I want to hang a Rogue P-4 pull-up bar from a wall. The wall is concrete block with .5" of strapping on it, and 1" drywall over that. The pull-up bar is made with 1" steel tube. Concrete block walls are 1.5" wide on average, so I'm at 4" of depth and then I put on the bolt. So I'm looking at 5" long wedge compression bolts.
The pull-up bar has 1/2" holes in it. However, my sense is that using 1/2" bolts will require perfect alignment. According to websites, 3/8" concrete expansion bolts have pull-out strength of roughly 1000 lbs. Only the top four will have pull-out loads (the arrangement is two holes on the top of each of the two brackets and one hole on the bottom). So that's 4000 pounds. A 300 pound person jumping up and grabbing on the bar may pull 2g, so that's 600 pounds of force, and double it for the 30" cantilever, so 3/8" concrete expansion bolts should be fine.
Here is my concern: On this website for the bolks I'm thinking of using, the website says "Do not use in brick or blocks." So my question is this: are all wedge expansion bolts contraindicated for all concrete blocks, or just the ones that I'm looking at? If they are all contraindicated, then how do I mount the thing?
EDIT: I am in a townhouse and we do not know if there is a single row of blocks between the units or two. We also do not know if they are filled or not. There is good but not perfect sound isolation between the townhouses and this is an adjoining wall. Here is a picture of what it looks like:
Best Answer
I also didnt find any of the expansion bolt manufactures that could recommend using an expansion bolt in anything but solid concrete stating specifically "Not for use in cement block". They do give rating specifics for such things as 'Maximum Force" before pullout: 2000 lbs for a 1/2" x 4 1/2" zinc plated bolt. I scanned some of the questions and answers on Amazon. Some stated they had attached it to block with stable results. I'd favor the recommendations of the bolt company to not rely on it securing your pull-up bar. If you decide to use the bolts locate them in the mortar joints.
If you attach (2) 2x6 vertically (one for each side) from the floor to higher then the top bracket hole using expansion bolts spaced at 16 inches on center; it should be strong enough to than bolt you brackets to the 2x6 (unless you kipp!).
Other ideas involve drilling 5/8" anchor holes for 1/2" all-thread glued with epoxy glue. Using anchor epoxy would hold.