Wedge anchor fail ?

[David2676]

Installed a 2 post lift, 2 of the wedge bolts feel like they have failed and my pull free when I try to torque them ?

I will pick up a deep socket today and torque them down. My thought is if it add a piece of tubing and the edge fails it ill pull out. Maybe the hole was drilled too large I noticed some wobble in the drill bit.

I have on order a base plate extender, I bought it because I felt it would be added safety. I have vw Van with the motor in the rear most lifts are set for a front motor.

I am not sure how to address the failed wedge ?

1. if it pulls free epoxy a new anchor in place, might have to go to 1".
2. cut all the wedges and move the lift 4 - 6 inches and fill the holes
3. do nothing and hope the base extender makes up.
4. drill and set a 1/2 wedge near the failed anchor ?

If I move the column to reset it would be a pain but I could use a come along and slide it about 6 inches the hard part will be cutting the exiting anchors. I would have to cut them about the base plate then try shim the column up enough to slide it over the remaining bolts...

maybe someone has a better idea I have not thought of?

also does anyone have a good wiring diagram for motor. the instruction are in Chinese ... the lift is brand Peak ... 220v motor. I think I understand the wiring but I am not sure what to do with he N on the 220... it appears they want to put the N to ground, would this not bound the N across the lift causing a short hazard where the lift would become hot ? Is 10 gauge wire sufficient for a lift ? the run is about 20 feet from the sub panel.

 

[nolimits76]

If you aren't feeling warm and fuzzy with the wedge anchors I would use a Hilti epoxy system. Probably a HY-100, but you should check with a Hilti rep to confirm.

They have loads of tech data that will provide you tension, shear and pullout strengths for various diameters, embedments and both cracked and non-cracked concrete of common strengths (2,000 or 3,000 or 4,000psi).

Red Head might have comparable and cheaper solutions.

Anytime you drill and epoxy.....CLEAN YOUR HOLE!!!! You need to blast with air. If you are doing it all the time, there are fancy vac systems but for 1-4 bolts just blast and take your time. A clean hole means the epoxy will properly Bond and give you max strengths. If it isn't cleaned the epoxy will bond to the dust film instead and can pull out relatively easy.

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[matt_i]

Just to add, you can easily get a B7 threaded rod (essentially equivalent to a Grade 5 bolt in tensile strength and material) and cut a piece for a stud to epoxy. Typically its drilled 1/8" oversize of the stud diameter but it will still work on-size.

You need two things for effective cleaning. A brush (like a bottle brush, sized for the hole) and a compressed air blowgun with a rigid tube which can reach the bottom of the hole. Not good enough to blow air into the top of the hole with a short nozzle and expect the velocity to reach the bottom.

I've used Sika Anchorfix2 on several industrial projects with success. You can buy it at Home D. I tried it dispensed it with a battery operated caulk tube dispenser and what a Cadillac that was! The epoxy comes out stiff and thus is extremely hard to dispense...lots of effort on the manual handle.

I like to take a nitrile glove and spread the epoxy into the threads of the stud first and then push it into the hole filled about 3/4 full. Some excess is going to spit out but just scrape it up quickly and you won't have a major problem.

Also good to scrap/not-use the first couple of half dollar sized puddles that are dispensed right from the start. The color isn't uniform and the product is untrustworthy until you get rid of the first little bit.

The Sika starts curing very fast, will begin to harden within 5 minutes, so don't dally. It needs a 24 hour cure at usual 65-70F ambient before you torque the bolts. Longer if its colder outside, maybe wait 2 days.

 

[PugetDude]

I usually slather wedge anchors in epoxy before I push them in the hole. Snug them up, then wait a day or two to torque down. Has always worked for me.

 

[rbgearz]

x2 on the Hilti epoxy system.

 

[harley jim]

I would do the epoxy fix myself but if you decide to move the lift couldn't you cut them flush or just a little higher than the plate and drive them down with a punch and hammer rather than lift it over them. Just a thought.

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[Kaizen]

I had a post on this a while back. Make sure you use a sds drill for important holes like these. Also drill all the way through so you can punch them through. I bought a skinny vice grip and held the bolt while I put a wrench on it. Still had to epoxy two. Used a dewalt product that works in a normal caulk gun. Hilti wanted over two hundred bucks for their special gun and setup.


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[MP&C]

Wedge anchors need to be able to grasp the sides of the hole in order for the wedge to pull down on the "cone" and expand the ring. A little bit of wobble in your hole, and this is next to impossible. this design also means that the anchor stud needs to pull out of the hole slightly in order to "set". This is why I only use the pin drive anchors. It sets/expands in place (or where set by washer/nut if hole drilled too deep), and doesn't rely on a ring pulling down to expand.


https://www.concretefasteners.com/3-4-x-5-strike-anchor/

 

[David2676]

for what its worth I call confast to get the specs on the wedge anchors. No way around it, they say the anchor will fail. Oddly the two that are shallow torque to spec. I even add washers to make sure they were grabbing. I did not drill thru the pad because I was told not to. some people say drill thru so you can drive the wedge thru if it fails. IDK if that is a good idea or not. I got some new anchors I am going to saw off the anchors flush move the life a few inches and try again. I may add a bit of epoxy just for the heck of it. I am not sure about epoxy. If this could effect the anchor, it seems to me I would have to toque the anchor immediately to prevent the epoxy from holding the wedge. Maybe it the epoxy it on the outside it wont matter? anyway I bought a drill bit I have a feeling bit I used from the rental yard might have caused my issue. It't no fun to do it again but I would rather have anchored correctly than chance having a lift accident or worse. I few house work I should have it moved

 

[tlmartin84]

I'm no fan of wedge anchors.

We use a lot of them in exterior applications. Once they go through a heat/cool (summer/winter) cycle, they loosen up and almost always have to be retorqued.

Seeing this time after time, I am a firm believer in using epoxy.

 

[56Mark]

for what its worth I call confast to get the specs on the wedge anchors. No way around it, they say the anchor will fail. Oddly the two that are shallow torque to spec. I even add washers to make sure they were grabbing. I did not drill thru the pad because I was told not to. some people say drill thru so you can drive the wedge thru if it fails. IDK if that is a good idea or not. I got some new anchors I am going to saw off the anchors flush move the life a few inches and try again. I may add a bit of epoxy just for the heck of it. I am not sure about epoxy. If this could effect the anchor, it seems to me I would have to toque the anchor immediately to prevent the epoxy from holding the wedge. Maybe it the epoxy it on the outside it wont matter? anyway I bought a drill bit I have a feeling bit I used from the rental yard might have caused my issue. It't no fun to do it again but I would rather have anchored correctly than chance having a lift accident or worse. I few house work I should have it moved

I don't think I have seen wedge anchors used with epoxy, if that is what you are saying you might do. You might be creating a problem if the two aren't designed to work together. I have seen the Hilti epoxy anchors successfully used for at least 20 years in industrial applications. It might be worth a call to Hilti before going to the trouble of moving the lift.

 

[joe49]

I did not drill thru the pad because I was told not to. some people say drill thru so you can drive the wedge thru if it fails. IDK if that is a good idea or not.

This failure is a great example of why you should have drilled thru the slab. Then the anchor could have been driven out and replaced easily. If you were even just moving the anchor location driven flush to abandon the anchor is the way to go. Drilling thru is the way the pro's do it.

 

[Kaizen]

This failure is a great example of why you should have drilled thru the slab. Then the anchor could have been driven out and replaced easily. If you were even just moving the anchor location driven flush to abandon the anchor is the way to go. Drilling thru is the way the pro's do it.

This should be in the instructions for all wedge anchors. I didn’t know till I had this problem. Now that we got everybody straight on pvc airlines we should take up this mantra


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[David2676]

moved finished drilled thru the slab .. no problems. this time I used a shorter drill bit the long one wobbled. I also uses scope and checked each hole to ensure it was clean I hit rebar in all but one hole ... other than time it was not so hard. as for the two holes visible after moving the lift I tapped them down a little I can easily fill the hole smooth in the spring I will epoxy the floor. I wanted to do it now but its so cold I am afraid I might run into problems. anyway at least now I know it is anchored correctly I wont have to worry.

 

[David2676]

Just to sum up my install , I used a pry bar to place a space under the lift. The spacer was just enough to allow the saw blade. Sawzal off all ten bolts pushed the lift back 4 inched with a block and a large hammer. Repeated the install, this time I checked the bit for wobble. I drilled thru the slab ! I used a scope to check the bore hole after vacuuming I check and found a lot of degree in the hole my shop vac was not strong enough to remove all the cuttings. I used the vacuum and compressed air. I have an extension for my compressed air gun and was able to reach into the hole. No issues with the wedge bolts. I also bought a base plate extension I have to modify it as it was drilled for a different bolt pattern. I lol install in a few days I need to get a piece of steel and drill some holes then weld it. Fortunately I have enough exposed thread I had not taken this into account when installing but it’s going to work. I will be lifting both front and rear ending vehicle and occasional tractor I am hoping it’s overkill.

Wired it up all is left to do is a final bleed and minor cable adjustments

 

[Wardster]

x3 on the Hilti epoxy

 

[Downwindtracker 2]

Industrial standard is Hilti, now. When I started in construction, almost 50 years ago, it was Redhead. I don't know how many Hilti bolts I've installed over the years. From experience the rings on Hilti bolts will break. And don't use an impact to tighten them either. When we installed some fencing machines, instead of inserting anchors in the wet concrete, they just cored and used Hilti epoxy after it was hard..

 

[BD1]

Post a picture of the anchor you used .