Prostyle dumbbell assembly help

[3rdshiftlift]

I'm assembling a prostyle dumbbell and have a gap between the 4th plate (sdh 4 handle) and the flange. It's nearly 1/2 an inch when I use a 5 and a 2.5 pound plate, though it's a good fit when I use all 10 pound plates.

I've searched amazon and mcmasters carr high and low for some sort of rubber or plastic spacer that would fill that gap. I've keyword searched washers, spacers, discs, etc. Does anybody know what would be a good product to fill the gap? Something lightweight would be ideal to keep the weight as true as possible.

[Greybird2]

Do you have the rubber endcaps? A pic would help.

[CliveWarren]

So are you saying that you're using an SDH-4 with 10,10, 5, 2.5 on each end? Why not a 10, 10, 7.5 on an SDH-3?

I think maybe I would find some mason jar seals and insert them between every plate. Probably still not thick enough if your estimate of 1/2" is correct.

Anyway, go down to Lowes or Home Depot and wander around. Report back your solution. Help the next guy.

[ampire]

The number on the handle designates the appropriate number of 10s. You want the plate to stick beyond the end of the threaded handle so the plates will not rattle after the bolt is torqued down. If the handle is longer than the stack of plates the plates will rattle and eventually cause the bolt to loosen or the cast iron hole to slowly enlarge making them even looser over time. A rubber or plastic spacer is going to shrink, expand, and eventually cause the weights to come loose. Ideally, try using an SDH3.

You can use 7.5 or 5 sometimes in place of 10s and still have the plates stick beyond the end of the threaded handle. You could buy 1.25 plates from Walmart, they come in grey or black and have a 1" hole for prostyle or standard dumbbells.

You should clean the threads of the handles before installing the bolt, most of the handles come with a lot of grit inside because of cheap manufacturing, I use a shop vac first then take a bottle brush and some dish soap and clean the grit out then blast it out with water and lastly compressed air. Then you have to wait for the inside to try, that can take a few days if it isn't the summer. Otherwise leave them out in the sun and they dry fairly quick.

Here is a link to the 1.25 plates:
https://www.walmart.com/ip/CAP-Barbe...olors/37466165

edit: The 1.25lb are about 3/8" thick. 2.5 lb are about 1/2" thick, just measured some of mine.

[3rdshiftlift]

Thanks for the 7.5 pound tip. I wonder, if 5 and 2.5 are too thin for an sdh 4, is a 7.5 too thin for an sdh 3? I dont have any 7.5's yet, I've bought all the weights used from Play it Again Sports and haven't seen 7.5.

I'll look into the Mason jar inserts. Sounds promising.

My other idea is using a hole saw to cut 1×4 into circles and drilling out a 1" hole in the middle. I've done 1 so far and it drained my entire drill battery, but it seemed to function okay. I'd just prefer the ease of buying something rather than doing 3 more.

[3rdshiftlift]

The number on the handle designates the appropriate number of 10s. You want the plate to stick beyond the end of the threaded handle so the plates will not rattle after the bolt is torqued down. If the handle is longer than the stack of plates the plates will rattle and eventually cause the bolt to loosen or the cast iron hole to slowly enlarge making them even looser over time. A rubber or plastic spacer is going to shrink, expand, and eventually cause the weights to come loose. Ideally, try using an SDH3.

You can use 7.5 or 5 sometimes in place of 10s and still have the plates stick beyond the end of the threaded handle. You could buy 1.25 plates from Walmart, they come in grey or black and have a 1" hole for prostyle or standard dumbbells.

You should clean the threads of the handles before installing the bolt, most of the handles come with a lot of grit inside because of cheap manufacturing, I use a shop vac first then take a bottle brush and some dish soap and clean the grit out then blast it out with water and lastly compressed air. Then you have to wait for the inside to try, that can take a few days if it isn't the summer. Otherwise leave them out in the sun and they dry fairly quick.



edit: The 1.25lb are about 3/8" thick. 2.5 lb are about 1/2" thick, just measured some of mine.

This is great information. Thank you. 1.25 pounders might be my fallback plan. How far out would it be okay for the weight to stick? Say only 2/10 of the weight is actually on the bar, is that okay?

[ampire]

This is great information. Thank you. 1.25 pounders might be my fallback plan. How far out would it be okay for the weight to stick? Say only 2/10 of the weight is actually on the bar, is that okay?

Should be fine. Also, if you had a situation like 4 x 10 plates on the end of the SDH4 handle with the last 10 plate protruding beyond the end of the handle's thread, and you put a 2.5 plate on the outside completely unsupported by anything, a trick I found is you can use a small cut of a 1" PVC pipe and throw that between the bolt and the outermost plate to hold it stable so it doesn't shift against the bolt. Then the PVC is held in place by the edge of the last 10 plate and sticks out enough as a flange to hold the 2.5 steady.

Edit: Here is a photo of an SDH1 used to make a ~30 lb dumbbell.







2x10
2x2.5
3 lb handle
2x1.5 lb endcaps


Also since it wasn't mentioned earlier, here are the approximate thicknesses of the cap standard plates:

10lb: .82 inch
7.5lb: .725 inch
5lb: .685 inch
2.5lb: .5 inch
1.25lb: .375 inch

I got a bunch off of craigslist, some rummage sales, and from walmart.com, there are some minor differences between the grey and black in terms of thickness and weight and some of the 10lb plates have a waviness to the casting (with one end being a tiny bit thicker) so the trick is to stack them all on the handle and then rotate the plates in the stack around a bit until they are all nested with minimal gaps, because otherwise the 10s sometimes gap between each plate.

[3rdshiftlift]

I considered that PVC extension, glad to know it works.

I'm going to use these sd4's to adjust anywhere from 50-80 pounds. I have a drill bit that takes the bolts out in no-time, so changing the weights is pretty quick, the only problem I've encountered is that dead space when using the combo of 5's and 2.5's.

[ampire]

I considered that PVC extension, glad to know it works.

I'm going to use these sd4's to adjust anywhere from 50-80 pounds. I have a drill bit that takes the bolts out in no-time, so changing the weights is pretty quick, the only problem I've encountered is that dead space when using the combo of 5's and 2.5's.

I am doing the exact same thing, though I have SDH1,2,3,4 and 5. I change them every so often as I get stronger. You're definitely going to want to make sure your bolts and threads are super clean and lubricated with grease so the threads don't wear out over time.

I use a sliding t handle to spin the bolts on and off, takes about 15-30 seconds per side to take them on/off. I am using grade 8 flanged hex bolts because the allen machine screw that the handles came with eventually rounded out over time. The hex bolts are easier to tighten and are more resistant to rounding off.

If you want to go the route of using a hex bolt, the Intek end caps are only $5.50 each directly from Intek and work with the 5/8-18"x 2" hex bolt. I can PM you the internet order guy's email if you want. They make the dumbbells more comfortable on the thighs and essentially serve as a big washer so the bolt holds the plates much tighter.

[3rdshiftlift]

I am doing the exact same thing, though I have SDH1,2,3,4 and 5. I change them every so often as I get stronger. You're definitely going to want to make sure your bolts and threads are super clean and lubricated with grease so the threads don't wear out over time.

I use a sliding t handle to spin the bolts on and off, takes about 15-30 seconds per side to take them on/off. I am using grade 8 flanged hex bolts because the allen machine screw that the handles came with eventually rounded out over time. The hex bolts are easier to tighten and are more resistant to rounding off.

If you want to go the route of using a hex bolt, the Intek end caps are only $5.50 each directly from Intek and work with the 5/8-18"x 2" hex bolt. I can PM you the internet order guy's email if you want. They make the dumbbells more comfortable on the thighs and essentially serve as a big washer so the bolt holds the plates much tighter.

I like those Intek end caps. I bought one set of steel flat end caps from Amazon, I think they are NY Barbell brand.
They're good and they will hold up, but I'll probably go with Intek's on my next set.

I just received sdh6's in the mail. I'll probably eventually accumulate 2's, 3's, and 5's as well.

Once I notice my allen bolts rounding I'll make the switch over to hex bolts. Glad to know they work.

This setup seems so much more practical than spending $900 on ironmasters.

[ampire]

I like those Intek end caps. I bought one set of steel flat end caps from Amazon, I think they are NY Barbell brand.
They're good and they will hold up, but I'll probably go with Intek's on my next set.

I just received sdh6's in the mail. I'll probably eventually accumulate 2's, 3's, and 5's as well.

Once I notice my allen bolts rounding I'll make the switch over to hex bolts. Glad to know they work.

This setup seems so much more practical than spending $900 on ironmasters.

You could also run the SDH6 with some 1" lockjaw collars for faster weight changes.

The New York Barbell End Caps look real nice, I thought about getting those but ended up with the Intek solely because they let me use the hex bolt which, with a quality socket, shouldn't round off. I am using a Wright 15/16 6 point socket on an ancient Herbrand 1/2 drive sliding T handle.


The NYBB are surely sturdier and the allen screw should fit more flush. To protect the urethane long term, I throw the Intek on a piece of carpet when I stand them up on end to take the plates on and off. The urethane seems tough but I like to treat my stuff well. My gym floor is bare concrete.

[BBB8910]

I am doing the exact same thing, though I have SDH1,2,3,4 and 5. I change them every so often as I get stronger. You're definitely going to want to make sure your bolts and threads are super clean and lubricated with grease so the threads don't wear out over time.

I use a sliding t handle to spin the bolts on and off, takes about 15-30 seconds per side to take them on/off. I am using grade 8 flanged hex bolts because the allen machine screw that the handles came with eventually rounded out over time. The hex bolts are easier to tighten and are more resistant to rounding off.

If you want to go the route of using a hex bolt, the Intek end caps are only $5.50 each directly from Intek and work with the 5/8-18"x 2" hex bolt. I can PM you the internet order guy's email if you want. They make the dumbbells more comfortable on the thighs and essentially serve as a big washer so the bolt holds the plates much tighter.

How often would you advise to grease the parts?

[ampire]

How often would you advise to grease the parts?

I just put a bunch of grease on it from day one and then when I do take the bolt out, I try to keep it from picking up dirt or dust. I cleaned and regreased the threads a few times since that first time because the handles I got had some messy threads. At this point, any manufacturing grit has been cleaned out or worked its way out and it all threads together nice, grease still seems clean. Kind of a big nuisance to do it often. Maybe using brake and parts cleaner would make the process faster.

[3rdshiftlift]

So are you saying that you're using an SDH-4 with 10,10, 5, 2.5 on each end? Why not a 10, 10, 7.5 on an SDH-3?

I think maybe I would find some mason jar seals and insert them between every plate. Probably still not thick enough if your estimate of 1/2" is correct.

Anyway, go down to Lowes or Home Depot and wander around. Report back your solution. Help the next guy.

Updating this thread since I found the simplest solution:

Cutting a large pool noodle into 1.5" sections.

Simple. Cheap. Effective. Now I have a SD4 that can hold anywhere from 5-80 pounds. I have SD6's for anything above that. I unscrew the bolt with a hex drill adapter and change the weights in no-time flat. Not quite as quick as some dumbbells but still pretty fast.