What Is a Carriage Bolt and Its Uses?

When assembling various workpieces together, threaded fasteners are often an essential component that can provide ample security and strength. Depending on the application in question and its various requirements, fasteners like bolts and screws are quite common, both of which have a number of subtypes that further accommodate various needs. The carriage bolt in particular is a very common fastener for a number of assemblies, acting as a reliable and versatile option for many applications. In this blog, we will provide a brief overview of carriage bolts, allowing you to determine whether or not one is a good fit for your operations.

While carriage bolts may be constructed from a variety of materials, the most common is stainless steel for its ample strength, corrosion resistance, scratch resistance, and other such beneficial properties. The material of choice should come down to various environmental factors that the carriage bolt may be subject to. For example, with bolts that will be situated on the exterior of an assembly where the fastener is exposed to weather, a galvanized steel coating is highly recommended for corrosion resistance. Meanwhile, a bolt that is submerged within water should be made from a material like stainless steel which will not erode from interactions with moisture.

In terms of carriage bolt applications, such fasteners are primarily relied on to fasten wood workpieces to metal. In other instances, carriage bolts may just be used on wood alone. If one needs to connect metal workpieces together, it is best to use more specialized carriage bolts that exhibit such capabilities. For industries, one may find carriage bolts within water conservation and treatment, railroad, farming, and mining industries alike, among many others.

To successfully install a carriage bolt, one will need to make sure that they have all necessary tools and components to carry out the job. Hammers, drills, and drill bits are essential for creating holes for carriage bolts and installing them, while nuts and washers ensure the bolt is secured with proper load distribution. Carriage bolts should always be placed in a hole that has been pre-drilled as the head of the bolt will not accommodate any type of screwdriver or similar screwing tool.

With a proper drilling tool, a hole should be established with a size matching the needs of the carriage bolt that will be inserted. As the carriage bolt is placed in the hole, a hammer can be used to drive it in if it is too tight to easily slide. At the tail of the fastener, the washer can be placed before tightening a nut onto the threading. While washers may not help to secure the bolt, they will ensure that damage is avoided during installation and removal. Whenever the carriage bolt has to be removed, such as for serving or part replacement, the process can simply be done backwards.

Whether you are in search of carriage bolts or any other fastener type, we have you covered here on Automatize Aviation with our unrivaled inventory of parts. With over 2 billion new, used, obsolete, and hard-to-find items catering to a diverse set of industry verticals, we invite you to explore our offerings at your leisure. As all parts on our website are ready for purchase at any time, we encourage you to utilize our RFQ services to request quotes on items of interest. By providing our team members with information such as your target price and expected shipping time frame, we can best tailor and present a solution that caters to you within 15 minutes of reviewing your request. Give us a call or email today and learn more about how we can serve as your strategic sourcing partner for all your operational needs.