Hanging a Heavy Bag in my garage

[fightingrabbit]

Would you guys recommend this method of hanging a bag in the garage? Or have any of you used this method of just screwing an eyebolt into the ceiling to hang the bag? My rafters and supports are not exposed.

http://www.diynetwork.com/how-to/how-to-hang-a-punching-bag/index.html

I want to be able to circle around it, so the crappy Everlast stands are out of the question. I would prefer one of the corner stands that fit at a right angle to the corner of the walls, but those are too expensive.

Can anyone make a recommendation for this method? Or any suggestions before i go drill holes in my garage?

 

[NAKMUAY18]

Is your ceiling covered or exposed beams?

 

[fightingrabbit]

Is your ceiling covered or exposed beams?

Was going to mention this in my the post. They are not exposed. So i was iffy about just drilling through the drywall like the picture in the link suggests.

 

[mozfonky]

use a stud finder, drill into the middle of one. Should be fine.

 

[ceestand]

I'm not speaking from experience here, but I don't think a screw-in eye you stud-finder in would hold up against a heavy bag plus abuse. My advice is find the beam and cut away the drywall/plaster around where you want to mount it. Then, I'd just leave it, but if it's too ugly to have a small hole in the ceiling, it's cheap and easy to patch it up.

 

[bubkusjones]

Theoretically, studs/rails are supposed to be spaced evenly, every 16 inches I believe (though this may vary due to the local building code), so you can try measuring from the wall and mark off every 16 inches till you get to roughly where you want to hang it.

And drilling in drywall isn't a huge deal, it just takes some drywall mud to patch it in, and paint it (if necessary) when it's dried (give it 24h).

A stud finder would be easier, especially if your beams aren't evenly spaced, and not that expensive (cheapest from around $10, all the way up to $100+)

 

[NAKMUAY18]

It's gonna pull out eventually, not much you can do really. Try to find an eye bolt with as course a thread as possible, and also fit a swivel. Should hold up for awhile.
If the beam was exposed you could drill horizontally and it would last forever.
Don't bother with a stud finder, use a strong magnets and run it along the ceiling until it sticks to one of the screws that attach the drywall to the beam. That's all a stud finder does, but makes a light instead of sticking.

 

[fightingrabbit]

I'm not speaking from experience here, but I don't think a screw-in eye you stud-finder in would hold up against a heavy bag plus abuse. My advice is find the beam and cut away the drywall/plaster around where you want to mount it. Then, I'd just leave it, but if it's too ugly to have a small hole in the ceiling, it's cheap and easy to patch it up.

That's exactly what i was thinking. I don't want to bag to one day loosen off and fall one of the cars.

 

[ceestand]

That's exactly what i was thinking. I don't want to bag to one day loosen off and fall one of the cars.

I'd look for something like this:

This one's a specialty item, but I imagine your local hardware store has something appropriate. You're looking for a "ceiling joist hanger" or "ceiling joist bracket." The key idea is mounting with support on the side(s) of the joist, not just screwed into the bottom of it.

 

[mozfonky]

I screwed one into a ceiling once, I don't remember how strong the beam was but it was probably a standard 2/4. not to mention, most people can't even move a heavybag when they hit it. Over the years I've done plenty of fixing bags that fall, just did one two nights ago. More often than not, the metal chains have worn out on me.

 

[fightingrabbit]

I screwed one into a ceiling once, I don't remember how strong the beam was but it was probably a standard 2/4. not to mention, most people can't even move a heavybag when they hit it. Over the years I've done plenty of fixing bags that fall, just did one two nights ago. More often than not, the metal chains have worn out on me.

So contrary to the opinions on here, do you think screwing an eyebolt straight into the beam would be safe?

 

[mozfonky]

So contrary to the opinions on here, do you think screwing an eyebolt straight into the beam would be safe?

now that I think about it, don't know. I do remember that I screwed mine into 2 ceilings, that was almost 30 years ago,i can't remember what the beams were like or what support they had, they didn't fall out though. In all the time I've been hitting heavybags, I can't remember an eye bolt ever falling out. The chains have broken and worn out and the straps on the bag have given out but not the eye bolt. I bought an eye bolt the other day with a 2oo and something pound resistance. It'll probably hold for a bit. I'venever seen an eyebolt lose it's bite into the wood, not that it can't happen, but it's never happened to me. As far as it falling when no ones around, while it's just hanging, I've never seen that either, I've only seen a bag fall when it's in use. anyway, how heavy is it? a 70 pounder?

 

[Jubacat]

I had this same issue.

I ran a six foot 2x4 across the ceiling, putting screws into each stud, and then put the eye hook up into the middle stud.

It has worked just fine for over 9 years.

 

[apizur**]

I don't think your eye bolt will ever NOT wiggle its way out with all the impact transferred through the chain. One thing you need to consider is the joist (not rafter) you're hanging it from as well. Idk if you get snow where you live but that's something to consider and I'll tell you why:

If you're running a 2x4 joist (which is really a 2x3.7 joist after WW1) and you want to hang an 80lb bag from it and punch it, swing it, kick it, clinch it, etc... you're going to put some bend in that joist which may eventually affect the rafters themselves. Even worse, if you have trusses in the garage ceiling held together by mere gusset plates, you're going to affect the entire structure of that truss. So you've bent the joist, sagged the rafter, or misshaped the truss... now load your garage's roof with hundreds of pounds of snow. See what I'm sayin?

They sell and you can make sturdy stands as an alternative, but if you must go through your ceiling... cut into it, don't hang too far out from the rim joists or support beam, and put a proper support on it like chains or the joist hanger thing pictured on page one. Also, buy yourself one of those things that allow the bag to spin continiuously, they're like 4 dollars for an 800 lb test one.

EDIT: This:

 

[nomilkforsanta]

http://forums.sherdog.com/forums/f16/looking-heavy-bag-wooden-beam-hangers-pic-heavy-2765369/

Get a porch swing at Home Depot and do not use the eye bold.

 

[surfer dude]

We overbuilt ours' but for what you are doing you can simply add a spring http://www.titlemma.com/fighting-sports-heavy-duty-heavy-bag-spring

 

[fightingrabbit]

Thanks for the responses. The problem is with some of them i have no idea what you guys are talking about when it comes to the terms. I'm not handy at all which is why i was looking for the simplest way i could go about hanging the bag, without wrecking the shit out of my garage.

 

[nomilkforsanta]

Thanks for the responses. The problem is with some of them i have no idea what you guys are talking about when it comes to the terms. I'm not handy at all which is why i was looking for the simplest way i could go about hanging the bag, without wrecking the shit out of my garage.

Ok, i got a few questions:
1) price range for mounting equipment
2) is your ceiling drywalled or exposed
2.5) if it is exposed how far are the beams apart
3) how tall if your ceiling
4) how heavy is the bag
5) do you have access to 2x4's and a saw

I have hung 8 heavy bags in various garages, sadly, I was not able to hang one in my current garage because the beams are to old/weak and the landlord will not allow me to strengthen.

 

[Linus]

Make a hole in the gyprock on each side of the beam and wrap a piece of chain arround it, voila.

 

[barnowl]

The not easy, the approach I used was to go up in the attic over the garage screw a 4 foot long 2x4 into each of the beams it layed on with the middle next to the beam I wanted to hang the bag from. then as Linus said wrap the chain around both the beam and the 2x4. This will take all the abuse you can give it.

Just using a single eyescrew on a bag to take serious hitting will come out, and oftne at the worst possible time. I have bust several eyebolts just from metal fatigue do to exstencive use. Wood goes even faster.