u/adron87

My idea was to Invert the extra rear support beam from my 2nd TR025 parts rack and then connect the 2 supports together to create a unique belt squat platform

The lat pulldown attachment had to be pushed back and no longer fit so I had to come up with a new way to mount it from the top and bottom.

I added an extra guide pulley to the base of the lat pulldown and another under the red support bar. I replaced all pulleys with aluminum ones from Bells of Steel

The top was also modified and extended out using an off cut from the base in Part 1. 1000% more sturdy than it has ever been.

The lat pulldown attachment was mounted to yet another salvaged piece that was turned into a bracket. Rubber pads from the Jcups I used in Part 1 were used to dampen the connection

I salvaged the front sandwich plates from the parts rack and added them to each corner of the platform for extra support. They are notched and will be welded to the platform.

Here, you can see the original black sandwich plates on the front of the rack.

I wanted the pulley as low as possible to allow for the greatest range of motion and depth. The cable will also be able to pull forward and attach to my bench...more on that later

I used 2 uprights for the 6 post extension. I chopped one in half to create a unique attachment for the platform. More on that in Part 3!

I'm burning up my allotted picture limit, so I'll detail this idea for a locking mechanism in Part 3.

Originally, I was going to use a simple treadplate but I was so happy with my platform design I didn't want to cover it. The perforated metal was an idea to highlight it...

An initial coating with a rust primer and then rivnuts for the top to bolt on.

Bolted on but far from done....time to start cutting

My idea was to follow the support beam so that the platform doesn't interfere with the bench position inside the rack during incline and flat bench pressing

Access to the pulley was cut out and framed. I made it wider because I wanted maximum depth during belt squats. There are also functional rollers that go on each side

Framed the whole platform for a finished look.

I gave the base a fresh coat of red because the factory red looked too dull. I'm not trying to make the finish perfect, just presentable.

A preview of the end result... Lots more to go in Part 3

This is the existing weight cradle that uses a plastic bushing. I added larger weight horns a while back because the factory pegs were starting to bend downwards!

The start of the new weight cradle. I added 8 individual rollers, each equipped with bearings so they glide extra smooth. Tubing is 1/2" thick to help bump up the starting weight.

You can marginally adjust each wheel to get the perfect amount of engagement against the beam.

I bolted on a small pneumatic clevis base to use as the rear attachment point for the main cable.

I added a set of these angled weight storage pegs from a company called synergee. The old pegs were a tad long so I went a little shorter this time around.

In testing, I needed to find the proper cable length for not only belt squats but also for leg extensions/curls without maxing out the travel.

There is plenty of clearance to run the cable on the inside of the cradle. This is why I went with individual rollers.

I used a much larger clevis base for the front of the cradle to use as an engagement point for the belt squat lockout.

I boxed in the front and removed some excess material off the sides and back to achieve my goal for the starting cradle weight.

All finished with a coat of primer and POR15 undercoating I had laying around. Starting weight is exactly at 15.0 lbs.

Another angle of the finished cradle

Onto the rhino inspired lockout... I repurposed my old lever arms. It's the most functionality they have ever offered! I connected them with a 3x3 crossbeam from Amstaff fitness.

I modified the lever arm mounts to accept 1" hydraulic pins and used shaft collars to secure the mounts to the back of the rack. The shaft collars tighten with an Allen key.

I bought a 4ft 3x3 crossbeam to connect the 3x3 arms together. It was cheap enough and it saved me a lot of time instead of making it myself. I started working on the middle horn.

I used a 2x2 Jcup off amazon with a perfectly slim profile and cut it up. I also chopped up an old Rogue storage plate channel I had from before and welded the two together.

The newly made Jcup bracket welded to the base of a Rogue storage peg channel. Gives you ample height adjustment to lockout your belt squats. Uses the Rogue hitch pin as well ;)

In action! It engages and works flawlessly. Again, the pin and bracket are actually from Rogue, so that makes it a 1.5% legit Rogue rhino ;)

I had 5x5" web gussets laser cut to play into the red and black theme that I've learned to love...black widow vibes.

It has come a very long way and I'm proud to call it mine. I built it up so it can continue to build me up! See you in part 5! Check out Parts 1-3 if you haven't already!

I designed an adjustable lockout mechanism to secure the bench to the rack. An upright was cut in half to secure each bench leg and a pulley was welded to the bench.

Each side cut from the spare upright has evenly spaced 1" holes. This allows for a wide range of adjustment so that the bench can be brought in or pushed out. It locks with a pin.

Each end was boxed off and then had a section of larger rectangular tubing welded in to act as a receiver where the legs of the bench slot in.

I fabricated brackets for the rear receivers to secure the arms to the platform. They are bolted in and can be taken off. It's crude, but it works.

All finished! As a bonus, the brackets support the center of the platform. Lots of measuring to keep everything lined up and in unison.

You can tuck the arms in when not in use. But, if left out, they act as a great marker to quickly position the bench.

The cable pulls through the bottom of the platform and through to the bench. It provides constant tension for extensions/curls, while the bench is locked in position.

It works great. Since it has constant tension, the weight arm moves consistently relative to the swing on the leg extension. I may add a cam to make it even smoother.

Next project was the lat pulldown. The old beam no longer fit due to the rear addition on the rack. In the original design, this beam had quite a lot of sway so good riddance.

The Solution: chop up the existing pulley mounts from the original beam, butt them together, then weld it to a bracket that will bolt into the existing location.

Finished with a POR15 undercoating spray that I already had laying around. The worn out plastic pulley bushings were also replaced with brass ones. Added 2 bells of steel pulleys.

I welded the beam on top of the bracket rather than flush to get max height and range of motion for seated lat pulldowns. The rack height is 84". Ends were capped to finish it off.

I cut down the existing pulldown cable and found this cable end which has been working great. The cable routing is exactly like a Rhino/Surplus Strength setup.

The way the original lat pulldown beam sat on top of the crossmember gave me a perfect range of motion and a lot of stretch on lat pulldowns so I kept it the same.

A nice thing about the new cable end is that it is low profile enough to clear and go through the pulley channels allowing me to remove the cable when not in use.

At this point, I am feeling good about everything and treated the rack to some new add-ons like these sandwich Jcups from Amstaff. Massive improvement over the old ones!

I was looking forward to adding plate storage on the back of the rack. I got these from Amstaff. Instant improvement to the space and my workouts!

Step inside... Part 4 coming Next!