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Hercules Hook 23.5 Pounds Hung For 14 Months

drywallinfoman — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 20:45:14 +0000

At the beginning of April in 2009, I hung 23.5 pounds from a single Hercules Hook. VK6CXBWT366F Since that time I have kept a record of what happened. The hook deformed a little, then a little more, and even a little more still. But still the weight is held up! After 14 months, the 23.5 pounds of weight still hangs and the hook has maintained it previous deformation (at 9 months) of 1/2 inch. The hook, however dug into the wall to about a quarter inch. I would not want anything valuable hanging in such a fashion, since a little more of the hook digging in could pull it out fairly easily. As I mentioned in previous posts, one could provide some insurance by using a combination of a hook and a screw in a stud to hold up a heavy 20-pound mirror or painting. For light wall hangings, however, I would have no reservations.

I think my next update will be a video of me measuring the amount of weight required to bring this 23.5 pound weight down!

Hercules Hooks Experiment – 9 Month Update

drywallinfoman — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 17:19:29 +0000

Hercules Hooks Deformed by 1/2"

It has been 9 months since my Hercules Picture Hooks Experiment involving 23.5 pounds hung from a single hercules hook. Two weeks after hanging the weight, there was a 1/8″ permanent deformation of the hook from its original shape. Then 3 months later there was a 1/4″ permanent deformation – see this Hercules Hook update. Now, it is a total of 9 months from the date I hung the weight. The result is a full 1/2″ deformation of the hook, as you can see on the left in the photo. Also, where the hook is in the wall, the hercules hook is gradually digging its way into the drywall. The hook has dug in about 1/8″ into the drywall, as shown in the lower photo. Keep in mind that this 23.5 pound weight hangs undisturbed. In a situation where a shelf was hung, you would occasionally bump the shelf, place items on it, or otherwise disturb it. So in a more realistic application you would probably see even a bit more deformation of the hook or digging into the drywall.

With what I have seen so far, I would not recommend maxing out the Hercules hook weight carrying capacity unless you plan on taking down that shelf or mirror within the year. On the other hand, these Hercules hooks are wonderful for lighter items like photos or light portraits.

Hook Digs Into the Wall With Time

I will continue to leave this weight hanging (as long as my wife’s patience holds out) and report back, maybe in a few months or whenever that 23.5 weight comes crashing to the ground.

Hercules Hooks – Part IV

drywallinfoman — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 18:55:12 +0000

About an eighth of an inch deformation of the hook

After 2 weeks with 23.5 pounds hanging from one hook, I inspected the Hercules Hook. It had straightened out ever so slightly. About 1/8″ deformation of the Hercules Hook was observed. I measured deformation by placing the hook next to an unused hook. The Hercules Hook from this experiment is shown next to an unused hook in the photo on the left.

I placed the Hercules Hook back into the drywall with the 23.5 pound weight back in place.

With what I know now, I would not recommend hanging extremely heavy objects (over 20 pounds per hook) from a single Hercules Hook in a drywall wall as I would expect deformation to continue with time. I would, however fully recommend this product for hanging lighter objects like framed photos weighing less than 10 pounds.

In two months I will check on this hook again and see if there is any further deformation. I will then post my findings.