Each year homeowners spend an average of 1% to 4% of the total value of their home on repairs and maintenance. As a house ages, these expenditures increase even more. To save on these costs, many homeowners like to do as many household repairs themselves as they can. Many people find home maintenance and repair projects to be fulfilling and even enjoyable. In fact, 61% of women homeowners report that they find home maintenance and repair projects to be rewarding and fun. For homeowners looking to take home maintenance and repair projects into their own hands, it is important to become familiar with the tools of the trade. Here is a guide to some different types of bolts that handy homeowners may come into contact with.
#1. Hanger Bolts
Bolt manufacturers make hanger bolts for applications with hanging materials like electrical wires or sheet metal overhead and also work well for installing safety railings. To use hanger bolts, first drill a hole into the material you are fastening then screw nuts onto the bolt. Insert the lag screw thread side into the pre-drilled hole, use a wrench to screw it in and then remove the nuts.
#2. Flange Bolts
Flange bolts have a washer built in to the bolt’s head. Bolt manufacturers claim that the design of a ridge with the built in washer helps to distribute the load capacity over a greater area. For this reason, flange bolts have many applications within vehicle frames and may be substituted anytime a hex bolt and washer is needed.
#3. Eye Bolts
Eye bolts are fasteners often used to attach cables or ropes to other objects. Eye bolts are not designed for fastening angular loads such as two pieces of wood. They are easily identifiable by the metal loop at one end and screw on the other end. Eye bolt manufacturers produce eye bolts from very small diameters up to moderately large.
#4. Plow Bolts
While around 4,031 United States manufacturers currently produce screws, nuts and bolts, manufacturers catering to heavier machinery often produce plow bolts. Plow bolts have a square neck that prevents turning when a nut is tightened or removed. They may have either a flat or a domed head. Plow bolts are often used in snow plows or gang plows.
#5. Square Head Bolts
Square head bolts derive their name from their square head. The aesthetically pleasing look of square head bolts makes them a popular choice for fastening projects when the head of the bolt will remain visible. They are also used in the railroad industry. The square head allows for ample gripping with a wrench.
#6. Hex Bolts
Hex bolts are extremely common in household repair projects and in construction. They come in a nearly endless range of sizes and diameters. The “hex” in the name hex bolts stands for the hexagonal bolt head. They are designed for use with a hex nut.