How to Hang a Hunting Trophy?

I would not trust any wall anchor for anything much over 20 lbs. I know you can buy some metal screw type anchors that are good, but those weight ratings assume shear forces only, no cantilevered loads. They are not so good with pull out forces. E-Z Ancor is the brand I've been using and I've been very happy with them for 'normal' things like towel racks, framed pictures, etc.

You will need to set screws into the framing/studs behind the wallboard. Buy or borrow a stud finder and put your screws into the framing. For that size trophy, you will probably need a 5/16 inch dia. lag screw or larger.

Good luck with your quest.

Find the mass of the thing and multiply by the estimated centre of gravity away from the wall. That gives the bending moment. Divide by the depth of the mounting, from bottom to the top fixings, and by the number of top fixings. Add a decent safety margin and you have anchor pull-out force (make sure you get the units right).

Anchor bolt makers give design pull-out loads, depending on wall material among other things. Hilti and Spit come to mind, but there are plenty of others.

Hello Codemaster: Thank you for your reply, is your explanation saying what I was asking about the A B C formula? I have seen the tear out weights shown by the various manufacturers, but having written several of them asking if their figures applied to cantilevered loads (and never receiving a reply) I thought it best to assume they don't and kept digging until I saw the A B C formula.

Not being an engineer, I thought who better to pose the problem to then engineers? That's why I included a "worst case scenario" and asked about the mass on those antlers perpendicular to the mountmount? Common sense says (hopefully) the large heavy mounts will be hung on wall studs, but unless there are actual figures, how will we know when a mount is to big and heavy for a normal 2" x 4" stud? and what about metal studs being used?

That " worst case scenario" moose mount was hung on a 4" x 6" post ( used in outside wall construction, to hold more insulation) using a 3/8" x 6" lag bolt.

I didn't comment on your A, B, C as I wasn't sure what you were getting at eg what is "A: the horizontal length (tension) of the item"? Reading it again, I think it's equivalent to what I said, but it doesn't take account of there being likely more than one fixing towards the top of the mounting,

A cantilevered load results in a pullout force on the upper fixing (as well as a shear force). My (quite old) Hilti data gives pullout loads. To take one example, type HSL (expansion type) M8 size has characteristic pullout load 16.6kN in 20N/mm² concrete, with reduction factors for bolt spacing and depth. But there's quite a range of types of fixing. And you haven't given wall material, which makes a big difference. If you're screwing into timber members you can probably assume a load close to the design stress of the screw steel (with a safety margin). As long as it doesn't pull the wall down or pull the stud out of the wall.

Hello Codemaster: When hanging hunting trophies on the wall there is always a single hanger (fixing) located at the very top of the wood backboard (installed in the mold before the foam is poured in and expands to the bottom of the backboard as well as around the edges) the hanger is installed on the center line running the vertical length of the mount (B) the hanger then fits over a suitable wall anchor.

In the vast number of instances hunting trophies are hung in homes, the majority of homes have wall board over wood wall studs, in commercial applications (such as converted warehouses to lofts) it is usually thicker wall board over metal studs. I apologise, I am not an engineer. Your m8 pullout load data makes perfect sense to you engineer but I have no clue what it means in real world English and in wall board over wood studs?

The goal of course is to prevent the mount from pulling out of the wall (or as aptly put it testing the wall down or the stud out of the wall) Not being an engineer I thought I had explained the formula (as I understood it) as A: Horizontal length of mount (from wall to furthest point of mount. B: Vertical length of mount (best taken on the backboard, before hanging mount on wall. C: Actual weight of mount. I even provided a real world example mount?

OK, so put N = 1 in the calculation. But if you want extra safety you could drill 2 more holes, 1 either side, provided there's something in the wall for the fixings to go into.

Using your worst case in the original post, assuming A = 49" is to the CoG, not the furthest tip of the trophy, and the 34" is from the bottom of the mounting board to the fixing hole, I make that just under 200lb pullout.

HiTek's attachment gives some good data in woodscrews. OK if you have timber studding. I looked at a 1/4" screw, 1.5" depth, and pullout comes to ~ 1470lb, so that would be more than adequate.

If you have brick there shouldn't be any problem finding an anchor bolt to do the job. If it's aerated blockwork it would need a tad more investigation. If it's metal studs, presumably you can't get at the back and use an ordinary bolt and nut? You can get self-tapping type bolts to screw into metal sheet. I don't know offhand whether one would take your load but I'd be surprised if it didn't, they're pretty strong.

As always, nice to hear from you codemaster: Yes there a lot of data pertaining to wood screws, if you have not read my reply to him I post it here for you. Before I posed my question on this site, I contacted a math tutor and asked for a simple description of the forces working on a cantilevered item.

The reply I received was: A=18" B= 3" C=75 lbs. So 18 divided by 3= 6 x 75=450 lbs? My concern is establishing safe load limits for hunting trophies hung on hollow wall cavity wall board.

BTW: I knew you were UK before looking at your "avitar?" by your use of the word fixings. If/ when I get the ABC straight, I plan to use metric fixings to test suitability for use as wall anchors in hollow wall cavities such as molly bolts, in metric they are available to m10. Toggle UK has fixings to m10 as well. Gee Fix says any size screw that can fit their product will work. The first 2 I will use metric machine thread bolts and in the last wall anchors with timber threads.

Those A, B and C are much different from the ones in your original post, but 450lb is the right answer with those inputs. But IMO 3" is too small for B if there's any doubt about the security of the fixings. I would make up a much bigger mounting board, fix that to the wall, with as many fixings as you see fit, and fit the trophy mounting plate to that.

What are the wallboards made of? If you can't screw direct to studding the board strength could be the limiting factor, it doesn't matter how strong the fixing is if the board fails. The board would fail before you get anywhere near the strength of an M10 bolt.

Yes, I'm in UK, I used "fixings" to cover various different options. Where are you based?

We have no idea what the mounting materials even are.

There is no way to determine how to mount a heavy weight on a wall if you don't know the physical strength and condition of the wall, and where the studs are.

OP claims that he was, "in the business for years" and no one asked his advice on hanging a trophy.

Interesting. maybe there's a new business for him to consider.

Or, maybe go to Trophy Mounting Supplies- Hunting Gear - Cheaper Than Dirt

Custom Hunting Trophy Mounts & Ideas | Unique Taxidermy

Trophy Lodge | The Hunter Wikia | FANDOM powered by Wikia and ask them.

I agree. I've said as much, and made a few comments based on some scenarios. We can estimate the loads, but it's up to him to find the right type and size of fixing to suit the wall construction.

They are from the definition provided me by a math tutor. There is always a question as to the soundness of wall board found in homes, especially in older homes. As in other businesses you work with what you are given. There is far more wall board without wood studs behind it then with. Seeing the shear and tension load limits on boxes of fixings, I wondered why no one has undertaken to provide tested data as it relates to cantilevered loads.

HiTek used a phrase that aptly described the process used by the "rank and file" (hunter) "gorilla engineering" if the mount stays on the wall, it works, if not...? It's time a higher level of primate started figuring out a more reliable way to keep them on the wall.

If ABC is valid and accurate then I will begin contacting taxidermists here (UU) and abroad to ask they begin applying the ABC formula to every mount they do up and send those figures to me, hopefully a data base of sizes (weights) can be developed. And testing with various fixings to determine safe capacity of various thicknesses of wall board and various fixings can then show (with a level of confidence) what weight (not species) can be hung on hollow wall cavities.

As others have said, I believe you're overthinking this. Hanging trophies is no different from hanging anything else. Each case has to be looked at on its own, taking account of the wall construction and the thing you're hanging.

Let us know how you get on speaking to taxidermists, but I doubt you'll get much joy. Their expertise is in stuffing animals, not mounting parts of them on walls.

Hello Brave Sir Robin: You, as they say "have hit the nail on the head" until a reliable method is found to accurately determine the mass load on a hunting trophy, attempting to hang it anywhere except in a wood stud gets more problematic the larger the trophy becomes. There is far more wall space without a stud behind it then there is with, and what about metal studs? I cannot imagine they have anywhere near the "hold" that a 2" x 4" wood stud has?

So as far as what to use to hang a trophy will necessarily take aback seat to developing an accurate method of determining how much you are trying to hang.

I thank you for your reply.

Hire a professional to hang it.

Hello Lyn: That is an answer, although not necessarily the best one. I was in the business for years and I do not remember any client say "I'm going to hire a professional to hang my elk mount"

If you did find such a professional, the client had best hope said professional knows enough to accurately figure out the mass of the larger mounts or his professionalism will not matter if the !mount pulls out of the wall.

Looking for professional help is why I posted the A B C formula on this site, so those that know would hopefully tell me whether the formula is valid for cantilevered items and as important, whether it is accurate?

All of the math is not necessary if you apply common sense.

Does the trophy weigh over 200 pounds?

4ea #14 wood screws into wooden 2X4 studs,with appropriate pilot hole will hold just about anything you can hang on the wall.Don't worry about the cantilevered weight.It is not going to pull the screws out of the wood.I would make certain there are large washers on the head mount itself.A moose head will usually span at least 2 studs,if they are on 16" centers.

If you really want to get technical about it,here is a link:

http://www.woodweb.com/Resources/wood_eng_handbook/Ch07.pdf

And here is a link to a calculator:

https://www.awc.org/codes-standards/calculators-software/connectioncalc

Hello HiTekRedNek: I respectfully disagree, it is the math that proves/disproves formulas, theories and suppositions. Prior to my initial post I contacted a math tutor and asked for simple mathematical example of a cantilevered item and the force acting on that item.

What I was sent is A 18" B 3". C 75 lbs. So the formula is 18 divided by 3 (6) and then multiplied by 75 which is 450 lbs. of tension on the wall anchor. I know the example has no real world correlation to hunting trophies but if example is mathematically accurate, then doing the math becomes as important (relatively speaking) as the math in a final set of blueprints.

I understand the need for math and calculations on blueprints,where cost and quality is a factor,and performance must be maximized and cost minimized,and it is nice to be able to calculate everything down to the last iota.

But in a one-time event,I would simply "gorilla engineer" it,using much greater strength than necessary and be done with it.

Of course,if you plan on doing this for a living, the calculations are important from a cost standpoint.

You seem to have lots of time on your hands,so go for it.

Well, all you'll get here is anonymous opinions about what the members THINK is correct.

And since they are under no obligation to be right, you are not moving in a correct direction.

Because, a "wall" is an undefined unknown that none of us can see or analyze.

I DID find such a professional to hang art work in my home and I was glad to pay him to do it correctly.

While I have nothing against hunting for sustenance nothing in my house is a dead animal hanging on wall. I hope you at least ate the meat.

It depends on the type of wall material you intend to use.

On drywall,use toggle bolts.They will hold anything unless the whole section of drywall yields,which is unlikely.

A "Thunderstud" type of anchor in anchoring into concrete.If you intend to remove the object later,drill the hole for the Thunderstud deeper than the length,then when removal is required,you can simply drive it flush.

A anchor system using HY20 (Hilti) if anchoring into brick of unknown quality or strength.

A through the wall threaded rod with flat washer if the opposite side cannot be seen,such as a closet or chase.

Mount onto a back board with many fasteners into the wall.

You could mount an entire moose if you wanted to.

Options are virtually unlimited.

Hello HiTekRedNek: I appreciate your comments, you bring up valid points. Although there are many variables when it comes to hanging surfaces, I think the vast majority of surfaces in homes are wall board over wood wall studs (in the case of commercial applications wall board over metal studs)

Rather than "putting the cart before the horse" it would be prudent to see if the horse can even draw the cart? If the A B C formula works and is accurate, mass limits for a wide variety of surfaces can be calculated for the safe, secure hanging of various sizes hunting trophies.

I used this flip toggle anchor on the weekend. It was great! Variable depth, with over 200 lbs of holding force per anchor.

Hello Poison: That is one of the wall anchors I mentioned I was going to stress test (along with metric Molly bolts & Gee Fix (another UK product) in hollow wall cavity applications.

I simply attempted to ask a few yes/no questions as to whether a simple formula for figuring out "load" on a cantilevered item I saw once was valid and if so, accurate? I was careful to avoid mentioning hunting trophies as the "item" but apparently the few that replied felt that knowing what the item was somehow affected the formula?

Lots of suggestions but no definitive answers to the questions I asked initially. I appreciate your taking the time to reply.

Relating to your formula I would say this...

Shear strength of the bolt is simply the weight of the item. So in your case you need a bolt with a shear strength equal to the weight of the mount (C=137 lbs).

To figure out the tensile load on the bolt we need the centre of mass going out from the wall. From there we can draw a free body diagram to calculate the stress on the bolt. The horizontal width of the mount does not really matter. We need to know it's depth.

But you original post was entitled

How to Hang a Hunting Trophy?

and referred to nothing but hunting trophies!

As I said before, the formula is OK for finding the force. But that's the easy part, then you have to assess whether the wall and fixing will take it.

Are you in UK? You said UU in #21.

Here is another link that may be helpful:

http://www.factsfacts.com/MyHomeRepair/drywallfastenerstrengths.htm

That should make it easy to figure out,using also the associated links on the page.