Lately, I have come across more than one gym using Red Head drop anchors for cabled gymnastics equipment. In my opinion this is a very irresponsible practice. Everyone knows what happens when you lose one cable in a four cable system…Kaboom! Below are my issues with drop anchors:
- Drop anchors do not do well with a lack of tension. Uneven bars, in particular, are adjusted on a very regular basis. The constant loosening and tightening of the cables wreaks havoc on drop anchors. If your drop anchor is slightly loose and you wiggle in back and forth long enough, it’s going to pop.
- Drop anchors are not specified in installation manuals. When equipment is not installed to specs…it can violate your insurance. Sure…many gyms place their beams closer together than FIG or USAG standards, but a beam isn’t just going to fall over cause it’s too close to its neighbor.
- Although I have never personally seen any apparatus fall due to drop anchors…I have found several loose anchors.
- Many times the holes for the drop anchors are drilled too large due to improper knowledge or crappy tools. Without a kicking hammer drill and a carbide tipped drill bit…the hole may not turn out to be precise enough to keep the anchor snug.
- Drop anchors have to be “set” the anchor by inserting the “setting tool” and striking it with a hammer. If you don’t “set” them correctly…the bottom won’t expand…and they’ll just pull right out. Many times the “setting tool” gets misplaced and something like an old bolt gets used to “set” the anchor. This practice can damage the threads inside the drop anchor.
Don’t get me wrong…I love drop anchors…just not for gymnastics equipment. If you’re going to set up any new bars or ring towers in the future, stick with real concrete anchors. I have linked to a few examples below:
Inexpensive Floor Anchor by GMR
Institutional Floor Anchor by GMR
Let me know what you think about this post. I’d really like some feedback on this one…am I just worrying too much?
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