My GT5000 is about 19 years old, the heads on the bolts which hold the blades on were getting kind of worn due to removal for sharpening many, many times. OK, I'll get new bolts. Checked Sears (whoever runs that site now) and they were $9.99 each + S&H. Checked further, Husqvarna has them (Sears never made anything) for $7.99 each + S&H. Actually looked at them and they're Grade 8, 3/8-24 X 1 1/4", went to local Auto supply and they were $1 each. Just sharing.
FYI on bolts
Everlandfarm
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There is several Fastenal stores about 10 miles away from my town,but I have yet to visit any of them in person..looking online they seem to have a lot of fasteners,even specialized ones..I imagine their prices are higher than other stores though..
I have used a 2 bolt pillow block bearing on steering shafts before,instead of the cheap plastic crap bushings that wont last a summer on many older lawn tractors..
I have used a 2 bolt pillow block bearing on steering shafts before,instead of the cheap plastic crap bushings that wont last a summer on many older lawn tractors..
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4,522 Posts
It all depends upon where you are getting your fasteners now, which you didn't mention. If you are going to TSC, Ace or any of the big box stores, be prepared to be shocked at the much lower prices at Fastenal. Both of the Fastenal stores that are near me are 30 miles away in either direction.
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That's great to know that some places sell hardware by the pound. I'll have to check at TSC next time I'm there. Might be a useful way to have an assortment of hardware at the house, ready to go.
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I went there one day and bought a pound of 1/4-20 shear bolts (I think I wanted grade 2 for my snowblower). Excellent investment! Come to find out, I had a loose drive sprocket that was causing them to break when I engaged the auger...
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Tractor Supply is where I buy most of the bolts I need,most every time I go there I buy a pound of something like washers,nuts & bolts,even if I don't "need" them at the time...just to have them on hand..
--but their selection of metrics is quite limited and not heavily stocked,so when I need metric bolts I'm forced to go to the old "hometown" type hardware store that we have 2 of in a neighboring town ,and bend over at the cash register..they always have the bolts you need (and enough of them,instead of 1 or 2 like the box stores "drawers" to finish a project )...but they are over $1-$2 each!...ten bolts for my diesel pickup's exhaust manifold costed $20..but they were the only place that stocked that pitch & length of thread anywhere "local" so I didn't have much of a choice..
I hoarded a lot of "good used" bolts from tractors and things I've scrapped,and bought a few hundred pounds of mixed hardware at flea markets and auctions..quite a few guys sell them there to hopefully get more than they would for just scrapping them..and much of their hardware is brand new stuff..
I have litteraly a ton or more bolts & nuts ,but few are metric..most of it is grade 2 or 5,which I feel is sufficient for most uses on tractors and vehicles,I only use grade 5 or 8 on suspension parts or other critical structural applications..in some cases the "softer" grade 2 bolts actually work better on some things,they will bend rather than snap off under extreme stress loads..easier to drill one out if it does break also..
Several times I've bough 5 gallon pails full of mixed new & old hardware for $5-$10 ,I take them home,dump them out on the floor,and sort them all out..after awhile you have plenty of nails,screws,bolts & nuts,and lots of other stuff like toggle bolts,eye hooks,lag bolts,lead anchors,etc..one bucket I bought had a bonus,there was over 500 solderless connectors buried at the bottom,plus a new roll of solder that sells for $20 now by itself.
I also found over 50 of those blue concrete screws that are very expensive in the bucket too..
I now have more stock than some so called hardware stores do!...
--but their selection of metrics is quite limited and not heavily stocked,so when I need metric bolts I'm forced to go to the old "hometown" type hardware store that we have 2 of in a neighboring town ,and bend over at the cash register..they always have the bolts you need (and enough of them,instead of 1 or 2 like the box stores "drawers" to finish a project )...but they are over $1-$2 each!...ten bolts for my diesel pickup's exhaust manifold costed $20..but they were the only place that stocked that pitch & length of thread anywhere "local" so I didn't have much of a choice..
I hoarded a lot of "good used" bolts from tractors and things I've scrapped,and bought a few hundred pounds of mixed hardware at flea markets and auctions..quite a few guys sell them there to hopefully get more than they would for just scrapping them..and much of their hardware is brand new stuff..
I have litteraly a ton or more bolts & nuts ,but few are metric..most of it is grade 2 or 5,which I feel is sufficient for most uses on tractors and vehicles,I only use grade 5 or 8 on suspension parts or other critical structural applications..in some cases the "softer" grade 2 bolts actually work better on some things,they will bend rather than snap off under extreme stress loads..easier to drill one out if it does break also..
Several times I've bough 5 gallon pails full of mixed new & old hardware for $5-$10 ,I take them home,dump them out on the floor,and sort them all out..after awhile you have plenty of nails,screws,bolts & nuts,and lots of other stuff like toggle bolts,eye hooks,lag bolts,lead anchors,etc..one bucket I bought had a bonus,there was over 500 solderless connectors buried at the bottom,plus a new roll of solder that sells for $20 now by itself.
I also found over 50 of those blue concrete screws that are very expensive in the bucket too..
I now have more stock than some so called hardware stores do!...
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I do the same thing when I can of collecting other peoples cans of collected fasteners.
The US is one of three countries in the world that doesn't use the metric system. Since many of our manufactured goods are made elsewhere now, it becomes quite difficult. Over 50 years ago, they tried to mandate the US convert to metric which didn't work very well.
I don't know if you have seen the Fastenal trucks on the roads, but they also supply many manufacturing & repair sites locally. If it is an odd length or size, they usually have it in stock. Whereas trying to find it at HD or TSC gets frustrating as they either don't have it or priced astronomically.
The US is one of three countries in the world that doesn't use the metric system. Since many of our manufactured goods are made elsewhere now, it becomes quite difficult. Over 50 years ago, they tried to mandate the US convert to metric which didn't work very well.
I don't know if you have seen the Fastenal trucks on the roads, but they also supply many manufacturing & repair sites locally. If it is an odd length or size, they usually have it in stock. Whereas trying to find it at HD or TSC gets frustrating as they either don't have it or priced astronomically.
Since this thread has expanded somewhat into other fastener areas, I thought I'd throw in my .02. My small town lost it;s hardware store several years ago and now the closest one is 15 miles away. I got tired of running to get bolts, fasteners, etc. everytime something broke and purchased a bolt bin set filled with common grade 5 stuff. That helped a lot and I restocked by the pund at TSC when I needed to, but it didn't cover enough bases. now every time I see those small "storehouse" boxes of items I might need, I pick them up. Got several from HF, some from farm stores (TSC, Runnings) and a few off e-bay. My wife gave me a little grief every time she seen them, but I told here it was a 7.00 box full of many pieces instead of a .50 piece that cost 7.00 by the time I used it. She is still amazed when I'm fixing something and just walk out to the shop to retrieve what ever I need to continue. Fastenal is great for more specialty stuff, they come in handy. Did you know you can have items outside shipped via Fastenal to your local store? Had a transmission case shipped that way as the shipper had a Fastenal close to them and I have one 18 miles away, reasonable price too.
Jeff
Jeff
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Everyone is sweating Grade 5, Grade 8,etc. It really depends on where you live, what is available, and how much cash you have to spend. From there..do the best you can and go on with life!!
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It was just an example I made that has been jumped on.
Grade 5 are soft and malleable, grade 8 are stiffer and shatter on shear. They have different purposes and are used for different things. There are very valid cases where swapping to a lower grade can result in serious injury due to the way they fail.
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