Commercial TV Mounts
Fixed, tilting and full-motion mounting systems, including several mounts documented by model.
FROM THE PTM ARCHIVES
Overload & Failure Testing.
Before I trusted mounting hardware in customers' homes, I wanted to understand what happened when that hardware was pushed too far.
ARCHIVE
2010—
WHY I STARTED BREAKING THINGS
I wanted to see the failure for myself.
So I built test rigs in my garage and started breaking things on purpose.
In the early years of Professional TV Mounting, I began experimenting with TV mounts, anchors, fasteners and mounting systems under loads far beyond what they would ordinarily experience during an installation.
Some of the mounts were commercially manufactured. Some were given to me. Others were mounting solutions I designed or modified myself.
The basic idea was simple: install the hardware, progressively increase the load, observe what happened and — when appropriate — keep going until something failed.
A note about these tests
These were practical experiments performed by Professional TV Mounting, not controlled or certified laboratory testing. They should not be interpreted as manufacturer load ratings or engineering certifications.
ORIGINAL PTM TESTING ARCHIVE
Mounts. Anchors. Fasteners. Failure.
THE TEST ARCHIVE
What I tested.
Custom Mount Designs
Mounting systems I fabricated or modified, including early custom strap-mount designs.
Drywall Anchors
Toggle-style anchors and other hollow-wall fastening methods tested through failure.
Masonry Anchors
Wedge anchors, sleeve anchors, Tapcon-style fasteners and other masonry attachment methods.
Fasteners
Lag bolts, screws, eye bolts and other hardware used in mounting and structural attachment.
Failure & Aftermath
The part that interested me most: what actually failed, how it failed and what was damaged.
THE PROCESS
Setup → Load → Failure → Inspection
Setup
Install the mount, anchor or fastener into the test structure.
Apply Load
Increase the load while monitoring the hardware and test structure.
Failure
Continue where appropriate until the mounting system, fastener or surrounding material fails.
Inspection
Examine the mount, hardware and mounting surface after the test.
SELECTED TESTS
From the garage.
The archive contains original footage going back to the early years of Professional TV Mounting. We'll continue adding recovered tests here.
TV MOUNT TEST
126-Pound Load Test
Original PTM footage documenting a television mount under a 126-pound test load.
Original archive footage
ARCHIVE
DRYWALL ANCHOR
Toggler Failure Testing
Installation, load testing, failure and post-test inspection of the anchor and wall.
Video restoration in progress
ARCHIVE
ORIGINAL DESIGN
PTM Strap Mount
An early custom mounting solution documented through construction and load testing.
Video restoration in progress
ARCHIVE
MASONRY FASTENER
Wedge Anchor Testing
Straight and angled loading, extreme overload and documented equipment failure.
Video restoration in progressFROM THE ARCHIVES
More than a decade of experiments.
2010
Early Mount & Anchor Testing
Commercial mounts, custom mounting solutions, Toggler testing and drywall fasteners.
2011
Custom Mount Development
Full-motion and low-profile custom mount projects documented on video.
2012
Overload & Failure Testing
Expanded testing of mounts, anchors and fasteners including wedge anchors, Tapcons, sleeve anchors and WingIts.
2013
Mount Load Testing
Additional documented mount tests including 60-pound and 126-pound loads.
PROFESSIONAL TV MOUNTING
The experiments were interesting. The installations are the point.
See what all those years of mounting, testing, building and occasionally breaking things (on purpose) eventually turned into.
See My Installations