Mounting a Thai Heavy Bag in your Garage...

**Kuma** · Posted On: 7/23/2009 11:42pm

Why do you need to circle it? Is it going to pull a Starnes on you?

**newbie999** · Posted On: 7/23/2009 11:55pm

I just found one of those cornerman for sale with a thaibag on craigslist up in roundrock for a good price. I think might go check it out for myself. Circling is helpful for working on footwork among other drills you can do with a heavy bag.

**jspeedy** · Posted On: 7/23/2009 11:58pm

I dont know about your attic specifically. Personally i've hung 80lb heavy bags in two separate houses from the 2x4s running along the ceiling. One house was built in the mid 80s the other in the late 90s both of which were in FL and pretty small cheap houses under 1200 sq ft (if that helps any). I've been able to hang from the bag during drunken shenanigans so thats 80lb bag + 170lbs of ME. With one of these deals (below). You can get them at any lowes/home depot for around a dollar. Just drill a hole through the 2x4 -from inside the attic is easier but it may blow out a small amount of sheet rock around the hole- to avoid this, drill from the sheetrock side up into the attic (takes precision measuring= pain in the ass) Slide the "eye bolt up through the hole drilled in the attic(with the bottom nut and washer already on). Use two nuts and a washer inside the attic put down the washer first then tighten the first nut all the way down then tighten a second nut all the way down onto the first then "loosen" the first until it pulls tight against the second nut. If you just tighten both nuts down without counter "loosening" the first both nuts will loosen together over time. On the sheetrock side its best to put a washer (a thick rubber washer against the sheetrock with a metal one under it may reduce any wear on the sheetrock) against the sheetrock then tighten a nut underneath the washer to hold it tight. This should firmly hold your eye bolt in place. Then hang your bag it should swivel around plenty.

Cost: $1 and a borrowed drill plus a few nuts and washers

My current set up, been fine for over 4 years. (notice the crappy pull up bar in the back ground that was hung with the same basic method=still works!)

Overall the top of the bag is slightly above my head level (which is 5'11")

You cant tell from the crappy cell phone pic but there is a little wear around the washer that is against the sheetrock.

I don't know how paranoid you are about your garage. I'd try this method and keep a close eye on your ceiling to start with before you pay hundreds just to hang a bag. The majoriy of the mounts you listed would likely put about the same stress on your ceiling. All in all unless you use a cross brace and do some significant sheetrock surgery the weight of the bag will probably be supported by one beam. Anything short of a bolt through the beam will probably loosen with hard use over time (those wall mounts probably suck unless someone can back up their goodness). If your house is worth a crap a bag should be fine. I take mine down after every use and rehang it when I need it, takes some muscle but I figure thats the point anyways. I'm no super expert but i've worked in construction and I speak from expierence.

**newbie999** · Posted On: 7/24/2009 12:01am

We are a bit paranoid about especially wife after seeing Jnp's initial response having seeing that I had 2x4's. She basically will freak out if she gets cracked sheetrock out of it.

**jspeedy** · Posted On: 7/24/2009 1:04am

Cracked sheetrock is an easy fix -a little mud/spackle less than $20-It'll be good as new. I understand your concern and JNP may be a carpenter so he probably knows a thing or two about a house. I know I hung mine from a 2x4 and it was fine and still is, you can see it in the pics I posted -no cracked sheetrock just a little wear around the bolt. A friend of mine hung his bag from his garage door opener metal support thingy and no damage whatsoever. But if you want to spend a hundred or more dollars on a stand/tear the sheetrock out of your garage ceiling don't let me stop you.

**poker** · Posted On: 7/24/2009 5:34am

What about getting a carpenter (or a welder) to build a very large wooden (or metal) stand to hang the bag which basically runs up the walls and across the top of the ceiling. I am neither an artist nor a carpenter, but what I am talking about is a sort of big mf of a thing within the structure of the garage but resting actually on the floor. The top piece would presumably have to be very strong, maybe you could get hold of some scaffold poles or trees to build it :icon_wink

***jnp*** · Posted On: 7/24/2009 7:35am

Originally Posted by jspeedy

This is not a bad idea, but it depends on where the gussets (the metal square plates) that join the individual framing members of the trusses are placed along the bottom framing member.

For reference concerning sheetrock repair, it would cost less than $800 to replace all of the sheetrock on your garage's ceiling. A small repair like you would probably have to deal with would be less than $100.

**newbie999** · Posted On: 7/24/2009 7:48am

I can't see your pictures JSpeedy. So I wouldn't need to crossbrace with this method? So your saying this sheetrock repair would be less than $100 assuming I did it myself or a handyman came in to repair it. My house is average home here in Austin. Roughly about the price of a median home here.

When you mean where the gussets meet the trusses your taking about making sure the Bolt goes as close in between a suppport not near one of the gussets.

Oh I got your message. I was in BJJ class when you called me. I can try to call you today like you said in the message. I can try convincing my wife before we blow $300 on that cornerman plus thai bag. I guess putting an 80 lb bag wouldn't be too bad, a 100 lb bag is probably a bit overkill for my wife's size anyway. 100 lb bag is probably max I would ever need anyway seeing how I'm not too big (about 195 lbs).

**buzzbevan** · Posted On: 7/24/2009 7:53am

this may be no help at all but i've just mounted mine on the kid's swing frame.
it is one of those wooden swing/climbing frames with 4x4 timbers.
i bought a cheap vinyl bag so that it doesn't matter if it rains and gets wet.

**Angry Mandrill** · Posted On: 7/24/2009 8:49am

newb, whyn't you pay jnp (i see you're both in austin) to come over and strap some long-ass 2x12s from plate to plate across your attic? right along both sides of one of your existing pre-fab joist/rafter assemblies? if you can get them into your attic, that should take care of your problem. if your garage is too wide (say, more than 16 ft. i think that's the max length you can get 2x stock. jnp can correct me) you can use them end to end, with the joints staggered, since they'll be nailed to your roof assembly, with blocks spanning the joint.