Metric Hardware

   / Metric Hardware #1  

bgott

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 29, 2001
Messages
1,805
Location
Houston, TX.
Tractor
2001 TN65, 1951 8N Ford
Junkman's nuts post made me think about a pet peeve of mine so I decided to start a new thread to vent. Metric fasteners. Between imported machine tools, cars and other products and American manufacturers converting to metrics we've been working on metrification for over thirty years. How come it's just about impossible to find any kind of a selection of metric hardware? And when you do it can be four times the price of a comparably sized USS or SAE piece? You go just about anywhere outside of a specialty bolt store and they have racks the length of the wall with standard hardware. The metric section has five or six sizes, if you're lucky, in five or six lengths. If you need anything but the most common sizes you are forced to go to industrial suppliers that stand a chance of forcing you into a $20 minimum purchase. A case in point, of many. I was rebuilding a Jeep four banger that I wanted to mount on an engine stand. I needed four bolts 12 MM x 80 to 100 MM, IIRC. I had flexibility on the length because I could stack washers to take up the slack on this non- critical application. I shot half a day in the hiney just to keep from working on the floor. If I had needed 1/2" x 3" or 4" I could have found them anywhere. Does this give anyone else problems? Maybe I should just do what the last dealer tech did on my tractor and ram standard bolts in when I can't find the metric bolt that I need. /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif
 
   / Metric Hardware #2  
I know that there is an excellent selection in Europe & Asia. Possibly a trip is in your future???? /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif I had the same problem and I found a fellow at a flea market once that had 5 large boxes of nothing but metric fasteners in the little cardboard boxes that are marked on the end. He wanted $25 for all of it and I didn't even give it a second though. Getting it to the car was the biggest hassle... took two trips. Only wish that I had the cabinet that held all these silly little boxes to keep them organized. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif
 
   / Metric Hardware #3  
i just noticed last weekend that my local tractor suppy company had metric bolts by the pound just like the SAE bolts that they have always had, i dont know if they just started offering the metric ones or if they have been and i just never noticed it before but it would be worth a look there, also most hardware stores that have the little slide out bins have metric stuff too, but its usualy pricey and not very big selection. our local industrial supply house has a good selection too, and only a 3 dollar sales minimum, and since i go there often and they know me usualy if i need just one or two of something, like what would be less than 3 bucks, they just say here just take them no charge
 
   / Metric Hardware #4  
My favorite place to get unusual fasteners is BoltDepot.com. They sell by the piece, there's no minimum order, and they have specialty materials such as bronze or stainless, and carry metric sizes also. Of course there is shipping, but if you can't find it anywhere else it doesn't seem that bad.
 
   / Metric Hardware #5  
bgott,
I'm with you on this one. Too hard to find this stuff. Had to go to 5 different places yesterday to get a metric bolt. It's ridiculous /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif
 
   / Metric Hardware #6  
<font color="blue">Too hard to find this stuff. Had to go to 5 different places yesterday to get a metric bolt. It's ridiculous </font>

Reading this thread and in particular the comment above I would have thought that someone there (USA) would have a little entrepreneurial fortitude and set up a next day delivery of metric nuts and bolts. You would be able to buy a shipping container full from Asia for nicks. It sounds like theres a fortune to be had. I hate any thing other than metric nuts and bolts they are the future. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif
 
   / Metric Hardware #7  
</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Reading this thread and in particular the comment above I would have thought that someone there (USA) would have a little entrepreneurial fortitude and set up a next day delivery of metric nuts and bolts. )</font>


they already have that, McMasterr Carr and MSC both sell a wide selection of metric fasteners and if you order before about 5 pm they will be there the next day, theres not much faster service than that, just people dont all know to look there since its mainly an industrial supply company, but they take credit cards and will sell to anyone with the money
 
   / Metric Hardware #8  
bgott,
One problem is varying metric standards around the world! Take a 5mm bolt for instance, ISO standard thread pitches are .8 or .5mm, but the French standard is .75 or .9mm, JIS (Japanese) is .9mm, and DIN (German) is the same as ISO. I've run into this myself. Getting the correct pitch thread for replacements on my Kubota was annoying.
Mike
 
   / Metric Hardware #9  
I understand the US auto industry has gone metric, what pitch have they chosen?
 
   / Metric Hardware #10  
That is the nice thing about SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) and USS (United States Standard), they are easy to identify and there is a constant. I knew that I didn't want to learn the metric method of bolts, but didn't know why. Thanks for helping me with the reasoning. So much for the Metric system & the European Common Market unifying the countries. Seems that they still have the same old problems, but have agreed to disagree on a uniform standard.
 

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