Need Help With Indoor Batting Cage

Welcome to the site and this a wonderful place to talk about all kinds of baseball. We do have a board that is dedicated to field maintenance and I guess this topic could fit into that category. One of the mods might move this down there but it's not a big deal.

As for your question that is a good one and you're right you don't need that popping out. Somebody could get hurt. Is this cage on actual school grounds like in a gym? If so it would seem that you could call the maintenance department so they could do it. I would think the district office would rather you do this to help in case of some sort of liability issue.

I have two things I can think of that might work but have no idea if these are actual / viable solutions.

1. See if you can get the anchor that slides through a hole closed and once it gets through it springs open so it can grip into the backside of the block. It has a hole in the middle and two "legs" that can come together so it can get skinny through the hole and once through the legs open up. Does this make sense? I have no idea what they are called and not sure if they would make them to this size.

2. Since the block is an inch think I wonder if it would be strong enough that you could drill the hole at an angle. This way the eyebolt can get secured in the hole but won't be able to slide straight out from the tension. Does this make sense?

Ok for those who actually know a real solution please don't make fun of mine for being ridiculous. And Diamond don't try mine until someone who has a clue gives the go ahead on the off chance it works. I guess this shows why I teach history.

if you are useing an expansion bolt,the trouble you have is the blocks are empty. if you are using a toggle bolt (as coach has talked about)you may want to drill through the back of the block as well. i'm assuming you have a brick veneer on the outside of the biulding? thats why you can't get to the back of the block.

what size are the eye bolts?

You have a batting cage in your house?

Are there any houses for sale in your neighborhood buddy ol' pal???

Have you tried using a Roto Hammer and concrete Pins? http://www.powers.com/ Here is a link of what I am talking about. I would try to secure a 2x4 to the wall and then put an eye bolt or similar anchor into that.

Find out what kid has a dad that's a contractor or is in the trades... he could fix it for you; bam he gets a hat or a hoodie out of the deal and away you go.

parts list
eye bolts w/ 1/4" threaded shaft
lengths of 1/4" diam. threaded rod (4-6" long)
some 1/4" nuts
some 1/4" fender washers (1/4" diam hole, but washer surface is large)
some 1/4" threaded rod couplings
some 1/4" toggle wings (metal, collapsible, spring loaded)

drill the proper sized hole into the cmu for the 1/4" toggle wing (if you pound the wing thru an undersized hole, it destroys the spring/shaft on the wing)
thread the toggle wing onto a pc. of threaded rod
slip a fender washer onto the other end of the rod, then double-nut that end of the rod until about 3/4" of that end of the rod is exposed
collapse the toggle wing and insert it deeply into the hollow cmu
then pull back and tug--it should have expanded and caught the backside of the 1" thk cmu
continue to tug gently on the rod while spinning it clockwise, until the fender washer/double-nuts are firmly against the outside of the cmu
don't overtighten (don't heavily torque it) or you'll explode the toggle wing
take a threaded rod coupling and hand-thread it onto the exposed 3/4" of thread
hand-thread an eye-bolt into the exposed end of the coupling

check out this picture
http://homerepair.about.com/od...wall_fastening_6.htm

instead of a the cap of the bolt on the RH side of the picture, you're going to have (from R to L): about 3/4" of exposed thread; a pair of nuts jammed against ea. other; a fender washer (but unlike the picture, there will be a lot of open thread between the nuts/washer and the wing prior to inserting the wing into the hole in the wall)

During assembly, your lead arm should remain in the plain of your shoulders, your feet should be shoulder-width...

More: The above assumes that the cmu's aren't filled solid.
If they're 8" (front to back) blocks the cavity will be deep enough. If they're 4" (frt to back) "partition blocks", it's still doable but it's trickier because you'll have to cut down the length of the threaded rod.
Assuming the blocks are 16" long (nominally; actual is 15 5/8), there will be a 1" thk vert. web at the dead center that you want to avoid. IOW, drill about 4" in from either end is best.
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Or use one of these instead of jerry-rigging the 1/4" threaded rod and wing.
http://www.fastenermart.com/html/AN138-9942.html

Leave 3/4" thread exposed above the nut, add a 3/8" coupling onto the exposed thread, and insert a 3/8" eye bolt into the remainder of the coupling. Heavy duty.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by 20dad:
if you are useing an expansion bolt,the trouble you have is the blocks are empty. if you are using a toggle bolt (as coach has talked about)you may want to drill through the back of the block as well. i'm assuming you have a brick veneer on the outside of the biulding? thats why you can't get to the back of the block.

what size are the eye bolts?[/QUOTET


Thanks for the information so far.
right now the eyebolt used is a 2 x 1/2 inch lag screw attached to a 2 x 1/2 inch lag anchor. i was thinking of attaching a 2 x 8 piece of wood to the wall held up with four hex bolts then placing the eyebolt in the center to held reduce the tension...what do you guys think.
I can't ask the maintenance guys at the school b/c its against their contract to install things above six feet...go figure

Hi,

Your problem is cinder block wall are not designed to support "pull out of the wall loads" applied by either a lag shield or a wing nut arrangement. Cinder block is a very light weight concrete mixture that is designed for compression loading only. And remember that basic geometry dictates that the load on that anchor will be much much more than the weight of the cable and net. It can be upwards of 1000lbs force for a 60 ft net depending on the tightness of the cables.

Going with the 2x8 across the face will allow more points of attachment which will better distribute the force. But its hit or miss, a swag (silly wild *** guess) as to how many anchors, etc. If you choose this method use the expanding molly nut method and get as close to the end of the block as possible, or center if its a standard block, while not being in the center or on the end. 1 1/2 inches is usually good on a standard 8x.

I am a general contractor and when faced with problems of this sort, unable to thru drill or unable to pre-plan and pre-fill the block, I generally drill a hole above then fill the block with a slurry of mortar or preferably a fine aggregate concrete using a mortor bag (looks like a cake decorating frosting bag).

Th problem with this is sometimes it takes quite a lot of mortar to fill the block depending on how many blocks below remained hollow during the construction process. There are various methods of dealing with this, expanding foam in the block below, mortar pumps, etc. Many masons have a home made jig to pump concrete. I have one using an old 5 gal plasitic paint can that connects to my compressor and a 3/4" plastic hose.

I'd check with your school maintenance and see who they use for masonary repairs, they'll know the best way to fill the block in your neck of the woods. There are concerns about the age of the block an the expansion of the filler material as it cures that the mason will know.

Once the filler is cured a normal expanding lag shield set in the filler (not the cinderblock) should be sufficient.

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"Going with the 2x8"

Harv beat me to it. Use a good ol' wooden* cleat...well anchored of course!. That's exactly what gymnasium equipment manufacturers use when they attach equipment to cinder block walls. Should work..."swing away!"




*Upper grade and reasonably kiln-dried Southern Yellow Pine or Douglas-fir is best. Try Select Structural grade if you can find it. A good contractor oriented lumberyard should have it or be able to get it for you. And if you choose to paint or seal the cleat, make sure you paint or seal all surfaces before attaching it to the wall. It will warp if this is not done.

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Thanks for all the great responses so far.

I am going with the 2 X 8 approach attaching the four sides to the cinder block with a 1/2 inch Hex Head Lag Screw going into a lag shield.

My final question is what type of eye bolt and anchor should I use. My intentions are to shave the back of the wood to fit a nut to run the bolt through, then have the wood flush on the wall going into an anchor. Double the support. However, Lag Bolts with Lag Shields cannot be "nutted", forgive my terminology. If using a 1/2 inch eye bolt with nut, what type of anchor should I use?

Got Wood.

The problem with the wood cleat is the direction of loading. Scoreboards, and a lot of stuff hung on a gym wall load principally towards the floor. When you have a cable between two wall the force is perpendicular to the wall. In short, the force is trying to pull the anchor out of the wall as opposed to just putting a rotational force on the anchor compressing the block down on the front and up on the back.

Concrete has low shear strength which is why we use rebar in it. Concrete block even less as it has a high amount of light weight aggregate (used to be cinder hence the name). I've seen a 90 mph fastball crack concrete block.

Harv

Diamond,

When affixing the 2x8 to the wall use as big a lead lag shield (diameter) and lag bolt as your drill permits. 3/8" to 1/2" should work. The more the merrier. The expansion of the lag shield will load the block in compression if you use a 1" shield.

No worries on the eye bolt (AND LARGE WASHER) and nut on the back of the wood. Counter sink the nut and washer only enough as to clear the back plane of the wood as the wood can bust out also. Even your least expensive hardware, when loaded in tension, will do the trick. 1/4" should be fine but 3/8" would be better.

Harv

http://www.concretefasteners.c...z_4KYCFZNd7Aod1yxQ0Q
Use a tapcon to install a 2x8 Can get tapcon's at home depot then put your lag hook in the 2x8

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You guys know I'm a big proponent of always using wood when it is warrented.

This is pretty much what I was recommending to solve the problem...



I'll concede a little duct tape may help as well!




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Harv:

Our auxillary gym (concrete blocks) has had a few holes knocked in it from a fastball and I can personally guarantee you that baseball was not moving 90 mph!!!

woody; nice picture of your basement!

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You like that skipper? Your comment is not too far off the mark!

It wouldn't surprise you then when you see where I do our grocery shopping...



Forget Walmart© and their supposed 'falling prices'. My place, Semi-Whole Foods©, has prices so low that most of them are on the floor or at least headed that way!

I gotta' run. My favorite TV game show re-run is on. Supermarket Sweep...On Aisle 3!©. What fun?



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I keep forgetting.

When screwing in the lag bolts is it "pronate to tighten, supinate to loosen" or the other way around?

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I know when I'm dealing with lug nuts it's "atta' baby!" to tighten and "dammit!" to loosen.




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