old style carriage bolt 1/2"x20 - 2"

dlogvine

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I tried to replace my spare tire on the trailer and encountered the following problem. I was removing the nut from the tire spare wheel holding bolt and the nut appeared to be stuck really hard. I used the breaker bar to break this bolt. Thought I could get its replacement really easily in either a hardware store or any automotive one. However to my great surprize I could not find ANY place where this bolt is sold. It is 1/2" diameter 20 pitch carriage bolt. It has a square cross-section close to the head to prevent it from spinning inside of the spare wheel mount. The only carriage bolts with 1/2" diameter I was able to find were coarse thread bolts 1/2"-13. I spend 3-4 hours driving from one store to another including trailer places, hardware stores, fastener stores. The only bolts I was able to find were carriage bolts with coarse thread. However there are no tapered nuts (wheel lugs) for this type of bolts. The wheel studs of this diameter 1/2" with the fine thread 20pitch were not carriage bolts but all round. Online search yielded exactly the same results, zero, zilch! On all my other trailers (older ones) I have the exactly the same fine thread 1/2" carriage bolts. Did they stop manufacturing them? Or where could I find these type of carriage bolts 1/2"x20-2"
 

Scott Danforth

Grumpy Vintage Moderator still playing with boats
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Its a custom fastener. check with a trailer shop.

most likely your going to have to custom make one
 

dlogvine

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May 4, 2015
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thx Scott, I did not find any in neither of the trailer shops nearby. And I called every one in Phoenix area. I bought a pair of coarse threads and replaced my old bolts, had to use the regular nut with a washer and tightening washer. Just wanted to find out why the trailers use fine thread carriage bolts compatible with wheel lugs and nobody sells these fine thread 1/2" carriage bolts. Thx.
 

dlogvine

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May 4, 2015
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THis is 1/2" long, wont work for the mount and wheel width, must be at least 1 and 1/2" long. Original was 2" long
 

dlogvine

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I think I looked at the fastenal site, but did not find any match. I just found it strange that there are plenty of coarse thread 1/2" diameter carriage bolts, but no fine thread. And all the wheel lugs are made for the fine thread 1/2" bolts
 

Thalasso

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Jan 18, 2011
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Why not replace the nut and bolt with a standard carriage bolt? You broke the bolt
 

dlogvine

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That is what I ended up doing, got 1/2"x13-2" carriage bolt and regular nut with washer. I just could not believe that the 1/2"x20-2" bolts I had on all 3 of my trailers are not standard. Just needed to figure out if these bolts are out of production or if I'm looking in the wrong places. I went to Auto stores: NAPA, Autozone, Reily Autoparts. Then hardware stores: Home Depot, Lowes, Ace Hardware several locations, then specialized stores: several trailer stores AHS (Arizona Safety House), Tex Trailer world, Drakes Equipment, Copperstate Nuts and Bolts, some other fastener company store, boat stores. So 4 hours of driving I gave up on the stores and started looking online. Same result. Im just confused, the lug nuts for the wheels are 1/2"x20 and there are no carriage bolts of the size. And for standard carriage bolts 1/2"x13, there are no lug nuts
 

mla2ofus

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Put some antiseize on the new bolt threads then maybe it won't break off next time.
Mike
 

Cat nip

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Get a wheel stud in the correct pitch a d weld it on from the back side. Then you can use a lug nut and not need to hold that stupid carriage bolt when removing or installing.
 

dlogvine

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May 4, 2015
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Get a wheel stud in the correct pitch a d weld it on from the back side. Then you can use a lug nut and not need to hold that stupid carriage bolt when removing or installing.

Thought about it, but decided against since the last carriage bolt broke when the lug got stuck hard. If I would have had a welded bolt, i would have to cut the broken bolt out and I want to have it as easy as possible. By the way, I checked out, on the newer spare wheel mounts the carriage bolts are all standard coarse thread size 1/2" x 13.
 

bigdee

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Jul 27, 2006
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Get a standard 1/2-13 carriage bolt. Drill the threads out of the lug nut and weld a 1/2-13 nut onto the back of the lug nut. OR if you have access to a machine shop they could easily make you a 1/2-13 lug nut.
 

Silvertip

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Sep 22, 2003
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Whole lot of trouble when a galvanized standard carriage bolt is available anywhere. Who cares whether the nut is the same thread as the wheels. It is simply a non-issue. Even a standard fine thread standard bolt will work.
 

dlogvine

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Got a new spare tire mount from the Harbor Freight for another trailer. Guess what, the bolt is fine thread, with a tapered lug nut. Where did they get their bolts from?
 

bigdee

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Jul 27, 2006
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Got a new spare tire mount from the Harbor Freight for another trailer. Guess what, the bolt is fine thread, with a tapered lug nut. Where did they get their bolts from?

The place everything comes from now......China
 

dlogvine

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May 4, 2015
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But of course. My question was, why does not anybody sell these carriage bolts separately?
 
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