Another equipmet "?" Hammer Front Pulldowns VS Reverse Pulldowns (stack machine)

[bigman]

Another equipmet "?" Hammer Front Pulldowns VS Reverse Pulldowns (stack machine)

Since the Hammer bench is out, I am looking at the Hammer Strength front pulldown machine as my next project. In my home gym I have a nice Lat pulldown machine with 220lb stack (I can add 100lbs more). Yesterday I trained legs at a commercial gym and spent 5 mins looking at the Hammer pulldown. All I could think was, "Damn this would be sooo easy to build!!" I have used it before and I love how it works the lats. Should I just be happy with my pulldown machine and not worry about trying to build every good piece of equipmet in a commercial gym for my home gym? I have a weeks holidays coming up next week, so it would be the perfect time to tackle this project. I know I'll get ALL positive comments about the Hammer pulldown. I'm just fishing for opinions about whether I should I go to all the trouble of building one. Thanks again guys. And yes, I'm a real little Bob the Builder!!

 

[Gundill]

Re: Another equipmet "?" Hammer Front Pulldowns VS Reverse Pulldowns (stack machine)

"Damn this would be sooo easy to build!!"

this is an interesting remark. Are you positive it is so easy to perfectly copy?
I remember their ads use to claim that hammer was made possible only by the use of computer (this was very new in the mid 80's).
Do you think this claim is bullshit?

 

[Gundill]

BTW, I like those plate loaded machines more than those old equipements we use to train on.
For those interested, here is a link to my home gym
**broken link removed**
this is not a Hammer but those are much too big for my appartment but I guess this is the machine you refere to
**broken link removed**

 

[bigman]

I am positive I can copy it 99%. Maybe "sooo easy" is too strong of a statement, but if I take my time and don't get in a hurry, I know I can do it. I kept track and I had less than 20 hrs into my Hammer iso row. To actually design a new piece of Hammer Strength, a computer is 100% necessary (I couldn't do that). But all I will do is copy it. No brain work involved. I use a machinist's protractor to get the angles and a tape measure for the length. I noticed yesterday that the upright pieces that the bearings are bolted to are tilted slightly backwards, probably 86-88*. Everything else looks 90*. I have fabricated a Hammer front military press, incline press, shrug machine, and a iso row like Dorian used in his movie. I have also made a Flex T-bar row and 3 benches. If I run into any trouble, Dad can help me sort it out. He has 40 years experience with metal fabrication. I wish I had a digital camera so I could post pics. Everyone on here has been so helpful when I have asked questions about certain pieces of equipment.

 

[Gundill]

Thanks for your reply. So, how much does an average copy cost you?

 

[MikeS]

IMO the cable pulldown (to the front) blows away the Hammer pulldown. I do like the Hammer low row, and alot of their other equipment. Probably just personal preference in the end.

 

[Armageddon]

Put a bar in a wider door frame and wear a weighted belt. Alot cheaper than both machines

 

[bigman]

Gundill--The iso row was $265-70. The military press and incline were $325 each. The shrug was $300 only because Dad spent 3 hrs giving me a hand. After I saw how he put it together I did the same for the things I made. I lucked out with the back and seat pad for the incline press. They were used, but were actually off a Hammer machine. Got them both for $35. Each handle grip is $11 and change (+tax). You are right Armageddon I need to quit pussy'n out with machines and do chins ALL the time. I have a chinning bar on my power rack and I have started doing them. **All prices are in Cdn $$**

 

[LATS]

bigman.. i am sure you know how to build equipment and i think it is coll as hell that you can do that.. i wish i could .. but, i remember talking with tom profitt and gary jones who are the sales manager and owner of hammer one time at a gym convention..i had many pieces of hammer in my gym and liked them alot..i told them that they appeared to be easy to build.. they laughed.. later, gary took me to a hammer back piece and showed me the nuances that go into the machine.. if one thing is not matched perfectly, it throws the whole machine off. even the slight angles on the pivot points must be exact.. but, if you can do it.. and for under 400.00 then i would say "why not?" but, like gary said, the angle of the pivots is the most important part of the machine.. the machining they do is all computerized ect.. one company that tried to duplicate them was in canada and called itself body strength.. they are no longer around but, i did use some of their pieces once.. they looked identical to the hammer pieces.. right down to the bolts.. but, they felt terrible compared to the hammer pieces.. so be careful and get it as perfect as ya can..

 

[LATS]

hey gundill.. i see you have some PANATTA SPORT leverage pieces.. how do you like them.. i only ask because i have debated on getting some for one of the gyms.. i have never used them but, i do think panatta has some very unique pieces.. plus rudy panatta has give so much to the sport..

 

[In-Human]

LATS, I have to say that I work at a jr college and we had 60,000 worth of Panatta, and it was worthless, I liked the ab machine and the calf machine, but that was it.

I finally talked the coaches and the athletic director to get rid of that stuff and we bought 55,000 worth of Hammer Strength, best investment we ever made for our strength lab.

I help with the baseball and basketball teams in strength training and they love the equipment very much...

 

[Conan21]

bro

if you can, that would be sweet if you could post pics of the stuff you built.

 

[Gundill]

hey gundill.. i see you have some PANATTA SPORT leverage pieces.. how do you like them.. i only ask because i have debated on getting some for one of the gyms.. i have never used them but, i do think panatta has some very unique pieces.. plus rudy panatta has give so much to the sport..

The good point is it is not super expensive. But this is not super strong either. It is alright as I am very careful but in a gym they might not last very long.

There are also some major construction problems which I had to solve before I could use the machine properly.

For example, there are 2 holes to hold a pulley. They are not at the same height so the pulley get twisted.
The high lat machine is alright as long as you use it 1 arm at a time. But bilaterally, it is a catastrophy. I could go on and on.