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Old 01-16-2020, 03:19 PM   #21
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Bolts

Quote:
Originally Posted by Tonny LR View Post
Ron,
Thanks for the expert advice.

Tonny LR
Hi Tonny
I am in 100 % agreement with Ron, not that it is worth much from my side. I would use a flat washer under the bolt head, a grade 8 bolt and a nyloc nut. I would drill out the hole to 3/8 inch. If you do this you will have considerably increased the strength of this hookup.
If you have a helper handle for your drill, I’d use it so if the drill bit catches,
you can more safely hold on to the drill. Take your time and do not run the drill wide open from the start. I’d take one old bolt out, drill the holes, cinch the new bolt down and then do the other side.
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Old 01-16-2020, 03:33 PM   #22
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So 3/8" bolts, 1.5"long with a washer under head and nut, maybe 2" would cover the extra washers?
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Old 01-16-2020, 04:54 PM   #23
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Hi Dave,
You gave very good tips and I shall certainly follow them. Thanks.

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Old 01-16-2020, 07:05 PM   #24
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I recall other posts here that decribe similar situations. Seems the bolts had sheared off as well with the others. Inspected mine before the cover went on, all was tight. I'm planning bigger bolts when it warms up.
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Old 01-17-2020, 07:40 AM   #25
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I found these parts on amazon.com.
(8 Sets) 3/8-16x2" Grade 8 Hex Cap Bolts Screws, Nuts, Flat & Lock Washers Yellow.

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Old 01-17-2020, 08:22 AM   #26
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Fastenal sells / stocks bolt , washers , nuts of various grades , materials ,sizes and of good quality
If these fasteners are being used in a critical situation I would trust fastenal over amazon based on my experience
If you are looking for bolts above grade 8 try Bowman Industries
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Old 01-17-2020, 08:49 AM   #27
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How about stainless vs grade#8 steel for rust prevention?
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Old 01-17-2020, 08:53 AM   #28
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I used to buy bolts from the local store in Cedar Rapids. We bought boxes of bolts for park repairs on a regular basis. One day I went and the counter man told me they did not sell to non commercial accounts any longer. So I quit going in. In the 80s we kept bolt bins stocked in the city shops. A route man would come each month or on a call-out. They were bolts made in Canada and were good ones. Things change.
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Old 01-17-2020, 12:23 PM   #29
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Or you can remove it completely and mount it up front under the trailer tongue to help offset the weight of the bikes on the rear. You might even be able to get the bikes closer to the trailer so they are not dangling out the back.
Will this work if you have the cargo box from Escape?
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Old 01-17-2020, 12:26 PM   #30
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Be careful when you start rearranging factory items and weights. My tongue weight is already 600# with the spare in the rear so moving it forward could have a double impact on that number.
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Old 01-17-2020, 01:14 PM   #31
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OK, first of all, my bad. In my defense when I went out to check the bolt size and length etc. I had to wrestle my frozen and snow covered trailer cover aside. Since there was lot's of snow on the ground I took the measurements of the front bolt because I didn't have to kneel down in the snow. How's that for an excuse?

I looked through my bolt supply and found a couple of 3/8" Grade 8 bolts. I'd noticed the use of two 5/16" bolts before and thought that they were a little undersized given my propensity to drive on rough roads. So I thought, what the heck, might as well improve the situation before I head to Baja.

I'd forgotten that the rear bolt goes through the rear bumper. It's 3" so a 4" bolt would be required.

Despite the cold and snow I'll stick the front one in today. It's probably the most important one because the front of the bracket can flex more than the bumper.

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Old 01-17-2020, 01:18 PM   #32
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Quote:
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Will this work if you have the cargo box from Escape?
I can’t see why not as you already have the box bottom as a start in making a suitable mount for the very large bolt that hangs down to support the tire. But as suggest...you might want to check your weight distribution. If you carry 149 pounds of e-bikes on the back...then this could ba a good balance.
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Old 01-17-2020, 02:07 PM   #33
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Sometimes it's quicker to just do something rather than talk about it.

1/16" larger bolt doesn't sound like much change but when you look at them side by side......

Quick and simple to do. After looking at the two 5/16" bolts ages ago and wondering if they were strong enough and now hearing of others that have sheared off, I wouldn't have been amused if I had ignored the situation and left the original bolts in place. They are Grade 5 bolts.

Just found a suitable 4" bolt so I guess I might as well stick it in and call it done.

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Old 01-17-2020, 03:36 PM   #34
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I'm not going to do any bolt changes because I don't see the need. Besides, on my spare tire hanger I have a PVC pipe that touches against the belly band. Thinking that eliminates any stress from bouncing.
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Old 01-17-2020, 07:05 PM   #35
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It's all about individual comfort levels Myron. You're right there's probably no need to use larger stronger bolts. At least 99% of them haven't broken.

However, in my case, I had previously removed the spare tire carrier several times. Each time I looked at the 5/16" bolts and the fact that there are only two of them aligned with the center line I had a feeling that stronger bolts, if nothing else, wouldn't be a bad idea. So with a few cases where the spare tire bolts have broken and the potential consequences, made spending less than 15 minutes to improve the situation seem like a no brainer.

I don't want to be negative but the tire touching the PVC pipe might not do much to remedy the situation. The forces acting to create metal fatigue are at 90* to the alignment of the bolts. It's the side-to-side oscillation that stresses the bolts.

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Old 01-17-2020, 07:22 PM   #36
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Quote:
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Will this work if you have the cargo box from Escape?
Absolutely. See how I had this done on Viator’s 21 to accommodate a rear mounted mini-split condenser. It is on a winch and uses the same size socket as one would use for the stabilizers.

http://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f8...tml#post292144
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Old 01-24-2020, 04:06 PM   #37
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I just inspected mine today, very tight, but starting to corrode. I'm going to remove the stock bolts, clean them and then reinstall with washers on top and bottom. will post back once completed.
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Old 01-24-2020, 06:42 PM   #38
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The washers are especially useful on the bottom of the rear bolt that goes through the bumper. Because it's a rectangular tube you can only tighten the nut so far until it starts to crush the tube. With a washer, making for a larger surface area, the effect of the small nut is mitigated.

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Old 01-24-2020, 08:08 PM   #39
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Guess I better inspect ours ! Pat
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Old 01-26-2020, 11:26 AM   #40
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Went out and removed the bolt through the bumper to add washers, the bottom nut was rusted and now I understand. The bumper had water inside and started draining out. I went inside and got my drill and 1/4" bit and drilled a hole next to the tire hitch mount, about a quart of water gushed out. Went and drilled another hole on the other side, nothing, similarly on the rear tube brace. So I'm speculating that corrosion on that rear bolt may have caused it to fail on the older models. A small drain hole underneath may prevent future issues also.
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