hope this helps you come up with something at home... I scrounged this together with whatever I could find. We ran a helicopter sling load yard so I had Type IV braided nylon on hand, works pretty well for the cable. it does stretch some, but if you leave weight suspended it will stretch to a point and be pretty solid after that. Should be able to find some better parts back in the U.S. I'm back home now, when I get settled I'll end up building one of these inside my garage against the wall. The pulleys were from amazon www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0852X1DWH/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Also, check out the Free Spotter. Great for squat, bench press, shoulder press, rack pull, basically everything. Not good for front squats though (can't reach the release bar). www.shermworks.com/
It's actually pretty simple setup. Inside the c-channel are a pair of flat square pieces of steel bolted on with spacers (extra nut) so the trolley can slide. The springs I used for the lock are just the spring nuts from the unistrut. First I used a single eye bolt but the u bolt with 2 locking lugs was more stable.
There are trolleys with bearings you can buy but.i didn't have access to them from my work supply system and didn't want to spend money on them, so fabricated my own setup from scrap.
Do you have a how to video. would appreciate how you came up with the set up.. going through it and pausing to see what I need.. I have been reading comments to see if I can copy set up.
Would be tough for me to make a how to. Some of the smaller parts I just used scrap I had available to me in Afghanistan. Like the plate holding the hinged pulleys on the trolley... I cut that with a hacksaw and a file by hand. It was the mounting bracket from a static discharge cable reel (Hannay grounding reel). The rubber balls on the ropes came from those grounding reels too just because I had them already. I threw that trolley together with odds and ends. The slides inside the strut were just pieces of 1/4" steel that I cut to fit inside the c-channel and locked in with nuts. I still don't have another cable setup at home so I don't really have the parts or anything to show how I did it... and I don't have a good idea of how much it would cost to build a garage version of this... It just hasn't been a priority after I came home. I can try to explain some of the specific parts if you're stuck on any particular aspect...
I really don't think I could... I put this together on the fly and as I thought of things and as I found parts to use over the course of a month and continued to modify/improve over 6 months. I started with wood scraps and made a working prototype then realized I could acquire these strut-channels and went from there. I'm not even in the same country anymore....
which parts? the vertical and horizontal beams are C-Channel/Strut-Channel/Super-Strut. Pulleys are from amazon, the other parts were random brackets, door hinges, and some metal pieces I made myself from scraps.
it's Strut Channel or Super Strut, you can get them from home depot for like 10-15 bucks for a 10 foot section... and all the extra parts should be available there too. I did have to make some of the pieces from scraps.
they are generic gym equipment/cable machine pulleys from amazon (came from china) I think mine were 5 inch diameter but you could use different sizes no problem.
So you have the 2 height adjustable pulleys that you attach your hand grips to, one for each arm. you attach two cables to the height adjustable pulley.. a "short cable" that is bolted at both ends, first to the bottom of the height adjustable pulley somewhere on the base of the height adjustable pulley.. then this short cable runs straight down to another pulley that makes the cable horizontal then over to a 3rd pulley by the weights where it runs back upwards to a double pulley where it meets the long cable then comes back down and is bolted to the ground. Then you have the long cable which you actually pull on when you work out. Instead of bolting the long cable on both ends like the short cable the long cable is instead allowed to move freely and is only stopped by a ball that can't fit through the height adjustable pulley. The long cable runs through the pulley and straight up and away from the short cable to a 2nd pulley that makes the cable horizontal then over to a 3rd pulley which aims the cable Down to the double pulley where it meets the short cable then back up to a 4th pulley that makes it horizontal again then over to a 5th pulley that aims it down to the weight pulley where you attach all the weight, then after going down to the weight pulley it goes back up to 6th pulley that makes it horizontal again then over to a 7th pulley that aims it down to the 2nd double pulley where it meets the other short cable then back up to a 8th pulley that makes it horizontal and finally to a 9th pulley which aims it down to the other height adjustable pulley. When you move the height adjustable pulley down and lock it to the short cable gains slack which allows the double pulley to rise.. and because the double pulley rises it allows the long cable to be pulled down to the height adjustable pulley. Does that make sense? The 2 cables meet at 2 points, the height adjustable pulley and the double pulley and raising or lowering the height adjustable pulley makes the double pulley do raise or lower in the opposite direction. Go to a cable machine and adjust the height of a height adjustable pulley and watch the double pulley rise or lower as you do so and hopefully eventually you'll get it and realize what a simple but smart invention a cable machine is and that you can easily build one like this guy
I mean it cost me about 50$ So yeah, it was cheaper. I built this in Afghanistan. The only thing I paid for were the pullies and a a couple pieces of hardware. The rest was from the supply system. There are some improvements I wanted to make (like guides and a better weight stack arrangement), but just didn't get around to before we shut down Afghanistan altogether.
As far as building one CONUS, I suspect it would still be less expensive than buying an equally capable machine. I built this with 2 stacks about 9 feet apart and the height is up to 10ft. While your budget cable machines are around 7ft tall and tend not to be very stable, have short range of motion, and/or have so many pulleys to offset the short range of motion that it cuts your tension in half or in quarters. Also, I didn't build this machine or put this video up for you, or the general public. I built this because my team needed a morale boost and a gym was a good way to do that. I posted the video to show friends/family back home what I was working on.
@@squirts1 Where I live buying all those things is more than half the price of a ready made if not more, plus all the work and time for adjustments. Anyway, thanks for the answer and god bless you brother.
If I were to build another one CONUS, I would use a single section of superstrut/unistrut cut to 8ft (30$), attached to the floor, and ceiling of my garage. A bag of pulleys is like 25-50$ depending on what size and material you get. The adjustable pulley carriage assembly I put together essentially with spare parts. A few pieces of scrap steel (I shaped the pulley brackets with a jigsaw, and a hand file), spring nuts from the unistrut, square washers, some nuts/bolts, a couple door hinges, and a couple U-bolts. I used 1000lb rated low stretch Type IV nylon rope for it's flexibility and ease of use. Proper knots and there's no need for cable clamps or swage tools. All said and done, I doubt this would cost more than 150$ for one side. Even if you added a weight stack guide (chrome curtain rod) and plate pins.
@@Todestrieb21 Like I said though, I built this because it was almost free and this was the only practical way to do it. If it's a budgetary concern, basically all the materials can easily be found for nearly nothing on marketplace or at scrapyards etc. You can say the same for woodworking projects. Sure, I can buy Ikea junk for less than it costs me to build my own, but I end up with a better product that is exactly what I want with higher quality materials. Some people enjoy building things, others just want a box to show up on their doorstep. Anyway, take care.
I would have to figure out how much of what parts I needed and which parts I fabricated by hand with scraps. I suspect you could still build a full 2 sided cable machine for 300$ or less, but mostly just guessing. Also depends on features you want. Unistrut/superstrut/strut channel used to be like 15$ for 10ft, but I think it's nearly double that now. Bag of pulleys maybe 50-75$. Nuts and bolts, etc... There are some cheap plate loaded cable machines available now on Amazon for like 250$ each (2x for a crossover). I don't like their cable or pulley arrangement and the quality of materials isn't the best, but its a setup you could buy and install.
Finally a video with a bit of thought. I've sourced 2 cheap combo jym machines and have been chasing a way to make the pulleys adjustable to the weight stacks
I wasn't joking about the seagulls. I literally tell them they're cool when I see them out and about eating their food and whatnot. I wonder if they think I'M cool, though... 🤔
lol yeah, it's just what i had available at the time... i changed it to a 10 gallon cooking pot to hold more chains and it looks better. I made a guide system too so the pot doesnt swing at all when you get a bit of harmonics from repeated reps or fast reps.
I just sort of put it together with what i had available, there were no plans or anything. Some of the small parts i fabricated from random scrap metal with a hacksaw and hand file. Sorry bud. I started with wood and made something functional as like a proof of concept, then kept tinkering with things until i came up with the idea to use Uni-Strut / super strut. The spring retention for the adjustable pulleys is just a U bolt with a couple coil spring behind it. Initially i used an Eye bolt, but didn't like the sloppy fit. You can see i just used door hinges and some chunks of steel for the pulley carriage setup.
Necessity (and free time) the mother of invention. Hope you come up with improvements when you make yours. The buckets would swing sometimes if you get the rhythm right/wrong. Would like to have made a track system but didn't have the parts then.
Very cool! We need you to assemble another, and give us a step by step guide. Make a website for these kinds of projects. Give us the schematics, please. You could make some money out of it.
If you can afford to buy so much items n tools .. y dont you buy a readymade workout system which would be cheaper n less time taking than to make it yourself.. So many pulleys are for workout or for heavy mechanical assist lift ??
What are you talking about? You do realize I made this in afghanistan right? The only money I spent on this was the pulleys... The rest I got through the supply system... And what tools? This was basically all hand tools. Furthermore, an equal full cable crossover would cost much much more than this...
wtf this is so smart; ive been looking to make something like this myself, you sir are the hero that gotham deserves
hope this helps you come up with something at home... I scrounged this together with whatever I could find. We ran a helicopter sling load yard so I had Type IV braided nylon on hand, works pretty well for the cable. it does stretch some, but if you leave weight suspended it will stretch to a point and be pretty solid after that.
Should be able to find some better parts back in the U.S. I'm back home now, when I get settled I'll end up building one of these inside my garage against the wall.
The pulleys were from amazon www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0852X1DWH/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Also, check out the Free Spotter. Great for squat, bench press, shoulder press, rack pull, basically everything. Not good for front squats though (can't reach the release bar).
www.shermworks.com/
The sliding trolley pulley mechanism is fantastic. Had to watch it a few times at .25x speed to figure it out. Great job!!
It's actually pretty simple setup. Inside the c-channel are a pair of flat square pieces of steel bolted on with spacers (extra nut) so the trolley can slide. The springs I used for the lock are just the spring nuts from the unistrut.
First I used a single eye bolt but the u bolt with 2 locking lugs was more stable.
There are trolleys with bearings you can buy but.i didn't have access to them from my work supply system and didn't want to spend money on them, so fabricated my own setup from scrap.
Do you have a how to video. would appreciate how you came up with the set up.. going through it and pausing to see what I need.. I have been reading comments to see if I can copy set up.
Would be tough for me to make a how to. Some of the smaller parts I just used scrap I had available to me in Afghanistan. Like the plate holding the hinged pulleys on the trolley... I cut that with a hacksaw and a file by hand. It was the mounting bracket from a static discharge cable reel (Hannay grounding reel). The rubber balls on the ropes came from those grounding reels too just because I had them already.
I threw that trolley together with odds and ends. The slides inside the strut were just pieces of 1/4" steel that I cut to fit inside the c-channel and locked in with nuts.
I still don't have another cable setup at home so I don't really have the parts or anything to show how I did it... and I don't have a good idea of how much it would cost to build a garage version of this...
It just hasn't been a priority after I came home.
I can try to explain some of the specific parts if you're stuck on any particular aspect...
Why don't you make an instructional video on the construction of this amazing nachiine?
I appreciate the compliment. I may build another one at some point, but this one was destroyed in 2021 when we left afghanistan.
Wow this is amazing work
Could you provide please a step by step on how to DIY. Thank you :-)
I really don't think I could... I put this together on the fly and as I thought of things and as I found parts to use over the course of a month and continued to modify/improve over 6 months. I started with wood scraps and made a working prototype then realized I could acquire these strut-channels and went from there. I'm not even in the same country anymore....
If not a step by step guide, at least a diagram of the cable set up. I cannot fathom in my mind the adjustability without seeing the setup. I
Which Components are used for made ?? (Name)
which parts? the vertical and horizontal beams are C-Channel/Strut-Channel/Super-Strut. Pulleys are from amazon, the other parts were random brackets, door hinges, and some metal pieces I made myself from scraps.
@@squirts1 thank you 👍
Where did you get the metal for this build
it's Strut Channel or Super Strut, you can get them from home depot for like 10-15 bucks for a 10 foot section... and all the extra parts should be available there too. I did have to make some of the pieces from scraps.
@@squirts1 sweet I appreciate it.
Imprecionante💪🇪🇦buen trabajo
La distancia para hacer un cruce para pecho o apertura en un banco no la da
Google translated "The distance to cross for a chest or opening on a bench is not given by"
I'm not sure what you're trying to say here...
What is the name of this pulley on 0:29?
they are generic gym equipment/cable machine pulleys from amazon (came from china) I think mine were 5 inch diameter but you could use different sizes no problem.
Wiw… very ingenuous!!!
I need to know how he made this
So you have the 2 height adjustable pulleys that you attach your hand grips to, one for each arm. you attach two cables to the height adjustable pulley.. a "short cable" that is bolted at both ends, first to the bottom of the height adjustable pulley somewhere on the base of the height adjustable pulley.. then this short cable runs straight down to another pulley that makes the cable horizontal then over to a 3rd pulley by the weights where it runs back upwards to a double pulley where it meets the long cable then comes back down and is bolted to the ground. Then you have the long cable which you actually pull on when you work out. Instead of bolting the long cable on both ends like the short cable the long cable is instead allowed to move freely and is only stopped by a ball that can't fit through the height adjustable pulley. The long cable runs through the pulley and straight up and away from the short cable to a 2nd pulley that makes the cable horizontal then over to a 3rd pulley which aims the cable Down to the double pulley where it meets the short cable then back up to a 4th pulley that makes it horizontal again then over to a 5th pulley that aims it down to the weight pulley where you attach all the weight, then after going down to the weight pulley it goes back up to 6th pulley that makes it horizontal again then over to a 7th pulley that aims it down to the 2nd double pulley where it meets the other short cable then back up to a 8th pulley that makes it horizontal and finally to a 9th pulley which aims it down to the other height adjustable pulley. When you move the height adjustable pulley down and lock it to the short cable gains slack which allows the double pulley to rise.. and because the double pulley rises it allows the long cable to be pulled down to the height adjustable pulley. Does that make sense? The 2 cables meet at 2 points, the height adjustable pulley and the double pulley and raising or lowering the height adjustable pulley makes the double pulley do raise or lower in the opposite direction. Go to a cable machine and adjust the height of a height adjustable pulley and watch the double pulley rise or lower as you do so and hopefully eventually you'll get it and realize what a simple but smart invention a cable machine is and that you can easily build one like this guy
Jugaad laga hai
hi, can you post the project please ... thank you very much
outstanding! I would love to see how to make one
where did you get the double pulley bracket? or did you fabricate it yourself? this is ingenious!
btw thank you for your service!
@@kipcarbone1730 yeah I made it. I used sheet metal from something else
Good machine..!! 💪
Exellent
Nice, Smart work
It's cool and all, but it's not much cheaper than a ready made one, is it?
I mean it cost me about 50$ So yeah, it was cheaper. I built this in Afghanistan. The only thing I paid for were the pullies and a a couple pieces of hardware. The rest was from the supply system.
There are some improvements I wanted to make (like guides and a better weight stack arrangement), but just didn't get around to before we shut down Afghanistan altogether.
As far as building one CONUS, I suspect it would still be less expensive than buying an equally capable machine. I built this with 2 stacks about 9 feet apart and the height is up to 10ft.
While your budget cable machines are around 7ft tall and tend not to be very stable, have short range of motion, and/or have so many pulleys to offset the short range of motion that it cuts your tension in half or in quarters.
Also, I didn't build this machine or put this video up for you, or the general public. I built this because my team needed a morale boost and a gym was a good way to do that. I posted the video to show friends/family back home what I was working on.
@@squirts1 Where I live buying all those things is more than half the price of a ready made if not more, plus all the work and time for adjustments. Anyway, thanks for the answer and god bless you brother.
If I were to build another one CONUS, I would use a single section of superstrut/unistrut cut to 8ft (30$), attached to the floor, and ceiling of my garage.
A bag of pulleys is like 25-50$ depending on what size and material you get.
The adjustable pulley carriage assembly I put together essentially with spare parts. A few pieces of scrap steel (I shaped the pulley brackets with a jigsaw, and a hand file), spring nuts from the unistrut, square washers, some nuts/bolts, a couple door hinges, and a couple U-bolts.
I used 1000lb rated low stretch Type IV nylon rope for it's flexibility and ease of use. Proper knots and there's no need for cable clamps or swage tools.
All said and done, I doubt this would cost more than 150$ for one side. Even if you added a weight stack guide (chrome curtain rod) and plate pins.
@@Todestrieb21 Like I said though, I built this because it was almost free and this was the only practical way to do it. If it's a budgetary concern, basically all the materials can easily be found for nearly nothing on marketplace or at scrapyards etc.
You can say the same for woodworking projects. Sure, I can buy Ikea junk for less than it costs me to build my own, but I end up with a better product that is exactly what I want with higher quality materials.
Some people enjoy building things, others just want a box to show up on their doorstep.
Anyway, take care.
How to make that
Nice !!!
I wish you could tell us how you built this. I am trying to find the best way to do crossovers
I would have to figure out how much of what parts I needed and which parts I fabricated by hand with scraps. I suspect you could still build a full 2 sided cable machine for 300$ or less, but mostly just guessing. Also depends on features you want.
Unistrut/superstrut/strut channel used to be like 15$ for 10ft, but I think it's nearly double that now. Bag of pulleys maybe 50-75$. Nuts and bolts, etc...
There are some cheap plate loaded cable machines available now on Amazon for like 250$ each (2x for a crossover). I don't like their cable or pulley arrangement and the quality of materials isn't the best, but its a setup you could buy and install.
Súper.. gracias
Very nice idea . I like it
Finally a video with a bit of thought.
I've sourced 2 cheap combo jym machines and have been chasing a way to make the pulleys adjustable to the weight stacks
I wasn't joking about the seagulls. I literally tell them they're cool when I see them out and about eating their food and whatnot. I wonder if they think I'M cool, though... 🤔
simply Genius
very good job
🤣🤣🤣🤣👍👍👍👍
Metal trash can with pulleys on top! Great idea!
lol yeah, it's just what i had available at the time... i changed it to a 10 gallon cooking pot to hold more chains and it looks better. I made a guide system too so the pot doesnt swing at all when you get a bit of harmonics from repeated reps or fast reps.
@@squirts1 can you post a video showing that?
@@JWB671 sorry, I'm back at home in the USA now, but I'll see if i can get one of my team to send me something
Wow this is awesome!
very nice
Can you provide your plans on this? I have a rack that no adjustable pulleys will fit on
I just sort of put it together with what i had available, there were no plans or anything. Some of the small parts i fabricated from random scrap metal with a hacksaw and hand file. Sorry bud.
I started with wood and made something functional as like a proof of concept, then kept tinkering with things until i came up with the idea to use Uni-Strut / super strut.
The spring retention for the adjustable pulleys is just a U bolt with a couple coil spring behind it. Initially i used an Eye bolt, but didn't like the sloppy fit.
You can see i just used door hinges and some chunks of steel for the pulley carriage setup.
😍👏👏👍
This is what I was looking for man. I had an idea about using unistrut but lack the imagination you have.
Necessity (and free time) the mother of invention. Hope you come up with improvements when you make yours. The buckets would swing sometimes if you get the rhythm right/wrong. Would like to have made a track system but didn't have the parts then.
Very cool! We need you to assemble another, and give us a step by step guide. Make a website for these kinds of projects. Give us the schematics, please. You could make some money out of it.
I will probably be building another one sometime soon now that I'm back in the United States and just bought a new house.
If you can afford to buy so much items n tools .. y dont you buy a readymade workout system which would be cheaper n less time taking than to make it yourself..
So many pulleys are for workout or for heavy mechanical assist lift ??
What are you talking about? You do realize I made this in afghanistan right? The only money I spent on this was the pulleys... The rest I got through the supply system... And what tools? This was basically all hand tools.
Furthermore, an equal full cable crossover would cost much much more than this...