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Old 05-01-2014, 01:54 PM   #21
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OldCoot is right on the bolts. Go by the identification on the head.

And by all means, PLEASE get rid of that altered bolt, and PLEASE do not assume that an altered grade-8 bolt will be any better. Torque up a shaved bolt like that, and you are now putting the bolt into partial tension and partial bending (since the centerline of the shank is no longer concentric with the centerline of the threads). Also, you don't know what the grinding process is doing at the metallurgical level. Also, the strength of a bolt is equal to the square (or maybe the 3rd-power, I forget) of the shaft's radius. so any reduction in radius is a significant reduction in strength.

Any solution is better than an altered bolt. Moving the plate seems best to me, but may be expensive and time consuming (?). Next would be grinding a section in that plate, as long as you don't touch the actual frame material.
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Old 05-01-2014, 02:03 PM   #22
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Rather than grind a 1/2" bolt, just go to a 7/16" gr 8, it will give you additional clearance from the reduced size and additional clearance in the holes. Use a 5/8 on the head and a 11/16 on the nut.
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Old 05-01-2014, 02:12 PM   #23
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Quote:
Originally Posted by thebrakeman View Post
OldCoot is right on the bolts. Go by the identification on the head.

And by all means, PLEASE get rid of that altered bolt, and PLEASE do not assume that an altered grade-8 bolt will be any better. Torque up a shaved bolt like that, and you are now putting the bolt into partial tension and partial bending (since the centerline of the shank is no longer concentric with the centerline of the threads). Also, you don't know what the grinding process is doing at the metallurgical level. Also, the strength of a bolt is equal to the square (or maybe the 3rd-power, I forget) of the shaft's radius. so any reduction in radius is a significant reduction in strength.

Any solution is better than an altered bolt. Moving the plate seems best to me, but may be expensive and time consuming (?). Next would be grinding a section in that plate, as long as you don't touch the actual frame material.
An altered Grade 8 must be better than an altered Grade 2. Just looked at the plate on my mother's again and moving the plate is not that feasible. It is welded on VERY WELL(much better than I remembered). Very likely that you'll reduce the strength of the top side of the boxed a-frame when grinding it off. Taking out a section of it would deface the VIN- I think this is illegal??? Replacing with Gr. 8 and shaving the bolt is the best option, IMHO.
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Old 05-01-2014, 09:44 PM   #24
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I had the same problem when I installed my Equalizer on my new 23LB. I took a grinder with a cutoff wheel and opened up the VIN plate so it could be bent upward and the correct bolts installed. I then took a hammer to the VIN plate to bend it back down over the bolt and hit it with some black spray paint.

If you want a pic just let me know. I could get it to you tomorrow.
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Old 05-02-2014, 09:37 PM   #25
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Here is what I had to do so the bolts would fit.
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Old 05-02-2014, 09:43 PM   #26
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Why not just take a file and slot the bottom holes in the brackets?
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Old 05-02-2014, 09:55 PM   #27
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That's a pretty complete reference on bolts!

The table on A-1 is giving strength in psi, so you would have to divide by the area to get the tensile in pounds, which is what I went by. The psi spec is really a measure of the strength of the material. They give one value in psi for all bolt sizes on the same grade/material.

Here is what I was looking at:

Proof Load Tensil Strength For Grade 2, 5, & 8

And then if we really want to beat this one to death, we could debate if tensile is even the right failure mode - probably shear is more likely in a WDH bracket. Or maybe torsional forces will come into play

But the tensile ratings still indicate strength of one type relaitve to another....

Shear is probably the more likely of failure. The G8 might be stronger tensile, but the G2 bolt will have some flex to it before breaking. The G8 does not.
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Old 05-03-2014, 08:18 AM   #28
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I want to thank all of you for all the suggestions, ideas and information on how to tackle this problem. I haven't decided which way to go yet, but I certainly have a lot more options to consider, and I think we can put this to rest for now. Thanks again everyone, and thank goodness for the Forest River Forums, otherwise I would still be scratching my head.
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