So if you want a setup that can actually handle a 1,000 kg attempt, the smartest move is to stop trying to fit 1,000 kg worth of plates on sleeves… and instead put the plates on short vertical loading pins (like strongman frames / silver dollar setups). That’s exactly what strongman uses when the weights get absurd.

The 3 viable ways to “do 1000 kg” safely-ish

1) Best answer: a 

Strongman Deadlift Frame

 (a.k.a. car deadlift frame / frame deadlift)

This is the cleanest solution to your “plates stacked on the sides” idea.

What it is

  • A rigid steel frame with handles (usually neutral grip) where you stand inside.
  • Plates load onto multiple vertical pins (often 4 pins), so you can stack a lot of weight without needing mile-long sleeves.
  • The frame carries the structural demand — not a thin bar shaft.

Why it wins for 1000 kg

  • No sleeve-length limitation.
  • No bar bending/whip issues from extreme loads.
  • You can scale to ridiculous numbers by adding pins and keeping stacks stable.

This is an established, sold piece of strongman equipment (not a science project). 

How you turn it into a “rack pull”

  • Instead of pulling from the floor, you set the frame/handles at a higher start height (strongman does this via frame geometry or by placing it on blocks). The key point is: you’re raising the start position, not relying on rack pins that may not be rated.

2) Modular barbell option: 

Silver Dollar Deadlift Attachments

These are basically “plate towers” that slide onto a barbell sleeve and give you vertical loading pins plus a stable base.

Why they matter

  • They let you load plates on pins rather than stacking everything out on the sleeve.
  • They’re designed around strongman’s elevated pull standard: commonly 18-inch start height when used as intended.  
  • Example listings describe them as thick steel, 50mm-plate compatible, and substantial in mass (e.g., ~21 kg each attachment on one listing).  

The catch

  • Your bar still has to survive the load.
  • Many bars top out around 2,000 lb ratings; you need a bar that is explicitly rated beyond 2,205 lb plus safety margin. 
    (Bars claiming 2,500 lb capacity exist, but you’d want legit documentation and conservative use.)  

3) “Classic” rack pull in a power rack (least recommended for 1000 kg)

This is the most familiar… and the most likely to go wrong at 1,000 kg.

To even consider it, you need:

  • A rack with published rating that’s actually in this range (example: a commercial rack listing showing 1,000 kg maximum rackable weight and 1,500 kg whole rack capacity).  
  • Safeties/pins rated beyond your attempt (e.g., some flip-down safeties are listed at 3,000 lb capacity — ≈1,360 kg).  
  • A bar that is rated for the load (and realistically, you still want margin beyond 1,000 kg).

Even then: racks are often rated for static loads under ideal conditions. A sloppy rack pull, a missed rep, or any drop can spike forces way above the “number on the plates.”

Why “just stack plates on the sleeves” breaks down fast

Even ignoring strength ratings, you hit pure geometry:

  • 1,000 kg is so many plates that sleeve length becomes a joke.
  • A deadlift bar spec example shows 16.25 inches of loadable sleeve length. 
    That’s why strongman uses frames/pins/boxes when they want huge numbers.

A practical “1,000 kg capable” concept spec (what you hand an engineer/fabricator)

I can’t responsibly give you a DIY blueprint with exact steel sizes/weld specs for a 1,000 kg device (that’s “failure could kill you” structural engineering). But I can give you a clean requirements spec to get built professionally:

Design intent

  • Use-case: rack pulls/partial pulls at adjustable heights (e.g., mid-shin to above-knee).
  • Rated working load (minimum): 1,000 kg.
  • Design load (recommended): >1,000 kg with a serious safety factor because humans move weights dynamically (and because “oops” happens).

Preferred architecture

  • Frame deadlift style with:
    • 4 loading pins (2 per side) so no single stack is comically tall.
    • Wide, anti-tip base (footplates or skids) so it cannot rock or walk.
    • Handle height options (either multiple handle sets or an adjustable insert) so you can “rack pull” without needing rack pins.
    • Mechanical hard-stops so if you lose the rep, it lands in a predictable, non-rolling way.

Foundation/platform requirements

  • Put this on reinforced concrete or a properly engineered base. A pretty plywood platform is for normal deadlifts; a 1,000 kg miss is a different movie.
  • You want load distributed via a rigid frame and wide feet, not point-loading a weak floor.

Plate-stacking strategy that actually works

If your weight is on 4 pins, the loading becomes sane:

  • 1,000 kg total on the implement → roughly 250 kg per pin (before accounting for implement weight).
  • With 25 kg plates, that’s about 10 plates per pin — doable and stable.

If you try “bar sleeves only,” you can end up needing ~20-ish plates per side depending on plate sizes, and it becomes physically impossible to fit and dangerously unstable.

Safety must-haves (non-negotiable)

At 1,000 kg, you’re not “lifting,” you’re rigging.

  • No DIY mystery metal on any load-bearing part.
  • Redundant retention: collars + secondary stops so nothing can slide.
  • Clear zone: nobody near the stacks, ever.
  • Controlled reps only: no dropping, no bailing sideways.
  • Inspect every session: cracks, bent pins, loose hardware, floor damage.

My recommendation (if your goal is the real deal)

If you want the most legit “plates stacked on pins, huge number, rack-pull-ish height” setup:

Get/build a frame deadlift with adjustable start height.

That’s the strongman-proven answer for megaton pulls. 

If you tell me just two things:

  1. do you want straight bar grip (like a barbell) or are neutral handles fine, and
  2. what exact pull height (below knee / at knee / above knee),

…I’ll sketch a tighter “requirements sheet” (dimensions/features/adjustability choices) you can hand to a fabricator without drifting into unsafe DIY structural instructions.