Force USA Tandem Tower Review

This product was tested by Michael at The Jungle Gym Reviews.

The Force USA Tandem Tower is a single-column, single weight stack cable tower that’s trying to solve a specific home gym problem: how do you get real lat pulldowns and low rows (with a true heavy feel) without buying a full functional trainer with two stacks? The “tandem” concept is the whole point—each arm runs 2:1 on its own, but when you connect both arms together, you get a 1:1 center pull for heavy work, all in a narrow footprint. It’s best for people who want a premium-feeling cable tower that prioritizes heavy center movements while still letting you do two-handle work off the same stack. If you’re shopping purely on price-per-feature and want the cheapest dual-cable setup, you should hesitate.

Quick Specs

Type: Single-column cable tower with dual articulating arms
Base Price: $2,499
Weight Stack: 200 lb standard
Weight Stack Upgrades: 250 lb (shown as a 50 lb upgrade) and up to 300 lb
Pulley Ratio (Each Arm): 2:1
Pulley Ratio (Connected Center Pull): 1:1
Uprights: 3x3 with 1-inch holes
Steel: 11-gauge
Width: ~57 inches at widest point
Depth: ~50 inches front to back
Height: ~88 inches overall
Stored Height (Arms upright): ~87.5 inches
Lateral Arm Adjustments: 5 in-to-out points
Height Adjustments Mentioned: 4 height points on the arms
Connected Pull Adapter Mentioned: Banana clip style connector
Low Row Foot Plate: Integrated, removable, and storable on rear peg

Where to Buy the Force USA Tandem Tower

Check current price from Force USA (Use code "JUNGLEGYM" for 5% Off):

My Real-World Experience

Seeing this in person (and seeing it demonstrated) makes the design intent obvious: it’s a single stack tower that’s meant to feel premium and “purpose-built,” not like a stripped-down compromise. The uprights and arms match the visual language of Force USA’s Cornerstone line—matte, smooth finishes, clean hardware, and details like anodized-looking end caps and integrated storage points.

The way the arms move is a big part of why this works. Height adjustment uses a pop-pin trolley that slides easily—especially because the paint finish is smooth enough that the lining on the trolley glides. Practically, you’ll still want two hands to move it, because those arms create leverage and torque on the upright, but it doesn’t feel like a fight.

The detail I like a lot is the height window on the outside of each trolley. It’s the kind of simple thing that prevents the “why does this feel uneven?” moment when your left and right sides aren’t matched.

Training Use Cases

This machine is really geared around two buckets of training:

1) Heavy center movements with a true 1:1 feel

When you connect both cable ends together with the included connector, you’re turning the system into a single center pull that runs 1:1. That’s where it becomes a different product than a standard “two-handle cable tower.”

• Lat pulldowns make sense here because you’re not dealing with a doubled mechanical advantage that cuts the felt load in half.

• Low rows are arguably the star use case, especially because the tower includes a dedicated low row foot plate.

The fact that the stack is 200 lb standard, with options up to 300 lb, is clearly aimed at people who actually want to row and pulldown heavy on a single tower.

2) Functional trainer-style work off one stack

Even though it’s a single stack, the dual arms let you set up unilateral movements and two-handle patterns with a narrower width than a full functional trainer. You can dial in the arm width and pulley height for things like fly variations, curls, pushdowns, and mixed-height pairings (one high, one low) without needing two separate towers.

At the widest arm setting, you mentioned it’s about three feet cable-end to cable-end. That’s not full functional trainer width, but it’s enough to make it feel usable for a lot of real training.

Tradeoffs & Limitations

The biggest limitation isn’t the cable path or the concept—it’s bracing and “complete station” readiness for pulldowns.

• At launch, you called out that there isn’t a native lat pulldown seat / leg holder setup. If you plan to do heavy pulldowns, you’ll need a way to brace yourself—either via add-ons or by leveraging the 3x3 ecosystem to build a solution that fits your space.

• Because it’s a premium-priced unit, the value depends on whether you actually use the 1:1 heavy center pull feature. If you mostly want standard functional trainer movements and don’t care about heavy rows/pulldowns, this could be more machine than you need.

• The width is narrower than a traditional functional trainer. That’s a feature for footprint, but it does shape how some fly and cable patterns feel.

Value & Alternatives

For a single-stack unit, it’s not the “best bang for buck” choice—and it doesn’t feel like it’s trying to be.

The value argument is: you’re paying for a premium single-stack tower that can do two-handle work and unlock heavy 1:1 training in a small footprint, with the fit-and-finish and quality-of-life details Force USA is building into the Cornerstone line.

If your priority is saving money and you’re okay with a more basic experience, you’re likely going to find cheaper solutions. But if you want a sleek, narrow cable station that’s specifically designed around heavy center movements, that’s where this makes sense.

Who Should Buy This

• Lifters who want a real lat pulldown / low row station without a full dual-stack functional trainer

• People who value a narrow footprint but still want two-handle cable training options

• Anyone already invested in 3x3 / 1-inch ecosystems who likes adding or adapting accessories over time

Who Should Skip It

• Anyone shopping primarily on lowest cost per feature

• People who want a fully “ready day one” lat pulldown station with built-in seat/leg holder included

• Lifters who need full functional trainer width for their preferred cable fly patterns

Final Verdict

The Tandem Tower is a premium single-stack cable system built around a smart idea: give you dual arms for versatility, then let you convert to a 1:1 center pull for heavy work. If you’ll actually use it for low rows and pulldowns and you like the Cornerstone design approach, it’s a very compelling direction. If you won’t, you’re paying a premium for capability you might not tap into.

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