I recently posted about my homemade jerk boxes / pulling blocks. After receiving a few requests for my exact materials costs, I figured I’d put together a quick post outlining them. The items listed below are exactly what I purchased from my local Home Depot and the associated costs.
My Materials
| Item | Qty. | Cost per | Total | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2" x 3" x 8' | 2 | $2.44 | $4.88 | Interlocking mechanism |
| 2" x 4" x 10' | 3 | $4.17 | $12.51 | Shorter Boxes |
| 2" x 12" x 10' | 3 | $13.57 | $40.71 | Taller Boxes |
| 3/4" x 4' x 8' Plywood | 1 | $40.97 | $40.97 | Splurged on Maple Here! |
| 3" Drywall Screws | 1 | $21.97 | $21.97 | Big ass box |
| 5/16" Washers | 1 | $9.95 | $9.95 | Set of 100 |
| 5/16" x 3.5" Lag Bolts | 1 | $21.68 | $21.68 | Another big box |
| Total | $152.67 |
My Boxes
Boxes stacked up
Even though I had left over lag bolts, washers and drywall screws, for the purpose of deriving total box cost I’ll simply divide the fastener costs equally between the boxes.
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Homemade 4" Pair Pulling Blocks | $49.73 |
| Homemade 12" Pair Pulling Blocks | $90.44 |
Commercial Options
For comparison sake, I’m listing the costs of some of the more popular commercial options available (prices surveyed on 7/16/13).
| Vendor | Item | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Rogue | 2.25" Pair of Pulling Blocks | $85.50 |
| Rogue | 6" Pair of Pulling Blocks | $154.00 |
| Rogue | 12" Pair of Pulling Blocks | $222.60 |
| Rogue | 15" Pair of Pulling Blocks | $265.20 |
| Pendlay | 8 - 12" Adjustable Pulling Blocks | $549.00 |
| Pendlay | 12 - 20" Adjustable Pulling Blocks | $599.00 |
| Pendlay | 34 - 42" Adjustable Jerk Blocks | $699.00 |
So it looks like I definitely saved money when you compare my costs to the Rogue or Pendlay blocks. However, keep in mind, it did take me the better part of a day to build these boxes. They are also substantially more difficult to maneuver than the commercial boxes. If you’ve built your own blocks or have any questions about mine, let me know in the comments.
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Do you have the exact directions/measurements for the pieces of wood? I don’t have access to a saw, so I’d just like to buy the wood and have Home Depot cut it for me. It’d be much appreciated, thanks!
Blocks look awesome. Do you have detailed plans for those? I really like how easily they can work as stand alone pulling blocks.
Thanks for the comment Joe! I don’t have detailed plans drawn up yet, but it’s something I’m hoping to do in the near future, I’ve had a bunch of people asking about ‘em. I’ll let you know once I get the plans together.
Sounds great much appreciated. I plan on going through and making these in the next 2-3 months, our weightlifting team is up to about 10 so it would be nice to have multiple pulling blocks and then consolidate them into jerk blocks. Are you in SoCal?
Ok, I’ll set 2 months as my target to get some detailed plans together then 🙂
I’ve definitely enjoyed working with the set that I made, and I’m sure they’ll help with your weightlifting team.
I am in SoCal… Pasadena to be exact. Are you in the area too?
Yea the University of La Verne so just down the road.
Any updates on these and the detailed build plans? any videos showing the various heights and where they provide points throughout the lift and the capability of them stacking together well? Thanks
It’s been on my list to put together more detailed plans for these blocks, but I’ve been slammed. Until I get my act together on that, is there anything specific I can help you out with or answer?