Belt Squat Machine - Progress Pics

[kyledjohnson]

So I have been thinking about building a belt squat for a while now and I finally started getting the materials together this past week. Here is the finished frame, all I need now is the cable and the sheet metal to put on top. I know my welds aren't the prettiest, this is my first experience with welding, but they are plenty strong according to my hammer. The last pic is of my prospot, I just ordered the lat attachment for it so I can hook up the belt squat to the low pulley.

[animalfan]

very nice kyle! your welds look pretty good, mine aren't pretty either. as long as you got it hot enough to get good penetration you'll be fine.

i was messing with my machine over the weekend with an extra cable i have around, i don't like it. i might scrap it and start over with the crossover i've got sitting in the garage.

[Keetman]

Nice work Kyle. I don't have a clue how to weld, so those joints look much better than mine would. The creativity is very cool. I do have a question though....is the middle part strong enough with only one set of uprights? I'm sure technically its strong enough, but it seems like it could flex or cantilever with weight in the right place. Not sure if I explained that question correctly, but it just looks like it should have another set of uprights in the middle.

Regardless, nice job....reps on recharge.







Animal, what's the deal with the belt squat you made? It looks pretty good in the pics.

[animalfan]

...
Regardless, nice job....reps on recharge.







Animal, what's the deal with the belt squat you made? It looks pretty good in the pics.

i'll get you on recharge, too, kyle.

the range of motion is too small to use for anything else, i wanted it for low rows, too. also, i think it will be too hard to add weight (stack is only 150). i might finish it up and try it when done, but if i don't like it i'll sell it. i really should get it done, it's sitting in the basement 3/4 of the way complete.

[kyledjohnson]

I am not sure how it will hold up when it is in actual use but to test it I stood on the rear top bar that has no support in the middle and jumped up and down on it. It didn't budge at all. If I notice that it is flexing when I use it I will just go back in and add some more supports. After starting this project I really have the urge to start building more equipment, just need the inspiration and money for supplies.

edit: Originally i was going to build this and weld it straight onto a stand alone lat machine but in order to have a full range of motion i would've had to weld a bar in between the lat and the box to allow for a longer cable...this wouldve made the final project enormous. Thats why I decided to make it a stand alone piece, I am still going to weld two bars in front of the box so it is spaced away from the lat pulldown but being seperate I can store it when not in use and still have access to the HI/Lo pulley.