TV mounts require lag bolts?

[PoorOwner]

You ever wondered how there is 4 tiny M6 screws holding the TV to the mount,

but the mount wants you to drill 3" deep pilot holes almost 1/4" diameter into the studs, with 4 long lag bolts?

Seems like heavier things had been hung with less hardware around the house.

 

[Dagny]

Nobody is supposed to drill that deep into a stud my wires are in there.

 

[garage guy1of38]

#8 screws into studs two inches long.

Holds up my 86 Inch just fine.

 

[JerryB]

I think you will find that the small screws are just aligning the TV to the mount, with the load directly transferred to the mount. They are most likely not directly supporting it.

The lag screws into the wall are supporting a cantilevered load and are also loaded in shear, thus they are much larger.

 

[James-W]

I suspect the mount manufacturer doesn't want to get sued if you should DIY and not make the mount secure. By doing what they do it insures that if your TV set should fall and break you won't be able to win a lawsuit because they told you how the mount was supposed to be anchored to the wall and if you didn't follow their instructions, tough beans.

I have 4 drywall screws thru the mount and into the studs and it holds up a 58 inch screen without any problem.

 

[PoorOwner]

I am thinking of using 4 of these? Do you think it will hold a plasma about 100 lbs or so?
Mine is 2 3/4"

 

[wssix99]

You ever wondered how there is 4 tiny M6 screws holding the TV to the mount,

These hold more shear than moment. (pull-out)

but the mount wants you to drill 3" deep pilot holes almost 1/4" diameter into the studs, with 4 long lag bolts?

These hold more moment (pull-out) than shear.

I am thinking of using 4 of these? Do you think it will hold a plasma about 100 lbs or so?

No. You should use the #14 screws (1/4") like instructed. These #8's bite great but they won't hold up to the same pull-out forces like the screws with the bigger shafts and threads.

 

[MushCreek]

Modern TV's are very light, but there's no way of knowing how heavy a TV the end user will mount, like the 100# plasma mentioned above. The 6 mm screws do in fact hold our TV's up; the brackets screw to the back of the TV with them. I use the cheap HF mounts, and they do come with huge lag bolts.

 

[Leaflessshadetree]

I am thinking of using 4 of these? Do you think it will hold a plasma about 100 lbs or so?

Look for structural screws.

Mine is 2 3/4"

 

[gungatim]

I have an older flat screen (on right, 37") in the shop that is extremely heavy, and a new one (on left that is a 49") I just put up next to it which is easily half the weight.

I am just using leftover kitchen cabinet mounting screws, not the lags.

both on HF mounts, the $15 one on the right and the $40 articulating one on the left.

 

[ishiboo]

On the TV end they are threaded into steel threads designed for the load. I'm guessing they are higher-grade fasteners. And I think most large TVs use M8 or M10. Many mounts offer motion which puts them further away from the wall, greatly increasing the leverage on the wall bolts.

I use Spax powerlags when I install a TV mount. Those GRK fasteners are great, but don't have much thread to them for this application.

 

[LS6 Tommy]

I think you will find that the small screws are just aligning the TV to the mount, with the load directly transferred to the mount. They are most likely not directly supporting it.

The lag screws into the wall are supporting a cantilevered load and are also loaded in shear, thus they are much larger.

Give this guy a Gold Star for his refrigerator!

Tommy

 

[ShumanSS6.0]

Since my employer designs and manufactures TV mounts, I would recommend utilizing the lags included with the mount. The cabinet screws you reference, I would strongly suggest not using those. As stated earlier, it doesn’t take much force for the TV to act as a lever and those cabinet screws would shear with not a lot of effort.

Lags are used because of the depth required into the stud as well as the thickness of the material

 

[ScottsGT]

We hang 100+ TV a year at work. 1/4" lags or self starting bolts into steel studs. Chief Mfg (Mounts we use) told us to quit using the self tapping bolts and to start using snap toggles. We've never had an issue with any of our mounts over the years.

 

[gungatim]

Since my employer designs and manufactures TV mounts, I would recommend utilizing the lags included with the mount. The cabinet screws you reference, I would strongly suggest not using those. As stated earlier, it doesn’t take much force for the TV to act as a lever and those cabinet screws would shear with not a lot of effort.

Lags are used because of the depth required into the stud as well as the thickness of the material

cabinet screws are larger and heavier duty for hanging cabinets which also act as a lever. they are not going to shear like a drywall or deck screw. no reason not to use the lag screws that come in the kits, unless, like me, you want to keep them for other projects and have other screws on hand.

btw, HF redesigned their cheaper tv mount. I bought another to hang my daughters tv in her apartment and it is not as heavy duty as the one in my shop a few years older.

what's worse is, the head of the lag screws in the corner holes have so little clearance you can't get a socket on and have to use an open end wrench at an angle to tighten them fully, or else unscrew the end pieces one at a time, then reattach them...truly a dumb design...but for $15 what do you expect...

 

[tim_]

My cabinets are far heavier than my TVs.

 

[ripperd]

Nobody is supposed to drill that deep into a stud my wires are in there.

You should have plates on the studs protecting spots where wires go through them?

 

[MushCreek]

Not if they are in the middle of the stud. I think 1-1/4" is code- well within reach of those large lag screws.

 

[James E]

Sorry shadetree, the correct answer was: "That's what she said."

 

[midwestcj]

My cabinets are far heavier than my TVs.

your cabinets also only stick out 12" from the wall and are potentially 36-40" tall. you have multiple screw points up and down that cabinet and it doesn't give the weight a chance to cantilever since it stays against the wall.

some TV mounts can extend 18-36" from the wall and have a bracket that is only 12" tall. that's a bit of weight on the bolt heads.....

 

[kwschumm]

We hang 100+ TV a year at work. 1/4" lags or self starting bolts into steel studs. Chief Mfg (Mounts we use) told us to quit using the self tapping bolts and to start using snap toggles. We've never had an issue with any of our mounts over the years.

It's hard to understand why anyone would want to cut this corner, but then I like it when things don't fail. Leverage is a *****.

 

[OCD]

We hang 100+ TV a year at work. 1/4" lags or self starting bolts into steel studs. Chief Mfg (Mounts we use) told us to quit using the self tapping bolts and to start using snap toggles. We've never had an issue with any of our mounts over the years.

I use the snap toggles to mount commercial screens for our clients... I find they work the best, no worry about finding studs... 4 of them will hold me up!!