Heavy Bag Hanger

**TEA** · Posted On: 5/15/2010 3:49pm

This is probably way over engineered, but I want to make sure that the weight is distributed across a fairly wide area to reduce stress on the porch rafters.

Laying the project out. I decided to use 4x4 to screw the eye-bolts into in order to reduce the chance of splitting the wood when the bag swings.

I set the space between 4x4s based on the length of the springs that I will be using. I'm using porch swing springs rated to 350lbs each. The heavy bag is 135lbs, but I want each spring to be able to bear the full weight of the bag plus the force of kicks swinging the bag. Here is a video of the same bag at our old house in Hillsboro and why I'm worried about possible damage to the rafters if I don't over engineer this. http://www.youtube.com/Pendraeg#p/u/14/8ydJX-2_yqg

I'm going to hang the springs down from the bottom and have two pieces of 2x4 braced across each pair of 4x4s to provide a little extra torsional stability.

The 2x4s on top. I'll put in another screw on each 4x4 once I have them set between the rafters.

My dang cordless drill ran out of juice before I could finish up the project. This is one of the 4x4 pairs. I'm going to screw a 2x4 lengthwise down the middle of the entire set once I have the other pair in, just to spread the load out a bit more.

This is what one pair of springs looks like hanging down off the pair of 4x4s that I already have in place. Another pair will be space equal distance from these so that they form the four corners of a square. The heavy bag will hang down from the springs once I draw the lower ends together in an inverted pyramid.

Close up on one pair of springs.

**Falcyon** · Posted On: 5/15/2010 5:40pm

Wow thanks, I was just wondering what I was going to do when I'm at my new house in the summer and I didn't know what to do about my heavy bag situation. Thanks for this.

**TEA** · Posted On: 5/15/2010 6:57pm

I'll post more pics after I finish up tomorrow. I'm making sure my cordless drill has a full charge and I want to get back up in the attic in the morning before it gets hot. I was sweating like a pig up there this afternoon.

**TEA** · Posted On: 5/16/2010 1:42pm

WTF? I just posted an update to this thread and it looks like it got deleted.

Oh well, once again.

I charged the cordless drill up over night, so it had a good full charge this morning. Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to get back up in the attic to work on this until 11:00 AM, by which time it was already pretty sultry up there. We've had a lot of rain over the last two days and the porch roof is a S/SW exposure, so it was like a sauna.

Cordless drill all powered up and I've screwing in the metal brackets now.

**TEA** · Posted On: 5/16/2010 1:48pm

Don't know what's up with my posting today. It's not going well at all. Maybe the heat in the attic has baked my brain.

Continuing:

Yes, that's sweat.

A bit more over engineering - I screwed two 2x4s in across the top of the whole rig to more evenly distribute the weight across the top of the rafters.

Now I just need to clean my back porch off a bit.

YouTube- Heavy Bag Hanger

**jspeedy** · Posted On: 5/16/2010 2:44pm

Originally Posted by TEA

Don't know what's up with my posting today. It's not going well at all. Maybe the heat in the attic has baked my brain.

Continuing:

Yes, that's sweat.

A bit more over engineering - I screwed two 2x4s in across the top of the whole rig to more evenly distribute the weight across the top of the rafters.

Now I just need to clean my back porch off a bit.

YouTube- Heavy Bag Hanger

Thanks for all the pics and video it really helps. Holy hell that's one badass heavy bag setup. I've always just done an eyebolt straight through the rafter, simple quick and easy. I've never had any problems with my setup as far as damage to rafters and the house goes, but at my old house it did cause some serious vibrations and rucuss in the rest of the house when I went hard at it, some porch swing springs could've helped. I guess it depends on where you hang the bag and the construction of the house.

On a side note I like the heavy bag pulley system to remove the bag when not in use. It looks like it could also double as a "Home Alone" style anti burgler trap, all you need is some marbles on the floor.

For a while I was trying to figure out some sort of sliding track and pin system that would allow me to slide my bag into a corner when it wasn't in use, but my local Lowe's didn't have the gear to build this so I figured just lifting the bag and hanging it myself wouln't be bad for me-of course my bag was only an 80lb-er.

**Zapruder** · Posted On: 5/16/2010 3:08pm

If you would have put in titanium braces the length of the house and steel cabling like a spider web in the attic supporting everything as well as reinforced bolts every 8 inches JNP MIGHT have approved.

**TEA** · Posted On: 5/16/2010 3:22pm

Originally Posted by Zapruder

If you would have put in titanium braces the length of the house and steel cabling like a spider web in the attic supporting everything as well as reinforced bolts every 8 inches JNP MIGHT have approved.

LOLz. Yeah, it's pretty over engineered, but this is our first house and I'd feel like a schmuck if I pulled the back porch ceiling down. I'm pretty sure Bas and Rampage could take turns pounding on this and the bag would fail before the hanger does.

**billy sol hurok** · Posted On: 5/16/2010 6:27pm

Looks pretty tidy.

How's the bag swing in relation to those sliders?

**TEA** · Posted On: 5/16/2010 9:30pm

Originally Posted by billy sol hurok

Looks pretty tidy.

How's the bag swing in relation to those sliders?

It swings a bit, but not a lot because I don't have a lot of chain between the bag and the four springs.

Did a bit of a bag work out today after I cleaned off the porch and am feeling it in my chest, arms, shoulders, hips and thighs. I haven't worked out really at all since we moved into our new house back in December, so I'm really out of shape.