Where can I buy fine-threaded carriage bolts and lug nuts?

Just use an sae hex bolt and stick in the hole and put on a half or jam nut. Cinch it down and put on your wheel and lug nut.

Damdifino wrote:
A few months ago I bought a set of five new wheels and tires for my TT at a national tire dealer. Recently when I tried to remove the spare from my bumper mounted carrier manufactured by Stromberg Carlson, I found that the bolts and lug nuts were severely cross-threaded. I can't seem to find replacements anywhere; I've tried RV parts distributers, Fastenal, eTrailer, etc. Those of you with this setup know that it's important to have the lug nut so that it mates correctly into the lug hole on the wheel, holding it solidly in place. And that's why you need the fine-thread carriage bolt to match. Also, there's the convenience of using the same size lug wrench on the spare as on the running wheels. Has anyone ever had any luck finding these parts?

Per Machinery's Hand Book. Carriage bolts are only available in the Course thread series, class 2A. What you want is studs and the properly sized lug nuts to fit the threads on the studs. This stuff is readily available at most auto parts stores. NAPA for sure. Yours are probably welded to the mount. If so, they will need to be cut out or drilled out and the new studs welded in place. They may be just a press fit into the mount which would make replacement simpler. Press out the bad (old) press in the new. Many auto parts stores are equipped in their machine shops in the back of the store to do replacements such as this.

If you want a bolt with the same threads as the lug nut, it will be either a SAE standard bolt or a metric standard, and will most likely be a medium to fine pitch. e.g. 7/16-20 (UNF), 1.25 mm pitch for metric 10mm or smaller, 1.5 mm pitch for larger 12mm or 14mm stud sizes.

Automobile studs and lug nuts have been metric for a long time, what is on a trailer will depend on where the manufacturer sources the parts.

Carriage bolts are a different kind of fastener, made for a different purpose, with sizes and thread pitch from a different era. For each of the ten sizes of carriage bolt, there is usually only one pitch, UNC standards.

I usually find the nuts and bolts I need at a farm supply store, as they tend to have lower prices than the auto parts places or the big box lumber and hardware chain stores, which might require me to buy a half dozen pieces when I need just one.

path1 wrote:
Your sig line says 2014 Arctic Fox, that's pretty new. What was wrong with tires that you needed to replaced or just getting rid of OEM junk?

Nothing wrong with them, I just don't trust ST tires, not the least reason being their speed limit rating of 65 mph. I made a 12,000 mile round round trip to Alaska and back earlier this summer and I wanted Michelin XPS Rib tires, the only ones I have 100% confidence in. Anyway, back to my problem... Upon rethinking it, thanks to you guy's help, the thread pattern is not an issue. What I really need is just a 13/16" lug nut with a matching carriage bolt and speed nut. Maybe that combination would be easier to find.

So do you want to replace the bolt on tire carrier because it's cross threaded to bad to save, or looking for new lug nut?

I would do 2 things just to make sure you end up with right lug.

Because of your year model was around the time AL-KO got bought out by Dexter, if I recall right. Crawl underneath and look at axle sticker to get model and manufacture and also take one lug nut off from a tire. Take lug nut and model of axle to a place that deals in axles to match up to make sure.

I mention that because when I re-did my bearings on a 2013 I found out I had one castle nut that shouldn't of been used. The slots at top actually went the wrong way. Had a heck of time getting in carter pin.

My thoughts are AL-KO was using parts that were in the reject pile that they were trying to get rid of before Dexter by out.

Your sig line says 2014 Arctic Fox, that's pretty new. What was wrong with tires that you needed to replaced or just getting rid of OEM junk?

Depending on your setup and time a thread chaser, just cut new threads might be the answer. Then just a couple new lug nuts.

LEN

Damdifino wrote:
Those of you with this setup know that it's important to have the lug nut so that it mates correctly into the lug hole on the wheel, holding it solidly in place. And that's why you need the fine-thread carriage bolt to match.

I don't believe they make a fine thread carriage bolt. I looked in McMaster-Carr and if they don't have it nobody else does.
You need to use a regular bolt and two nuts. One to hold the bolt in place and one to hold the wheel.

PEPBOYS has a large source selection of Automotive Bolts...

I will usually check with NAPA and PEPBOYS when I need something.

Also AMAZON most likely carries what you need too but I always have the problem of what to call them to search in AMAZON...

Roy Ken

Find a fastener store.. I usually shop Tradsman Fasteners in Redfored, MI. but there are competing stores in every major metro area..

(A friend of mine used to work there before we celebrated his funeral) (That store always has a few screws loose and lying about.. but then that's their business selling screws, bolts, loose nuts (and boxed ones) Drills, Wrenches and related devices)

Mine has the same bolts as the wheels do. I would think that any auto parts store would have them. I know that is where I get mine when needed. JMO