The official 2008 Edition POWER RACK THREAD

[hellzlegend]

All right, so my EFS rack arrived today and it's a fricken monster! Holy Crap! They had the whole thing packed on one long pallet. It took the UPS guy and I about 15 minutes to figure out how to get it off the truck. Fortunately a kind neighbor was willing to give me a hand bringing it inside and assembly was a breeze given that all you need to do is attach the monkey bar and the rear cross piece. Everything else was soldered together. Pics below.

Sadly, there is one issue with the rack. I ordered the option to have top and bottom band pegs but they did not arrive. What's more troubling is that they didn't cut holes where the band pegs are supposed to go, so even if they ship me the pegs I don't have anywhere to put them. I've already emailed EFS to see what kind of solutions they have to offer. I told them I'm not interested in a refund because, well… I want my damn pegs, but I'm hoping they'll be willing to send the pegs, specs for the peg holes, and maybe pay for someone to pop them in. Obviously I'd rather not ship this thing back to have it fixed. lol

Man that sucks! I wonder how they'll manage it without shipping back. but the rack looks sick.

[xephonics]

All right, so my EFS rack arrived today and it's a fricken monster! Holy Crap! They had the whole thing packed on one long pallet. It took the UPS guy and I about 15 minutes to figure out how to get it off the truck. Fortunately a kind neighbor was willing to give me a hand bringing it inside and assembly was a breeze given that all you need to do is attach the monkey bar and the rear cross piece. Everything else was soldered together. Pics below.

Sadly, there is one issue with the rack. I ordered the option to have top and bottom band pegs but they did not arrive. What's more troubling is that they didn't cut holes where the band pegs are supposed to go, so even if they ship me the pegs I don't have anywhere to put them. I've already emailed EFS to see what kind of solutions they have to offer. I told them I'm not interested in a refund because, well… I want my damn pegs, but I'm hoping they'll be willing to send the pegs, specs for the peg holes, and maybe pay for someone to pop them in. Obviously I'd rather not ship this thing back to have it fixed. lol

beautiful rack m8, what model is it? the collegiate?

[Manzooka]

beautiful rack m8, what model is it? the collegiate?

Thanks man. It's actually the "Build-Your-Own 3x3" model found here...

http://www.flexcart.com/members/elit...id=167&pid=921

With the added options it's essentially the same as the collegiate. I went with this particular model over the collegiate because they offered the option to shorten the rack by 5 inches which gives me the head room I need for chin ups and pull ups.

[xephonics]

grats on an insane rack m8

[Jimbo.]

holy hell, my wife just asked me from the other room what was wrong because of my reaction when I saw this rack . . .

amazing, man, congrats

that sucks about the band pegs, hopefully they have a good solution for you

*lol at your dog, waiting there for you to throw his damn ball

[oxbeard]

Outstanding rack!!! Congrats.

Hope they come up with an acceptable solution for the band pegs

[Manzooka]

I've received quite a few PM's asking for an update on the missing band peg debacle so I thought I'd post a quick update here.

EliteFTS has been pretty cool about this whole mess. I sent them an email on Monday evening and they left me voicemails on both Tuesday and Wednesday letting me know they were looking into the issue and contacting the manufacturer. This afternoon I was contacted by Ronda in customer service who offered up a couple of possible solutions. The first solution she offered was to add 4 of these bolt-on peg holder attachments to the rack. As much as I wanted to like these things based on the simplicity of the solution, (aesthetic factors aside) I was able to come up with too many reasons why these might not be a viable solution in the long run. Several other people voiced their concerns as well. On the plus side, if anyone’s been looking to add band pegs to an existing rack here’s an option for you.

Note: they told me this was just a pic of a used one they hand on hand, and the ones they sent me would have been in better condition and would have matched the rack.


The only other option she mentioned was shipping the side pieces back to the manufacture to have the holes added, and that is probably what I’m going to end up doing. I just hope they have some good ideas regarding how we get these thing shipped back. Holy hell these things are heavy.

I’ll post another update when I have one. Hopefully it will be filled with happy thoughts and pleasant things to say about EliteFTS

[Kodokan]

The only other option she mentioned was shipping the side pieces back to the manufacture to have the holes added, and that is probably what I’m going to end up doing. I just hope they have some good ideas regarding how we get these thing shipped back. Holy hell these things are heavy.

I’ll post another update when I have one. Hopefully it will be filled with happy thoughts and pleasant things to say about EliteFTS

...the situation sucks, but I don't blame you for wanting something else. I'd either want my money back for the missing pegs/holes or have them ship it back, at their expense, to get them added.

congrats on the great rack, though. they have a great rep, so i bet they'll pay to ship it back or at least refund your money.

you could always ask them to give you more equipment equivalent to the cost of the missing feature, or give you a discount towards something else for your gym....like ask for sets of chains, bar holder, etc...

[Xristo]

I was looking around and stumbled across this....anybody know much about EF?

http ://www .bayoufitness.com/EF7620-1083

[Unbreakable09]

I was looking around and stumbled across this....anybody know much about EF?

http ://www .bayoufitness.com/EF7620-1083

Search my friend, here's a thread that's two days old about it: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=123771171

[Xristo]

Touche!....i did a search on EF7620....but now I just realized that i did it using "Search This Thread" which brought up nothing.....searching "all" threads at the top brought up the thread you linked....mbad...thx for the info...I should pay a lil more attention what I'm doingnext time :P

[jprockjr]

All right, so my EFS rack arrived today and it's a fricken monster! Holy Crap! They had the whole thing packed on one long pallet. It took the UPS guy and I about 15 minutes to figure out how to get it off the truck. Fortunately a kind neighbor was willing to give me a hand bringing it inside and assembly was a breeze given that all you need to do is attach the monkey bar and the rear cross piece. Everything else was soldered together. Pics below.

Sadly, there is one issue with the rack. I ordered the option to have top and bottom band pegs but they did not arrive. What's more troubling is that they didn't cut holes where the band pegs are supposed to go, so even if they ship me the pegs I don't have anywhere to put them. I've already emailed EFS to see what kind of solutions they have to offer. I told them I'm not interested in a refund because, well… I want my damn pegs, but I'm hoping they'll be willing to send the pegs, specs for the peg holes, and maybe pay for someone to pop them in. Obviously I'd rather not ship this thing back to have it fixed. lol

omg that's a bad lookin rack, I'm so jealous, congrats!

[Manzooka]

Hey, just wanted to give you guys a final update on my EliteFTS rack issue (see my posts above) because I believe it's totally worth sharing news about great customer service when you're fortunate enough to receive it.

So my rack arrive without band peg holes and as a solution they offered me some add-on band peg attachments, shown above. I had a lot of questions about the band peg attachments so EFS had the manufacturer give me a call to answer all of my questions directly. After speaking with the manufacturer I decided that I really wasn't satisfied with the add-on solution. I emailed EFS to let them know and this was their reply…

"This is about you being happy and if you prefer we can send you new sides. When you receive the new sides you can use that packaging for the other ones to ship back. A call tag will be included so that there is no cost to you."

Awesome… problem completely solved. Just so you get the full picture the "sides" they’re referring to essentially make up the entire rack minus two small pieces. No doubt they sell their racks at quite a premium, but between the cost of manufacturing a new 3x3 rack and the cost shipping both ways… well, that’s a lot to go through to make one customer happy. I thought this deserved to be shared.

Cheers,

'Zooka

[Jimbo.]

Well for the amount of money they charge for their racks I would expect them to bend over backwards to make me happy. It sounds like they are doing just that, and that is good to know. I am glad they are reaching a good conclusion for you, zooka, sorry they couldn't get it right the first time.

[pumping4life]

You might consider sharing your post with them so they get feedback that the service they provide is really worthwhile. I know Dave Tate is really doing his damndest to make Elite Fitness a premier business and this experience would probably make him happy.

I have done this for a couple of other companies. I always explain I'm not looking for anything in return, but always get a nice "thank you."

[J3zza]

Beastly rack manzooka.

Guys, I was just doing my daily browse for a power rack since I am trying to get some equipment together so I can start rippetoes. Anyway I have been looking at mainly second hand ones and haven't found anything that's remotely in my price range so I have been just waiting for something to pop up. I am in Australia btw. So I looked on ebay and saw this at only $319. Which is easily the cheapest power rack I have found so far. Just not sure of the quality and if it's a good deal. It doesn't say the height and max load but I intend to ask seller if it's worth it.

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/NEW-2010-HOME...ht_3841wt_1165

Just thought I'd post this here instead of starting another thread.

[pumping4life]

Beastly rack manzooka.

Guys, I was just doing my daily browse for a power rack since I am trying to get some equipment together so I can start rippetoes. Anyway I have been looking at mainly second hand ones and haven't found anything that's remotely in my price range so I have been just waiting for something to pop up. I am in Australia btw. So I looked on ebay and saw this at only $319. Which is easily the cheapest power rack I have found so far. Just not sure of the quality and if it's a good deal. It doesn't say the height and max load but I intend to ask seller if it's worth it.

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/NEW-2010-HOME...ht_3841wt_1165

Just thought I'd post this here instead of starting another thread.

There are no details about the rack in that listing. I can almost guarantee that given everything that comes with that rack at that price, that it would be a big piece of junk. I would pass on that listing.

[J3zza]

There are no details about the rack in that listing. I can almost guarantee that given everything that comes with that rack at that price, that it would be a big piece of junk. I would pass on that listing.

Yeah thanks, I emailed him for dimension and load capacity and he gave me the dimensions. It's actually a fairly tall power rack. But he never told me how much weight it takes. So I emailed him again asking for it and whether it's stable, then his reply was that he finds it fairly sturdy for home use but compared to commercial grades than it's not.

So I think I will pass this, just have to be patient. Wishing Australia had more deals like the ones on craigslist.

[pag3lee]

I wanted to know if anybody here owns a Samson power rack. Reason I ask is because I want to get this

http://www.newyorkbarbells.com/1030.html

but new york barbell said it won't fit in my power rack since the hole is larger than 1". I already email Samson about it and waiting for response.

[pumping4life]

I wanted to know if anybody here owns a Samson power rack. Reason I ask is because I want to get this

http://www.newyorkbarbells.com/1030.html

but new york barbell said it won't fit in my power rack since the hole is larger than 1". I already email Samson about it and waiting for response.

It won't matter if the Samson rack's holes are bigger than 1". It's critical that the uprights are the right size, however.

[pag3lee]

It won't matter if the Samson rack's holes are bigger than 1". It's critical that the uprights are the right size, however.

So if I attach this to the rack, it would be securely tight, even though the bolt is smaller than the hole?

[Philsworld]

So if I attach this to the rack, it would be securely tight, even though the bolt is smaller than the hole?

Here's what I would do. Got to Home Depot or Lowe's and buy some steel pipe with an inside diameter big enough to fit over the 1" post\shaft. I'm sure the outside diameter will be close to the inside diameter of the hole. It should fit fairly well because the Samson holes in their equipment are 1.5" (at least mine are) If it's loose on the shaft, wrap some duct tape around the shaft then put the pipe over it. Do that until it's snug so the pipe won't come off of the shaft and pop out the back side of the upright (or you could just put a piece of duct tape over the backside of the upright to cover the hole). Or, you could just buy the piece from NY Barbells and then take it to a welder and have him cut off the 1" post and weld on a larger post. You could make it work. A little ingenuity goes a long way. And, that's not a bad price for a good idea from NYB.

Phil

[pag3lee]

Here's what I would do. Got to Home Depot or Lowe's and buy some steel pipe with an inside diameter big enough to fit over the 1" post\shaft. I'm sure the outside diameter will be close to the inside diameter of the hole. It should fit fairly well because the Samson holes in their equipment are 1.5" (at least mine are) If it's loose on the shaft, wrap some duct tape around the shaft then put the pipe over it. Do that until it's snug so the pipe won't come off of the shaft and pop out the back side of the upright (or you could just put a piece of duct tape over the backside of the upright to cover the hole). Or, you could just buy the piece from NY Barbells and then take it to a welder and have him cut off the 1" post and weld on a larger post. You could make it work. A little ingenuity goes a long way. And, that's not a bad price for a good idea from NYB.

Phil

You should be the next President of the United State Thanks for the brilliant idea! Funny thing is, my Samson rack comes with weight pegs to hold the weights, but the peg are 1". What the previous owner did to fit his Olympic plates into the peg is wrapping around duct tapes until the pegs are nearly 2" big. The solution was right around the corner. I'll go ahead and order the weight attachment from NY barbell, and get some steel pipe and duct tapes. Thanks again!

I will also post pictures of my progress work on the rack.

[Philsworld]

You should be the next President of the United State Thanks for the brilliant idea! Funny thing is, my Samson rack comes with weight pegs to hold the weights, but the peg are 1". What the previous owner did to fit his Olympic plates into the peg is wrapping around duct tapes until the pegs are nearly 2" big. The solution was right around the corner. I'll go ahead and order the weight attachment from NY barbell, and get some steel pipe and duct tapes. Thanks again!

I will also post pictures of my progress work on the rack.

I took another look at the pictures of the rack pieces. The shafts\posts look like they are threaded at the end and they have a spindle nut to tighten it down. Even better. After you get the small piece of pipe (acting as a sleeve over the 1" post) cut the pipe EXACTLY to where it is flush to the back side of the rack (use a chop saw with a grinder wheel if you have it). Apply some duct tape around the post so the pipe is snug, then screw down the spindle nut. You could even put a large washer between the nut and the end of the pipe\rack. It should work just fine. No need to weld, etc... Yes, keep us updated.

Phil.

[pumping4life]

These are all excellent ideas, but may not be necessary. When you put the post through the rack's hole, it will sit on the bottom of the hole. Once you secure the nut, it should be nice and tight. Anything you use the holder for, will put downward weight on it, so it should never be unsteady. You might just try attaching it to your rack as is and see how it works. It may be that the only thing you need is a larger washer on the back side of the post to go in between the nut and rack. Or, maybe even nothing at all. Just a thought.

[pag3lee]

I took another look at the pictures of the rack pieces. The shafts\posts look like they are threaded at the end and they have a spindle nut to tighten it down. Even better. After you get the small piece of pipe (acting as a sleeve over the 1" post) cut the pipe EXACTLY to where it is flush to the back side of the rack (use a chop saw with a grinder wheel if you have it). Apply some duct tape around the post so the pipe is snug, then screw down the spindle nut. You could even put a large washer between the nut and the end of the pipe\rack. It should work just fine. No need to weld, etc... Yes, keep us updated.

Phil.

These are all excellent ideas, but may not be necessary. When you put the post through the rack's hole, it will sit on the bottom of the hole. Once you secure the nut, it should be nice and tight. Anything you use the holder for, will put downward weight on it, so it should never be unsteady. You might just try attaching it to your rack as is and see how it works. It may be that the only thing you need is a larger washer on the back side of the post to go in between the nut and rack. Or, maybe even nothing at all. Just a thought.

Phil, you're right, and I know what you mean. Cut the pipe until it meets the back end of the rack, where the 1" post of the attachment will lock with the spindle nut. But I'll follow what pumping4life says and see what would happen. I'll do the same for jumbo hooks that I'm also planning to get from them:

http://www.newyorkbarbells.com/92578.html

Samson hooks cost $106 each, not for a pair. No way am I gonna spend that much.

[ewitte]

Found a Powertec locally for $399 the owner will drive it to me and drop it off without additional cost.

[Manzooka]

Aww man, it hurts me to do this but I have an update on my EFS rack saga. The new rack sides arrived today with yet another critical issue. This time they didn't chop the rack down 5" as requested in my original order. Now the only way it will fit properly in my home gym is by inverting the monkey bar, which sucks because doing so prevents you from doing wide grip pull-ups. At least they have the band peg holes this time.

Not sure where I'm going to go from here but I'll share whatever happens when it happens. Thus far I give EFS an A+ on product quality, a B+ on customer service, and an F- on order accuracy. It's probably also worth noting that the height issue isn't the only problem with the new sides. They're actually missing several other minor features as well, but most of these can be fixed.

[MREBeta]

Aww man, it hurts me to do this but I have an update on my EFS rack saga. The new rack sides arrived today with yet another critical issue. This time they didn't chop the rack down 5" as requested in my original order. Now the only way it will fit properly in my home gym is by inverting the monkey bar, which sucks because doing so prevents you from doing wide grip pull-ups. At least they have the band peg holes this time.

Not sure where I'm going to go from here but I'll share whatever happens when it happens. Thus far I give EFS an A+ on product quality, a B+ on customer service, and an F- on order accuracy. It's probably also worth noting that the height issue isn't the only problem with the new sides. They're actually missing several other minor features as well, but most of these can be fixed.

This is terrible. I'm curious, what other "little things" were messed up with your rack sides?

[slewjr]

I had considered a commerical power-rack, but instead went the custom route. A year later, so far so good.