Ideas for floor tie downs

Old Gas Nut · Oct 26, 2012

I'm getting close to pouring the floor in my shop and I've been thinking about putting in a couple tie downs (Or whatever they are called) so I can do some light collision repair in my shop. I have tried searching on here to find ideas, but I don't know if I'm calling them by the wrong name or what, but I can't find anything on them. I would like to see how others designed theirs and how they anchored it in the concrete.

pugs · Oct 26, 2012

Search for Anchor pots.

Most need to be welded to the rebar to be of any use. Some of the larger ones that I've seen some farmers build are connected to steel posts that go down 4' in the ground with a concrete pier poured around it.

captpfb · Oct 26, 2012

Are these what your looking for http://www.autobodytoolmart.com/search/search.aspx?keywords=floor pots

csp · Oct 26, 2012

Pulling pots is another term for them.

retrobuilder · Oct 26, 2012

Do you mean tie down rings.

Mc Master Carr carries a number of varieties.

Here is a link to a web page. There is one option that would allow you to have a flush to floor thread receiver and install the eye bolt.

Or use heavier zinc plated eye bolt?

http://www.mcmaster.com/#tie-down-rings/=jwa7dc

Old Gas Nut · Oct 26, 2012

AHH!! Anchor pots. I was calling them by the wrong name. Amazing what you can find when you know the correct term. Thanks guys.

holdover · Oct 27, 2012

here is how I did mine. I had a bunch of 1/2" high carbon rod from a telco rodding machine. I made a loop by heating the rod for where the chain eye can attach. Then I built a support spider (for lack of better term) that cement is poured around. The loop is about 12" below the top of the slab and is in a 4" piece of conduit. All the rebar ties into the pulling eye and each one has about 1/2 yard of cement poured around it plus the 6" slab thickness. In 4 years of pulling they really have worked great.

Dick in Wisconsin · Oct 27, 2012

Like they put in the concrete at the airport for tie downs of airplanes.

Fun pain · Oct 27, 2012

Dyno ?!!!!

rslaback · Oct 27, 2012

Why put them in during the pour when you can make them removable?

don long · Oct 27, 2012

I have installed several tie downs in floors of body shops and in my own garage twice

the tie down/pulling pot or how ever you refer to it has a bell shaped bottom and a straight sleeve over the top end of the bell. the bell has a hole thru the center with a chain going thru it welded to a cap

after the concrete floor has curred a hole is drilled into the floor just slightly larger than the sleeve of the tie down about 2 1/2" in diamator

The pot is dropped into the hole and with a special hydrolic ram the bell is pulled up thru the sleeve and the cap fits flush with the floor

The most popular patern for tie downs are two in the front of the stall and two in the rear spaced even with the width of the frame rails of a vehicle and 3 or 4 spaced evenly down each side of the vehicle and the dimension of a repair bay in most bodyshops is 12 x 24
and the pots are placed on the perimeter of each bay

Hope this helps
Don

zeebad1 · Oct 27, 2012

Here are the ones I used.....

http://www.autobodytoolmart.com/champ-floor-anchor-pot-1600-p-11538.aspx

For the price of these, I couldn't afford to make anything better.

I got the "new floor" plates to go with them, and installed them during the pouring of the floor.

csp · Oct 28, 2012

rslaback said:
Why put them in during the pour when you can make them removable?

I looked at the installation instructions on those and I fail to see how they would be removable after installation. The install isn't exactly homeowner friendly into an existing slab either.

zeebad1 · Oct 28, 2012

Actually, they are removable. The bottom piece, that the chain fastens to, acts as a wedge, to tighten the shell in the concrete.

Knock the bottom down, and there's a device to pull the outer shell out of the hole.

These explain it......

http://www.autobodytoolmart.com/anchorinst1.html

I set mine up before the pour...........

http://www.autobodytoolmart.com/instantanchorinstallation.html

And it was later that I learned that 3" PVC is the correct diameter for the holes needed for these anchor pots. Instead of drilling after the pour, you could place pieces of the PVC wherever you want the anchors, cut the PVC out after the concrete hardens, and install the anchor pots in the freshly formed holes.

darkk · Oct 29, 2012

rslaback said:
Why put them in during the pour when you can make them removable?

Most if not all those tie down / anchor pots are 3 1/2" diameter. Seems like no one uses a 3 1/2" core bit. You will most likely have to get some one to drill it for you ($100 to $150 a hole) or buy the core bit yourself and rent the drill. I know several people that have access to the core drill system but no 3 1/2" core bit. :sad:

JCQuick · Oct 29, 2012

zeebad1 said:
Here are the ones I used.....

http://www.autobodytoolmart.com/champ-floor-anchor-pot-1600-p-11538.aspx

For the price of these, I couldn't afford to make anything better.

I got the "new floor" plates to go with them, and installed them during the pouring of the floor.

I have installed hundreds of those.Yes they can be removed but its not easy :lol_hitti

brownbagg · Oct 29, 2012

all I did was anchor some chain to a piece of rebar that embedded in the concrete. I slip a piece of pvc with cap over the chain till the concrete dried

Old Gas Nut · Nov 1, 2012

Ok. Here's another question for you guys doing body work, what were you pulling the car with and how did you have it anchored? I have seen the Kansas Jack style towers, but wondered if there were other methods others were using? I'm hoping to do some light frame work (pulling uni-bodies) so I'm trying to get it all figured out before pouring the floor.

koditten · Nov 1, 2012

I like to use chunks of I-beam laid on their sides. Get the width I-beam as the same thickness as your floor. 4" chuncks work good. Lay theise pieces on their sides so the flat part of the beam is even with the final leval as your floor. Poor floor and finnish floor as you would normally. You are left with flat, 4" x 4" steel plates. When you need to pull something, weld a piece of chain to the flat piece of steel. do your pulling. When done cut off the chain and grind the plate flat again. Floor jacks will roll over these if you finnish your floor correctly. You can't lose sockets down the hole either.

You can put in as many as you want. Steel supply shops have drops of I-beam that they will sell for the price of scap. Often they will cut it for you as well. I would bet you could get 8 of em for 50 bucks or so.

KO

lightn95 · May 27, 2013

bump back to the top

ive been thinking of something like this in my exsisting garage.i need something to attach a pulley to so i can pull cars onto my lift. my foundation is block, ive been thinking about takinga 4' length of chain and welding pieces of rebar to it. then drop it in through the webbing of the block 3' down. then filling the block (maybe a foot on either side of the chain) with concrete. then id have rougly 12" of chain that i could attach to.

thoughts ???

MagKarl · May 28, 2013

Koditten, that's a great idea.

lightn95 · Jun 1, 2013

lightn95 said:
bump back to the top

ive been thinking of something like this in my exsisting garage.i need something to attach a pulley to so i can pull cars onto my lift. my foundation is block, ive been thinking about takinga 4' length of chain and welding pieces of rebar to it. then drop it in through the webbing of the block 3' down. then filling the block (maybe a foot on either side of the chain) with concrete. then id have rougly 12" of chain that i could attach to.

thoughts ???

bump
any advise here??

J king · Jun 1, 2013

I have anchor points in my floor for frame tie downs.I welded a grid up with rebar and 2" pins that I machined the end profile to be flush with the concrete and have a 3/4" counter sunk allen stainless bolt that sits flush with the top of floor. These were a foot and half or so long that i drove down into dirt base before pour.I used a laser to set height of the top of the pins so everything was level.Here is pic.Its the little spots you see on floor.I can roll a creeper over them and not feel them hardly.I have plates that are tightened down to anchor to or use a eyebolt and washers to pull down tight to the pin so it doesn't bend eyebolt.http://smg.photobucket.com/user/ikimjing/media/Mobile Uploads/downsized_1115090804.jpg.html

I liked those so much I installed them around the perimeter of my machine shop to hook a come along to move machines into position. they are so well blended in I never notice them.

I would highly recommend this approach. Jim

J king · Jun 1, 2013

lightn95 said:
bump
any advise here??

Read my post and make the same deal but get a diamond drill hole saw and drill a hole into your floor where you want the tie down.Get someone to make you a long pin with the tapped hole and countersink for the 3/4 countersunk bolt .Have the pin 2 ft long and drive that baby to china or flush with the top of your floor and you are done!It won't move as long as you don't try to pull straight up as in frame bending.. :beer:

Here..went out and took a pic so you can see what I mean.

Rookie2 · Jun 1, 2013

i installed 6 pots in my floor before the pour. they are made to wedge themselves in tighter as you pull on the chain. never used any of them.

J king · Jun 1, 2013

My opinion of pots is poor.they fill with dirt and water and are always a mess.plus the cover never fits nice.

Ideas for floor tie downs

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