xmark platform?

**sambruin7** · 06-20-2012, 12:14 PM

Here are some pics:

Attached Files

**sambruin7** · 06-20-2012, 12:19 PM

There's also a video on youtube:
[URL="http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFUwORMuRPk"]

It looks nice and stable... I don't see any vibration at all.

**ebozyn** · 06-20-2012, 12:38 PM

Wow! That does look pretty solid for an adjustable platform. Just VERY LITTLE vibration can be seen.

I do like the fact that it has a glued edge (what looks to be pine or ash) board rather than a MDF or particle board drum with a thin layer of wood veneer that a lot of other companies use.

I'd like to mount that on the wall in my dining room. haha

Bag on!

Originally posted by sambruin7 View Post

There's also a video on youtube:
[URL="http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFUwORMuRPk"]

It looks nice and stable... I don't see any vibration at all.

**Speedbag** · 06-20-2012, 09:14 PM

Looks very Solid. Good punching also.

**sambruin7** · 06-26-2012, 02:37 AM

One thing I realized with this platform is that it can accomodate a 30" drum without having to offset it. A drawback to this platform design is that the swivel screws aren't all the way through and the frame looks like it'll be in the way. I was thinking and came up with an idea to drill out some larger holes on top of the drum and go down about half an inch so that I can put a washer and nut inside (hope this makes sense). What do you guys think about this? Would those holes ruin the harmonics and structural integrity of the drum?

**sambruin7** · 06-26-2012, 11:13 AM

The drum is 1.5" thick. It's just that I remember Alan Kahn mentioning that the swivel screws will eventually become loose so it's best to bolt them down.

**Speedbag** · 06-26-2012, 12:00 PM

Originally posted by ventanakaz

how thick is the drum ? and do you really think that you need to have the screws go all the way though the drum. i don't think your gonna knock the swivel off the drum, besides when i was a teenager and used to hit harder i never knocked the swivel off the drum and used those little screws the swivel came with...ralph

Actually when I started learning I found quite the opposite with the little screws that came with the swivel. I learned in a "high use" area, Large University Weight Room were lots of people pounded speed bags of all sized, particularly large ones that have long rebound arcs. and the 36 in rebound boards on those big, old heavy Everlast wall units was a thick, soft wood. The swivels tended to come loose from the wood, and we would tighten them, over and over, until the holes in the soft wood became stretched and would not longer hold the screws tight. Then we start cramming match sticks or paper or wood up into the holes next to the screws to try and make them hold. We could not use larger (thicker) screws for you are limited to the hole size in the metal base of the swivel. For many many months we struggled along trying to get the little screws to hold tight for even an hour workout to no avail. The simpliest answer was to drill the holes all the way through, run a long carriage bolt up throught the top, add a washer and nut - problem solved. And if you had to change swivels (they do break) you did not have to hope your screw removal and replacement did not chip or spread the hole for the screw.

I personally found this to be a "quick pre-liminary fix" for any future swivel problems based on the screw holes. Especially when you get a new board or wall unit. Before installation, I take 5 minutes to drop the swivel, drill the holes out, put in bolts and never worry about it again. But this is based on my own experience in very high use areas, where bags were hit non-stop for hours. With a week, bag seams were blown and swivels were loose.

There are two issues to consider.

1. If you are NOT in a high use area, will not be changing swivels every time a new version comes out, AND only a few people whom you trust are hitting the bag (smaller bags now then 1970's also) then you may find you do not need to drill the holes through. And if it comes loose at the board, you can always drill it out later. I just did it before I hung the board, eliminating the potential problem later.

2. I always drilled the holes in boards having a free center area. But drilling the holes through the board is much more complicated with the newer frame designs, bringing the framing metal over the center of the board where the swivel lies. I remember a year or so again someone had made a design template on how to drill holes up through the Balazs Boxing I-Box system, for it seems that some of the holes would only go through the flat iron another few need to go through the thicker faming metal. If I had an I-Box style board I would probably delay drilling it through at first and hope for the best. I also spend a lot less time under the board now in comparison to my days past. When I do hit, it is normally way under "full speed" or longer than 30-45 minutes, so I doubt the screws will be under near as much sustained pressure.

* When I was writing the book and shooting the videos where I said that, there were no wall units with thick "V" shaped metal framing over the center of the board. At least I had never seen or used one - all the boards I had ever used had the center free. I had never dreamed that kind of (V) design would be developed. And it doesn't make sense from an impact standpoint. the wider the framing structure, putting the supports closer to the ends of the board, where the longer bags hit, makes more sense from a stability standpoint, and is why I still prefer that format (....and it's easier to drill the holes through. it's a hard habit to break

)

Originally posted by sambruin7 View Post

The drum is 1.5" thick. It's just that I remember Alan Kahn mentioning that the swivel screws will eventually become loose so it's best to bolt them down.

That is true, but please read the comments just above. Your specific situation might not require the extra issues required for drilling the holes through your board's design. You might get years of service without doing that. I just did it automatically, and suggest it, for the simpliest of board designs with an empty space over the center. I would not suggest buying special drill bits or trying to maintain a straight line drill through long spaces of wood and steel unless it's absolutely necessary. As a "next best fix" you might try to find the very longest screws you can use that will "almost" go through the top. Maybe adding a few more threads into the wood will help delay any problems.

**sambruin7** · 06-26-2012, 12:11 PM

Thanks Alan for the very informative post.

What do you think about my idea of drilling circular holes on top of the drum so that I can bolt the swivel screws inside the drum itself? I want to do this because I don't like the idea of drilling through the steel frame.

**Speedbag** · 06-26-2012, 07:50 PM

Originally posted by sambruin7 View Post

Thanks Alan for the very informative post.

What do you think about my idea of drilling circular holes on top of the drum so that I can bolt the swivel screws inside the drum itself? I want to do this because I don't like the idea of drilling through the steel frame.

I'm not sure exactly what you mean by "inside the drum" but if it will secure the swivel tightly and not interfere with the brackets overhead, It will probably work.

**sambruin7** · 06-26-2012, 09:14 PM

Originally posted by ventanakaz

i think that should work, drilling recess holes so you can drop a washer and nut inside the drum them tighten the swivel to the drum then bolt the drum to the frame (plate). but when you want to change out the swivel you might have to unbolt the drum from the plate cause the nuts might turn inside the drum...ralph

Yes, that is exactly how I plan on doing it. And I realize that i'll have to unbolt the drum from the frame when I want to change the swivel but that's not going to happen too often with me since I plan on using a ball hook exclusively.

**sambruin7** · 07-02-2012, 11:50 PM

I finally got the xmark platform and put it up and it is awesome. For $220 shipped, I think this is a great deal.My gym has the Everlast commercial platform with the 30" drum and it is just as sturdy and zero vibration so no need for extra weight on top. The frame is the same gauge steel and the drum is a very nice thick wood. One minor thing I didn't like was that they sent me a drum that had drilled holes that were off and they corrected it by plugging them and drilling another 4 holes diagonally. I didn't want to go through the hassle of sending it back for that and it performs great regardless. Sorry I don't have a camera to shoot footage.

**joshmar11** · 01-31-2013, 04:03 PM

My Xmark

I just got an Xmark platform and I feel like mine vibrates way too much. I tightened it as much as possible. The wall mounting is fine, but when I press up on the platform it moves. It seems that the adjustable knobs aren't tight enough or the bolts i have are too small and have too much space. What am I missing here?

**AtTheCross** · 01-31-2013, 05:20 PM

don't know, I have the same platform and mine doesn't move up and down when i push up on the end. did you run a plumb line to make sure the holes drilled into the studs/wall for the metal brackets were the same?

**Niki Knuckles** · 02-02-2013, 07:50 AM

Learn to walk, then run.

My first speed bag was hung by a key ring. A piece of scrap plywood, and a couple of 2X4's. Then I got a clevis... Then a cheap swivel... I got better, and better stuff.

If you cant do it with a p.o.s. from Walmart, then what do you need big budget for?

xmark platform?

xmark platform?

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