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GroundquestMSA wrote:Hm? Climbtech gear currently has the stainless sleeves lited at $6.95 and wedges $1.95.
According to this page:http://www.safeclimbing.org/education/mechbolts.htm Sleeve bolts have greater shear strength than a same sized wedge bolt only if they have a hex head and internal threads (like a Power-Stud) instead of of an externally threaded bolt and nut (like a Lowe's Redhead). They are also removeable. Sleeve bolts seem to require a cleaner hole than wedges, but that's easy to accomplish.
I'm personally comfortable with the weight ratings of a 3/8 wedge. There's a lot more material in a sleeve bolt and I assume that's why they cost more. Interestingly, at least one brand of wedges is stronger in zinc-plated steel than in stainless.
I've been testing my bolts very scientifically; by setting them in a creekbed and yanking on them with a four-wheeler. They have all held up fine, and even after administering a sound multidirectional beating with a hammer to loosen them up, I still couldn't pull them out. I only have about 10' of chain though, so I'm not getting a massive pull.
trogman wrote:I just set my first bolt this last weekend. I used a Lowe's 3.5" plated steel, and removed the hanger when I was done. It worked well, although next time I will use a tether on my wrench. One 1/2" craftsman wrench, down the crack and gone forever. Like you guys said, if I thought it would be for long-term use, I would certainly use stainless. This was just a case of having nothing in-cave to rig to, and we needed to finish up the survey and see what was at the bottom of the short drop.
It is mind-boggling how expensive SS bolts are. A box of 3/8" x 3" hex sleeve bolts from Concrete Fastening Systems is a total of $72 with shipping. It would take me a long time to use that many bolts. Maybe I can find someone else in my area to split the cost with.
Trogman
FlyinTy wrote:trogman wrote:I just set my first bolt this last weekend. I used a Lowe's 3.5" plated steel, and removed the hanger when I was done. It worked well, although next time I will use a tether on my wrench. One 1/2" craftsman wrench, down the crack and gone forever. Like you guys said, if I thought it would be for long-term use, I would certainly use stainless. This was just a case of having nothing in-cave to rig to, and we needed to finish up the survey and see what was at the bottom of the short drop.
It is mind-boggling how expensive SS bolts are. A box of 3/8" x 3" hex sleeve bolts from Concrete Fastening Systems is a total of $72 with shipping. It would take me a long time to use that many bolts. Maybe I can find someone else in my area to split the cost with.
Trogman
did you just use one bolt to tie off with 1, or did you set 2, for safety? I've used these home depot bolts when i've hung stuff on my concrete block walls in my shop... Don't know if i could make myself use one for an anchor . Home depot bolts just scare me... I do alot of automotive work and custom fab, so I always buy good name brand bolts for safe measures. For stainless steel bolts, try Fastenal great selection of about anything, they are online and also one local to me.
FlyinTy wrote:did you just use one bolt to tie off with 1, or did you set 2, for safety? I've used these home depot bolts when i've hung stuff on my concrete block walls in my shop... Don't know if i could make myself use one for an anchor . Home depot bolts just scare me... I do alot of automotive work and custom fab, so I always buy good name brand bolts for safe measures. For stainless steel bolts, try Fastenal great selection of about anything, they are online and also one local to me.
trogman wrote:In this case, since it was a very short drop, I only used one. If it had been anything substantial, I would've used two stainless bolts.
SipseyRiverBrewing wrote:We all rappel and climb on stuff like that all of the time while know it either isn't safe/ or could be safer.
SipseyRiverBrewing wrote: Also, if you don't blow the dust out after drilling it becomes lodged in the threads severely decreasing the bolt's strength.
trogman wrote:I don't dispute that you need to blow the dust out of your hole, but the reason is so that the bolt will go to the full depth. I can't think of any reason why dust in the threads would reduce the bolt's strength in any way.
GroundquestMSA wrote:How can I leave my bolts and hangers in the cave, but discourage people from using them? Would it be bad for the anchor to cover it in mud? The cave in question has recently seen a big increase in yahoo visitation, and I think the only reason someone hasn't been stuck in the pit is that there is no natural rig point. The last time I was there someone had left a 1/4" polypropylene rope rigged to a rock and snaked through the passage about 70' to the drop. Fortunately, it was obviously much too short, so I don't think they climbed on it.
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