Bunk board assistance please

MikeA57 · Apr 20, 2009

Yesterday evening, I got around to bolting my bunk boards down to the u-shaped channels that are on my trailer and ran into a problem. I'm using full 2 X 4's made of cypress and I drilled them and made a countersink for the carriage bolts I'm using. When I went to put the nuts on the bolts some of them worked fine but several of them started spinning in the hole. The hole wasn't made too big, I had to lightly tap the threaded portion of the bolt through the hole. Instead it looks like the cheap chinese crap carriage bolts they make now don't have as large of a squared off portion just under the bolt head as they used to. Does anyone have any ideas on how to keep these bolts still while I'm trying to tighten them up? I didn't think to take any pictures last night but I will tonight.

Thanks,

Mike

Stryker777 · Apr 20, 2009

You could always try a drop of gorilla glue in the hole on the square end. Let dry, then crank it down.
Good luck!

ben2go · Apr 20, 2009

Use allen head screws with washers under the heads.

Loggerhead Mike · Apr 20, 2009

id stick a pry bar behind the wood to put some tension on the bolt. if it works, once it gets tight enough it will pull threw the wood instead of spin

MikeA57 · Apr 21, 2009

Thanks for the help fellas. I hadn't thought about Gorilla Glue and I tried to get something pried in behind it but it still kept slipping. I also thought about ditching the carriage bolts and going with regular hex head bolts after drilling the countersink out more but one of the guys here at work suggested these and I ordered some. They ought to do the trick. But I could have saved the money if I had tried the Gorilla Glue. I've got that.

Thanks again!