Bolting a rack to a lifting platform

[owenharrison]

I have a power rack sitting in my garge that as of now is not bolted to anything. I'm planning on building a lifting platform and bolting the rack to that. I just suck at do-it-yourself projects and was curious if anybody had any easy suggestions for bolting the rack down.

Do I need to bolt it, or would screws work just the same? And if I idid bolt it, would I have to have access to both sides of the platform? Sorry for the stupid questions, just want to make sure I get it right. Thanks

Owen

[seK]

Use Lag Bolts.

[JK1]

I have a power rack sitting in my garge that as of now is not bolted to anything. I'm planning on building a lifting platform and bolting the rack to that. I just suck at do-it-yourself projects and was curious if anybody had any easy suggestions for bolting the rack down.

Do I need to bolt it, or would screws work just the same? And if I idid bolt it, would I have to have access to both sides of the platform? Sorry for the stupid questions, just want to make sure I get it right. Thanks

Owen

Does the rack have a flat plate where you can run carriage bolts through the plywood of your platform---ie like the base of an Elitefts rack? Or is it a non "sumo" rack with a bar that runs along the bottom side?

I bolted my EliteFTS rack down by setting it up, marking the holes, setting the depth on my drill and drilling down through the rubber mat and underlying plywood on each corner of the rack. I then jacked the platform up, put the carriage bolts through and bolted the rack to the platform. Then I drilled the other holes. This works great for a rack with predrilled holes like an Elitefts Rack.

My old rack was a non "sumo" design that has the cross bar on the bottom. What I did with it was go to Home Depot (or Lowes) and got the 90 degree angle iron construction pieces (they are used for joining wood beams in building construction). They have a hole that corresponds with the bolt holding the bottom cross to the upright bar. I used the bolt to fasten them to the rack, then drilled holes through the other side, the rubber mats and the plywood the same way I did with the Elite rack and bolted it into place with carriage bolts. as far as I can tell, its just as stable.

[owenharrison]

Does the rack have a flat plate where you can run carriage bolts through the plywood of your platform---ie like the base of an Elitefts rack? Or is it a non "sumo" rack with a bar that runs along the bottom side?

I bolted my EliteFTS rack down by setting it up, marking the holes, setting the depth on my drill and drilling down through the rubber mat and underlying plywood on each corner of the rack. I then jacked the platform up, put the carriage bolts through and bolted the rack to the platform. Then I drilled the other holes. This works great for a rack with predrilled holes like an Elitefts Rack.

My old rack was a non "sumo" design that has the cross bar on the bottom. What I did with it was go to Home Depot (or Lowes) and got the 90 degree angle iron construction pieces (they are used for joining wood beams in building construction). They have a hole that corresponds with the bolt holding the bottom cross to the upright bar. I used the bolt to fasten them to the rack, then drilled holes through the other side, the rubber mats and the plywood the same way I did with the Elite rack and bolted it into place with carriage bolts. as far as I can tell, its just as stable.

I'll have to go with option 2.....I apperciate you taking the time to describe both methods

[ehubbard]

I'll have to go with option 2.....I apperciate you taking the time to describe both methods

I have used both carriage bolts and lag bolts and I think the lag bolt is a better option provided that the platform is thick enough (mine is 1.5 in of plywood, plus 3/4 in of mats). I did not like the idea of having my entire platform resting on top of 16 carriage bolts so I changed the design. Overtime I would think the plywood would degrade pretty severely using the carriage bolts.

[Travis Bell]

lag bolts for the win

Just put your rack where you want it on the platform, pick a drill bit that is slightly smaller than the lag bolt diameter and pre-drill some holes right through the bolt holes of the feet of the rack. Shouldn't take you more than 30min.

[teeroy]

You may want to consider putting some sort of spacer under the rack so there is room for sliding bands under it. I've heard that 2x4's on the corners work fine, but haven't tried it myself yet. Do a search on here for 2x4 rack and you should be able to find some posts on it.

[JK1]

I have used both carriage bolts and lag bolts and I think the lag bolt is a better option provided that the platform is thick enough (mine is 1.5 in of plywood, plus 3/4 in of mats). I did not like the idea of having my entire platform resting on top of 16 carriage bolts so I changed the design. Overtime I would think the plywood would degrade pretty severely using the carriage bolts.

I disagree. It depends on how you are bolting them in. Lag bolts can and will pull out of 2 sheets of 3/4 inch plywood if you are dumping big weights in the rack. The lag bolt doesn't have any type of a counter anchor to the bolt and at the most you are going to get for holding power is an inch and a half through 2 sheets of plywood with a 3/8 inch bolt. The rubber mat won't hold anything, so thats not alot. If you just drill a hole in the plywood the slight side to side movement of the rack (ie the rack's flex as you move weights in it) will, over time, loosen the bolts and they'll pull out.

Now, if you can sink the lag bolts through the platform into the concrete below, then absolutely, thats the most stable way to do it. That is very different than thinking lag bolts will just hold in plywood.

The reason I used carriage bolts is because I rent the building where my racks are and I can't drill into the concrete there. You can also crank them down and compress the rubber against the plywood making a more stable base for your rack. The smooth head of the bolt will also sink into the plywood to a degree if you tighten them correctly. With the bolts I used, they are essentially flush with the base of the plywood when tightened, so its not like they make the rack unstable or anything like that. They are carriage bolts, you need to make them tight.