Just had a real scary experience. A TV wall mount bolt bent and the TV fell off the wall mount shelf. It wasn't one of the bolts in the wall. It was the bolt that sits in a plastic socket that allows the TV to swivel. This was an Orbital brand, purchased st Menard's. It was rated for up to a 25", 100lb TV. Our TV was a 20" 50.6lb Toshiba! The bolt has "307A CYI" stamped on the head. This post has a two fold purpose. First - Does anyone know how this kind of bolt is rated? Second, and more important, for God's sake if you have one of these things be aware that they can fail under normal use. At least check the bolt!
TV Wall Mount Breaks!!
Comments ... #
I'm glad that no one was hurt. You should call the store and see if there is a recall on the product, if there isn't, report the problem to http://www.cpsc.gov/talk.html
Good luck.
I reported it. I'm heading for Menard's in the morning. It's certainly not their fault, but they should be made aware. It could have killed somebody. We just happened to be in the room when we heard a cracking sound. My husband reached up and grabbed it. He managed to hang onto it while I ran and got a step stool. Between the two of us we maneuverd it down. He's 69 with a recently repaired rotator cuff. This was no easy feat. We were actually very, very lucky.
Probably built by union workers. You should have bought one from Wal-mart.
Oh, OK - Built by the Chinese instead in factories that pollute the globe and probably painted with lead paint. You ever hear of 'Buy American'?
Derail? Ney, ney jr. I'm merely responding to previous posts that accuse Walmart of supplying only non-american products when it sounds like menard's is guilty of the very same practice.
ps-please tell me when you have ever heard of someone being poisoned by the recent so-called lead hazard. I guess if you are actually eating toys the paint may be digested, but from I've heard, it's a bunch of hoolie coo.
Not meaning to "derail", but on a recent shopping trip to JCPenny I was looking at the tags of items to see exactly where they were made. After about 25 minutes looking, I didn't find a single tag that said the product was Made in America.
I was looking specifically because of a project we're doing in my Marketing class and was honestly shocked to not find a single Made in America tag!
posted by justsimplyholly on Feb 06, 2008 at 01:08:04 pm #
Orbital is an American company that uses American production (a rarity) and also supplies Walmarts.
I never liked those mounts. It's easier to get a light lcd screen you can almost glue to the wall, if it falls it probably would barely make a sound.
Charlatan - that is exactly what we are doing. Costco has a 26" LCD (just the right size for the bedroom) for $300. We just have to see if we can get a proper viewing angle before we commit. BTW Orbital has been properly responsive to our near miss complaint. Having said that I still would not recommend their products for any style TV mount.
Holland,
Do you have pets or kids? I'm just wondering if your bolt only bent while the tv was still and not pounced on by cats or a little future gymnast.
simplyholly - I found a snow shovel at Meijer's that is "Made In the USA". Wasn't even looking, just in fast need of a snow shovel & it was the only one they really had that wasn't child sized. Nobody seems to like it though - it's too large & awkward to use.
posted by starling02 on Feb 06, 2008 at 05:15:23 pm #
No children or grandchildren. Cats yes. However I don't think 10 pounders could cause any trouble. I've never seen them pay any attention to the TV, which was situated in a corner over a high boy. They're so fat they can hardly make it up on the kitchen counter. This thing just failed structually for no apparent reason.
10# cats can cause a problem over time. Small jolt here, small jolt there and that bolt is bending. Anyway, I'm glad to hear that you are o.k.. Now as far as the bolt goes, look on the head of the bolt and there should be some markings on it, if it a higher quality bolt. If it is smooth, it is just an average bolt. Let us know.
First - Does anyone know how this kind of bolt is rated?
This link shows that your bolt is supposed to conform to ASTM307. ASTM stands for American Society for Testing and Materials.
This link will give some additional information about ASTM307.
The 'CYI' marked on your bolt identifies the manufacturer of the bolt. I believe that it stands for China Yuchai International because of a few things I found from internet searches, but I'm not sure. Yuchai is indicated as one of China’s 500 largest industrial enterprises.
I wouldn't be at all surprised if they had their own nut & bolt fabrication division.
I also wouldn't be surprised if they are making bolts that don't conform to ASTM307.
However, you can't dismiss the possibility that the mounting device was not correctly engineered.
posted by AirTrainer on Feb 07, 2008 at 04:10:39 pm #
If you really want to save the money and keep what you have, let me know. I'll get you a grade "8" bolt that will not break, and/or weld the thing permanently so it won't fall on you.
tommy1 - I can flat out guarantee that the cats NEVER touched the TV or the mount in any way. They are declawed and can't jump 7' straight up, which is what they would have to do to reach it. I truly appreciate your bolt offer but we are buying a flat screen. Lots less weight. You are very kind.
AirTrainer - That's great information!!! I tried to find that but didn't. The manager at Menard's and I talked about the possibility that the bolt wasn't truly what it was stamped.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission may want the broken swivel assembly, which of course includes the bent bolt. We are saving it for them. In a phone call they said that engineering would be the first thing they would evaluate. If they don't want it the mount manufacturer Orbital definitely does. They have been very good about this. So for now the broken parts are stowed safely in a closet. At this point I feel confidant that the appropriate steps have been taken to determine if this was a fluke or a sign of a serious problem.
My God! I just read the whole CYI article. Unbelieveable complexity in who owns what and who the stake holders are and what their intentions are.
holland,
I don't doubt that there was any "outside" forces involved in your stand failure. I was just trying to think outside the box. I'm curious to find out what the company has to say about the "failure".
Yor are right to consider all possibilities tommy1. I'm sure the Consumer Product Safety Commission will take that possibility into account. The Company wants the bolt - bad! But for now I'm hanging onto it.
If TV doesn't kill you, the mount that levitates it will.
Sounds like it's made by the people who make the glue for Sauders.
posted by charlatan on Feb 06, 2008 at 12:01:38 am #