I recently damaged a scissor stabilizer jack / mounting bracket on my TT. The welds holding the 1/8" metal mounting bracket to the frame are still sound BUT part of the bracket is bent and needs to be straightened. Impossible to do without cutting welds. I can get the bracket to be straight if I clamp and force the bent portion back up to the frame and secure it with a 1/4" bolt and nut or self tapping screw. Does either the nut/bolt or self tapping screw method impact the strength of the I beam frame more than the other? Which is the preferred method? Hopefully the picture shows the bent gap I need to snug up to the frame..

Self tapping would have a tendency to pull back outNut/bolt for more secure mounting and added strength

DD716TED wrote:I recently damaged a scissor stabilizer jack / mounting bracket on my TT. The welds holding the 1/8" metal mounting bracket to the frame are still sound BUT part of the bracket is bent and needs to be straightened. Impossible to do without cutting welds. I can get the bracket to be straight if I clamp and force the bent portion back up to the frame and secure it with a 1/4" bolt and nut or self tapping screw. Does either the nut/bolt or self tapping screw method impact the strength of the I beam frame more than the other? Which is the preferred method? Hopefully the picture shows the bent gap I need to snug up to the frame..

Had an RV guy install two front jacks on my trailer 5 years ago. They were installed (self taping screws) the first part of a 7 month coast to coast trip-so needless to say they got frequent use. They were/are still fine.

Self tappers have a tenancy to twist the heads off if it bites just right

Mine were attached at the factory with self tapping screws 13 years ago and they've held up fine. I even reused them when I replaced Jacks.Most of them I've seen are attached this way.

Nut and Bolt or Self Tapping Screw? | Good Sam Community

p220sigman
Explorer
Feb 20, 2017
I would probably use a tapper. The weld is still maintaining the majority of the strength of the joint.
Dusty_R
Explorer
Feb 20, 2017
Maybe heat it with a torch then bend it.

Dusty
DD716TED
Explorer
Feb 20, 2017
westend wrote:
I'd bet that you're not going to be able to completely draw that metal straight with a bolt of any kind. It appears that the bracket is made from 1/4" steel and has had a large force on it to bend it (driven away with a jack still down?). Since I have a welder and a bench vise, the cure is simple, cut off the welds with a grinder, straighten in the vise, and weld back down to the frame.

You may wish to seek the aid of a welder with this because it is n easy repair. A torch applying heat, a hammer blow or two, and then two additional welds would put it right in minutes.

Somehow the picture is misleading. The thickness of the bracket is 1/8" or less. I can / have used a c-clamp to bend it back up flat against the frame but keeping it there is why I asked about using a bolt on each side. If not, I will grind the welds off, use a new bracket that came with the replacement jack and take it to a welder (my son).. Just didn't want to haul the trailer from storage to do it if possible.. thanks for thoughts
Horizon170
Explorer
Feb 19, 2017
I use these where I cant get to the back side. They compress similar to a pop rivet. I had to use some Red Neck ingenuity to make a tool.
https://www.fastenal.com/products/fasteners/riveting-self-clinching-products/rivet-nuts;jsessionid=F1DE58A4FB6846A97B106FDB6271E210.jvm2?r=~%7Ccategoryl1:%22600000%20Fasteners%22%7C~%20~%7Ccategoryl2:%22600191%20Riveting%209and%20Self-Clinching%20Products%22%7C~%20~%7Ccategoryl3:%22602457%20Rivet%20Nuts%22%7C~
westend
Explorer
Feb 19, 2017
I'd bet that you're not going to be able to completely draw that metal straight with a bolt of any kind. It appears that the bracket is made from 1/4" steel and has had a large force on it to bend it (driven away with a jack still down?). Since I have a welder and a bench vise, the cure is simple, cut off the welds with a grinder, straighten in the vise, and weld back down to the frame.

You may wish to seek the aid of a welder with this because it is n easy repair. A torch applying heat, a hammer blow or two, and then two additional welds would put it right in minutes.
Gjac
Explorer III
Feb 19, 2017
To answer your question about strength neither a self tapping screw or bolt of the same dia will affect the strength as long as the edge distance is at least 2D. For a .25 dia hole the hole should be drilled .5 ins from the edge of from and angle. I would use a bolt and nut or something like a Huck or Hi-lock bolt.
mike-s
Explorer
Feb 19, 2017
Impossible to tell because you drew over the detail on the picture, but I assume the yellow indicates a gap, you can bend the bracket up to close the gap but it won't stay there, so you want to bolt it.

I'd take a hefty C clamp, squeeze the bracket to where it needs to be, then weld it in place.
Trackrig
Explorer II
Feb 18, 2017
I'd go with the bolt and nut using threadlock or a ny-loc nut and still use a lock washer with both. I only like to do (most) things once.

Bill
BB_TX
Nomad
Feb 18, 2017
I installed JT Strongarm stabilizers on my 5er using 1/2" self tapping bolts per their instructions. 9 yrs ago and all are still tight.
MrWizard
Moderator
Feb 18, 2017
i would say if you buy quality 'hard' self tapers it will work
but my first choice, would be to drill the hole use nut and bolt with blue thread lock ( the removable version )

the reason the factory uses self tapers is, assembly speed, they jigs that hold things in place and its faster than drilling a hole and wrenching

IF it comes loose in a few months, its a warranty issue
if it comes loose later, its the customer problem

i use self tapers, where i can't get to the other side and can't use a nut and bolt