Replacing band bolts?

nlovold

I'm doing an overhaul of my LBGE and noticed that my bolts are bent and rusted pretty badly.  The bending I was prepared for, but I figured I would go ahead and replace with some new stainless steel nuts and carriage bolts.  Anyone ever replace these with 5/16" stainless fasteners from the hardware store, or should I go through my egg dealer?

Thanks in advance.

nlovold

Corrected my OP.  Upon further inspection, the bolts look to be 5/16", not 3/8".

Zmokin

Well, at only 125 inch pounds of torque (10.4 foot-lbs), you don't need any high grade bolts, so I would think any bolt you can find of the right length should work just fine.

Brisket_Fanatic

Zmokin said:

Well, at only 125 inch pounds of torque (10.4 foot-lbs), you don't need any high grade bolts, so I would think any bolt you can find of the right length should work just fine.

This is incorrect - I don't remember the exact size but they must be Grade 5 or above  and the bolt head will have 3 marks like this.

Carolina Q

My originals are Grade 5 non stainless. Not sure how critical that is or if stainless comes in grades. Don't see the point in SS... nothing else is so why those? If I ever fireplace mine, I'll probably go with standard grade 5 bolts and tighten until they bend nicely.

No idea what torque value I used when I assembled my egg, but when I finally checked to make sure my dome wasn't about to fall off (after nearly five years of not checking), they were just as tight as when I did it. Assembly instructions didn't specify torque back then. Just "tighten til they bend". 

nlovold

Thanks guys!  That was helpful!

Skiddymarker

The bolts are grade 5, 2011 MBGE originals and as torqued, no bending. Just checked for this spring, still 120”#s. 

poster

when they are bent after torqueing they have yielded no? I think this is done as there is now always tension on the bolt and the bolt will stretch slightly with heat/cool cycles. if I were to use another bolt I would maybe put a nyloc or stover nut to keep things from loosening up.

Zmokin

Brisket_Fanatic said:

Zmokin said:

Well, at only 125 inch pounds of torque (10.4 foot-lbs), you don't need any high grade bolts, so I would think any bolt you can find of the right length should work just fine.

This is incorrect - I don't remember the exact size but they must be Grade 5 or above  and the bolt head will have 3 marks like this.

OK, I stand corrected. 

RRP

poster said:

 if I were to use another bolt I would maybe put a nyloc or stover nut to keep things from loosening up.

Actually I have all my eggs "doubled nutted" using just a standard nut backed up against the first. That is an old trick used before nyloc etc were invented. BTW my nuts have never loosened! Double nutting works!

4Runner

@RRP washer too?

RRP

4Runner said:

@RRP washer too?

No. Just nut against nut.

Carolina Q

Double nutting (or nylocs or lockwashers or loctite) doesn't matter if the bands (or bolts) stretch. That is the issue, not loosening nuts.