Farmers Handles

vision1

vision1

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I've just finished fabricating a few axles and I plan on making some farmers handles next.
What are your favourite designs? Do you prefer top loading for plates or side loading?
Unless I make some tire weights, I think top loaded may help to prevent my plates from getting damaged.
Any preference on length? Long enough to not impede your legs but short enough that turning and balance are easy ... that's what I'm thinking at least.
 
vision1 said:
I've just finished fabricating a few axles and I plan on making some farmers handles next.
What are your favourite designs? Do you prefer top loading for plates or side loading?
Unless I make some tire weights, I think top loaded may help to prevent my plates from getting damaged.
Any preference on length? Long enough to not impede your legs but short enough that turning and balance are easy ... that's what I'm thinking at least.
Click to expand...

I know it's not exactly the same thing if you want independent handles, but the design of the Titan rickshaw is great.

https://www.titan.fitness/strongman/carry/farmers-walk/rickshaw/429993.html?cgid=farmers-walk#

I got one last year as a complement to barbell DL and honestly couldn't design a better one if I tried. Only things I would change is make the handles a little thicker and maybe add some knurling, but for $150 it's great value and solid build quality. I use Rogue bumper plates (the cheaper ones) and there's a good 1" ground clearance so plates are easy on, easy off.
 
ChickenBrother said:
I know it's not exactly the same thing if you want independent handles, but the design of the Titan rickshaw is great.

https://www.titan.fitness/strongman/carry/farmers-walk/rickshaw/429993.html?cgid=farmers-walk#

I got one last year as a complement to barbell DL and honestly couldn't design a better one if I tried. Only things I would change is make the handles a little thicker and maybe add some knurling, but for $150 it's great value and solid build quality. I use Rogue bumper plates (the cheaper ones) and there's a good 1" ground clearance so plates are easy on, easy off.
Click to expand...

That's an idea I was considering, single frame design instead of separate handles. I don't know if I could fabricate it myself for much less than $150, that's pretty cheap. I'm also a complete beginner to machining so knurling is out of my skill set.
 
boingyman said:
You could also get a open ended trap bar. Bells of Steel is $250. Has a built in jack and knurling. Of course it's not as nice as Eleiko or Kabuki, but significantly cheaper.
https://www.bellsofsteel.us/product/trap-bar-hex-bar/

Review
https://www.garage-gyms.com/bells-of-steel-open-trap-bar-3-0-full-review/

Only thing I'm not sure of is if the handles are too far apart to mimic a farmers walk
Click to expand...
I want to make something for the fun of it and because I’m not busy at work and the machine shop is available.

I just sold my old shitty barbell for a good profit and I’m thinking about buying a bellsofsteel barbell when demand goes back to a reasonable level. Ever tried their barbells?
 
vision1 said:
I want to make something for the fun of it and because I’m not busy at work and the machine shop is available.

I just sold my old shitty barbell for a good profit and I’m thinking about buying a bellsofsteel barbell when demand goes back to a reasonable level. Ever tried their barbells?
Click to expand...
Nope. Not very familiar with their barbells in general. There are a relatively newer company that make budget lifting equipment. When I first built my homegym I don't even know if they existed. I would put them somewhere between Rep and Titan in terms of quality and pricing. What kind of bar do you want to get?
 
boingyman said:
Nope. Not very familiar with their barbells in general. There are a relatively newer company that make budget lifting equipment. When I first built my homegym I don't even know if they existed. I would put them somewhere between Rep and Titan in terms of quality and pricing. What kind of bar do you want to get?
Click to expand...
Something with decent spin on the collars. Pretty indifferent to knurling locations and marking. Not too stiff but doesn’t need to be WL whippy. Mostly for squats, deadlifts, rows, and bench.
 
If you go top-loaded, you're going to need them to be a little longer in order to leave enough room so your legs don't hit the plates.

The ones I made are side-loaded, but are built on top of i-beams for a stable base and so the plates don't touch the ground. I stole the design from @fat_wilhelm and would definitely recommend it.
 
MatterOverMind said:
If you go top-loaded, you're going to need them to be a little longer in order to leave enough room so your legs don't hit the plates.

The ones I made are side-loaded, but are built on top of i-beams for a stable base and so the plates don't touch the ground. I stole the design from @fat_wilhelm and would definitely recommend it.
Click to expand...
Got pics?
I remember someone has some slick handles made back in the sherdog days with 3 grip options that rotated
 
Yup, that was Fatty. I copied that portion of the design as well.

I looked through my old Photobucket pics. I had pics of most of the other stuff I made, but not the farmer handles. They're buried in my back garage, but I'll dig them out and get a pic sometime this week.
 
I kind of remember them, I’ll do some forum searching. My memory says they were yellow?
 
I already looked for pics of his too. His ImageShack photos aren't available anymore. I don't remember them being yellow.
 
What material did you use for supporting the plates? 1.5” schedule 80 pipe or 2” steel tubing? For side loading I think it would be nice to have a tighter fit and be able to use standard spring clamps
 
Here's one from some guy on reddit, it looks like this

8q1xh7550iq41.jpg
 
vision1 said:
What material did you use for supporting the plates? 1.5” schedule 80 pipe or 2” steel tubing? For side loading I think it would be nice to have a tighter fit and be able to use standard spring clamps
Click to expand...
As ridiculous as it sounds, I used 2.25" hex 304 stainless that I turned down to 50mm. It was free from work and I wanted stainless, so why not? Lol
 
vision1 said:
Something with decent spin on the collars. Pretty indifferent to knurling locations and marking. Not too stiff but doesn’t need to be WL whippy. Mostly for squats, deadlifts, rows, and bench.
Click to expand...
Maybe a hybrid bar over a power bar? Or a less stiff power bar such as a TPB (28.5mm)? Matt Chan bar may be a good option due to its center knurling. If you want needle bearing collars with more spin then a Fringe Wonder Bar is a pretty good choice for the price. If you want better quality WL bar with a center knurl and aggressive knurling then Rogue Pyrros Bar. They use to come up in the boneyard often in the mid 300s, but obviously not in this crazy market.
 
vision1 said:
What's the boneyard?
Click to expand...
"A Boneyard Barbell is a brand new, seconds quality barbell off of Rogue’s standard production line. These bars may have minor cosmetic issues such as finish blemishes or inconsistencies with the knurl. If any flaw is found on a Rogue standard barbell, it is added to the Boneyard. These bars are guaranteed to arrive in new, ready to hit the gym condition."

https://www.roguefitness.com/weightlifting-bars-plates/barbells/boneyard-barbells
 
That’s cool. I should see if Rogue Canada has the same thing.
 
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