped me from making yet another giant mess of a headache. Good to see you doing the same.

 

[Modular]

Your home improvement skills seem about on par with mine. Previous struggles never stopped me from making yet another giant mess of a headache. Good to see you doing the same.

Ha! It's the only way to learn. Good luck and be sure to use the plumbers wrench!

 

[bruceb]

First you need one of these

http://www.google.com/products/cata...ult&ct=result&resnum=7&sqi=2&ved=0CDYQ8wIwBg#

 

[Matthiasa]

Pretty sure it won't actually notice the extra 120ish pounds unless the house was build poorly.
Just attach it properly and there should be no problems, well assuming it wont end up rubbing against the wood with how its set up.

 

[Vette73]

Pretty sure it won't actually notice the extra 120ish pounds unless the house was build poorly.
Just attach it properly and there should be no problems, well assuming it wont end up rubbing against the wood with how its set up.

Its not 120pounds alone, its 120pds plus any energy from punching it.

That and a handframed roof with 120pds+ in one area will cause the stud to sag over time. I had to shim/shave the ones in my house as they saged over time and that was just the weight of drywall and insulation on them.

 

[bignateyk]

I have a 100lb bag in my basement. I just put an eye hook into the floor joist and hung it right from that. Then again the joist is a 4x10 with only a 10 foot span, so it can probably handle the weight no problem.

 

[Matthiasa]

Its not 120pounds alone, its 120pds plus any energy from punching it.

That and a handframed roof with 120pds+ in one area will cause the stud to sag over time. I had to shim/shave the ones in my house as they saged over time and that was just the weight of drywall and insulation on them.

I know but as a rule unless your hitting it wrong, that wouldn't really add much to the vertical loading from it. (read the bag will absorb most of it and the much of the rest taken care of by it moving a bit.) However if its stiff, there there could be some issues.

And there was a note about being properly set up(distributing the weight, preventing rubbing, etc.), and the house not being built poorly.

 

[Squisher]

Garage roof anatomies come in many flavors. I have seen many garage roofs bow over time from people using the "attic" area (over the joists, under the rafters) for storage when it wasn't designed to do so. To be 100% safe you could always put in a couple supports (2X4s) maybe 8 feet from the bag on each side.

 

[BurnItDwn]

I've got a 160 pound heavy bag. I just mounted it between 2 joists using an Everlast Joist Mount Hanger..

Mine's in my Basement.

Like this
http://www.amazon.com/Everlast-Heavy.../dp/B002FSP3B6

 

[Squisher]

I've got a 160 pound heavy bag. I just mounted it between 2 joists using an Everlast Joist Mount Hanger..

Mine's in my Basement.

Like this
http://www.amazon.com/Everlast-Heavy.../dp/B002FSP3B6

But, in your basement the overhead joists are likely 2X10s and are 16 inches apart and you're spreading out the weight to two of them. The worst case senario for the OP would be having 2X6 joists 4-6 feet apart and those might be sistered in the middle to make the span.

OP, we need more info.

 

[amdskip]

Popcorn, at least you know what saw to use this time I would rather overbuild the support on something like this than to have sagging problems, etc.

 

[911paramedic]

DIY Tip: When you go to drill holes, the bit does not go in the end of a reciprocating saw.

 

[Apathetic]

I think we need the answers to a couple of simple questions before we can best tell you how to proceed.

1) How far apart are the joists in your garage?

2) How "tall" is each of the wooden joists? The most likely answers are 3.5", 5.5", or 7.25". (I'm trying to figure out if they're 2X4s, 2x6s, 2x8s etc).

By the way, you may need to put your saw out of it's misery. You sawed a BRASS fitting with it for over two hours. I'm not sure how much good it's going to be at cutting wood anymore.

Dave

 

[paperfist]

If you have a screw gun then get some 3" screws (drywall screws are fine) and measure out the distance of 4 ceiling joists. Go buy a 2x6 and cut it down to the size you just measured.

Screw the 2x6 up to the ceiling using 3 or 4 screws per joist.

Then buy what bruceb showed you and screw it up to the center of the 2x6 with 1" lag screws. Be sure to pre-drill the holes first with a drill bit smaller then the diameter of the lags, like a 1/4" less in diameter.

You sawed a BRASS fitting with it for over two hours. I'm not sure how much good it's going to be at cutting wood anymore.

Dave

Man with no lube either!

 

[IceBergSLiM]

if I remember I'll take pics of mine.

 

[Cuda1447]

Alright guys, here we go. These are some pictures I just took of the attic area.