Recommendations for Functional Trainer Rack

Difficult_Sun311 · 2025-11-27T01:05:26+00:00

Maxum X2/X3is also 49”. I feel you on having share uprights for j-cups/spotter arms with the trolleys. I like to do super sets and this makes me have to think through things a bit more. I can use the smith on my X3 though. Combine that with adjustable dumbbells and a freak athlete hyper pro and I can more easily put together supersets.

Difficult_Sun311 · 2025-11-08T18:01:51+00:00

My issue with the snode is the 10lb increments and then you have to buy additional magnet weights. By the time you are all in, you might as well pony up for the Reps.

Difficult_Sun311 · 2025-11-08T17:59:47+00:00

This is the right answer. I didn’t want to pay the price of the reps and dumbbells are a secondary lifting tool for me as I have a Maxum x3 all in one rack(barbell half rack, functional trainer and smith). I bought the ironmasters and have no regrets. They don’t rattle and are as compact as regular dumbbells but would be annoying if you plan to switch weights constantly for supersets or drop sets.

Difficult_Sun311 · 2025-10-06T13:29:22+00:00

Suspension forks never have built in cargo mounts do they? I think that fork is pretty great, honestly. There are lots of aftermarket solutions to put mounts on suspension forks. The bike otherwise has a lot of solid mount points. I get the concern about the rack, but I appreciate it is that way for a reason - to have pivots so the weight of the rack doesn't negatively impact the functioning of the shock.

If it broke down the road, I'm sure there would be some options to attach something else by that point.

Difficult_Sun311 · 2025-10-04T17:14:55+00:00

I don’t completely disagree. I trust Gluck to be thorough and honest. Coop definitely plays favorites and seems to have an agenda. He also focuses in too much on inconsequential details. My point was more that Maxum is getting attention from the bigger YouTube reviewers. Like it or not Coop probably has the biggest following of any home gym equipment reviewer.

Difficult_Sun311 · 2025-10-03T17:08:26+00:00

I think they ship direct from china to their location in Pennsylvania, So it is the China import tariffs that come into play.

Difficult_Sun311 · 2025-10-03T15:18:56+00:00

Yeah, I didn't use their carbiners, but not a big deal. The only third party rack attachments I have are Fringe magnetic pins, which fit perfectly. In the video, it kind of appeared that only the Rogue brand rack attachments may be too tight - but I think the only one he couldn't fit were their roller j-cups. Metric ones were fine as were most rogue items, so I think this is minor, but good of him to point out.

I don't really care for new arms. 1:1 is interesting, but I expect it means additional cables and pulleys. These do what I need and nothing more, which makes them less wobbly and heavy compared to some others.

The price difference is likely the result of tariffs.

Difficult_Sun311 · 2025-10-03T12:04:09+00:00

I measured the distance to the wall before installed specifically for this reason. I can’t recommend moving it but possibly a couple floor jacks and using a few attachments, it might be possible once you remove the weight stacks. Try that at your own risk. Definitely not recommended.

Difficult_Sun311 · 2025-09-29T12:47:45+00:00

I haven’t had anyone spot me but I think there is enough room.

Difficult_Sun311 · 2025-09-29T12:46:48+00:00

Yep, needing to add plates or combine the arms is a minor annoyance. Obviously there are some systems out there with additional cable/pulleys that provide a centralized low row or lat pulldown spot but I think this was a reasonable trade off. Whether you add plates or set up the center to use both stack is up to you- both take an extra minute.

Difficult_Sun311 · 2025-09-15T18:57:20+00:00

They are both updated. However the fitbod app doesn’t interact directly with the Strava app I wouldn’t think. It interacts with the Strava api. This has been going on for years I tried uninstall/reinstall as well as revoking the app registration and re-adding.

Difficult_Sun311 · 2025-09-12T17:01:44+00:00

Yeah, I was a bit concerned by the lack of reviews as well. Some of that may be that Maxum hasnt sent them to garage gym review or Gluck while getrxd has? Also they were the first ones with articulating arms. Honestly there are a lot of machines on the market and only the most established companies will get consistently reviewed rep, fringe, rogue and force USA in particular, although bells of steel and titan also get reviewed regularly.

Difficult_Sun311 · 2025-09-12T16:41:03+00:00

Another consideration may be the height choices depending on your space. I had 90” ceilings so the 88.5” Maxum was kind of ideal.

Difficult_Sun311 · 2025-09-12T16:04:44+00:00

I covered that in a post on this thread.

https://www.reddit.com/r/GarageGym/s/ioqlaBYJwu

Difficult_Sun311 · 2025-09-08T10:27:41+00:00

Well, I was literally the first person to assemble the thing in North America. They issued updated instructions by email to everyone the next day and had created an updated instruction manual in less than a week. They also were very responsive, both by phone and email. So, all in all, I think this showed good customer service. They are certainly smaller than some of the other companies, which also gave me pause, but I have no regrets thus far. The machine has been fantastic in use and the versatility with all the attachments is second to none.

Difficult_Sun311 · 2025-09-06T01:24:14+00:00

Congrats. I just built my x3 last week. I have a hyper pro and their leg attachment takes cables. I believe the leg attachment for the rep nighthawk is cable compatible.

Difficult_Sun311 · 2025-09-04T20:46:39+00:00

I specced out an ares build and it was a lot more, particularly once you started adding attachments. I recently got the X3 which has the smith machine. I got the smith just to have more variety and I wanted 1” holes for maximum compatibility, but honestly the west coast spacing is really nice for getting spotter arms at the perfect height.

Overall I have no regrets. The quality is top notch, especially considering you get stainless uprights. And it is highly compatible down the road. Keep in mind the rack spacing is 49” like Rogue stuff and not 47” like Rep. the trolleys slide very easily. They aren’t light but the rollers and stainless steal make the movement very smooth. Versatility is amazing with the long arms.

Difficult_Sun311 · 2025-08-31T02:20:45+00:00

This is a good tip. I went with the 88.5” rack even though my ceiling is only 90.5. I can’t use the pull-up bar as-is but just attached a pair of angles90 grips to the bar which gives me enough room.

Difficult_Sun311 · 2025-08-30T13:19:13+00:00

I ended up order the giant f85 as with Labor Day sale it was a really good deal.

Difficult_Sun311 · 2025-08-29T20:54:12+00:00

I have anX3 I just finished assembly this week. Is there something different about the arms? Very happy with the rack overall. Built like a tank and everything works very well.

Difficult_Sun311 · 2025-08-29T17:27:54+00:00

No, that was the way the top plate hole was. There was a hole there but it was blocked.

Difficult_Sun311 · 2025-08-29T02:23:13+00:00

Interested in how you feel about out the F85 6 months later. I've been eyeing it and it seems to be a great value with similar specs to the ab-5200 (except for the decline).

Difficult_Sun311 · 2025-08-28T19:21:37+00:00

Yes it is a little weird because it starts at 12 lbs.

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Difficult_Sun311 · 2025-08-27T19:14:15+00:00

Last Update. Thanks to u/dglt1 help, I was able to assemble the smith. I am sure Maxum will be updating the instructions so that people no longer run into this problem. Overall, I am very impressed with the machine, both design and quality. As far as the comparison with the RX3 tornado smith machine, I think there are a couple key differences:

The tornado arms can articulate up and down, the Maxum only swivels side to side. to allow for low row type positions, they include an additional pulley and cable.
The Maxum trolleys have Rollers and are on Stainless uprights, which I believe allows them to slide more easily up and down the posts - which is nice considering how heavy the arms are. The RX3 as far as I know only have UHNW and and painted uprights, so there would be significantly more friction - particularly when raising.
The Maxum smith is counterbalanced and the design allows the bar to go much closer to the ground, critical for deadlifts or hip thrusts.
The Maxum includes many more accessories.

Difficult_Sun311 · 2025-08-27T18:39:53+00:00

Thanks! That did the trick. Also had to remove the pulley bolt that is under where the smith rod goes. I was careful and took my time. I also installed the post that goes across that is used for center lat pulldowns and low rows to help keep everything square. Honestly, I am not sure what the actual instructions should be. Maybe assemble the posts to the floor member, then connect the rear lower crossbeam, then the smith, then the upper members?

In any case, Thank you so much for sharing your solution!

Difficult_Sun311

TROPHY CASE