Which Came First? The Carriage Or The Bolt?

Carriage bolts date back to the beginning 1800's when their importance became established with the creation of the Carriage vehicle

. The carriage bolt of early history was much flatter and squarer than those built later. They were also more rugged as less care was taken in trimming.

The origination of a nut and bolt manufacturer in America came from the vision of Mr. Micah Rugg, living in Marion, Southington Township, Connecticut in 1818 and a small country blacksmith for the town. Mr. Rugg designed and invented two machines for making carriage bolts. Mr. Rugg began by cutting up square bars of iron into the length of bolts, than heated and rounded one end. He then headed the piece. The carriage bolt heads were headed with a tool and the edges and sides were beveled. This was a very lucrative business for Mr. Rugg and Rugg along with Mr. Martin Barnes became the first company to manufacture bolts and nuts in America. Their daily production was about 500 bolts.

By 1905, in the United States there were over five hundred established manufactures of nuts and bolts, including manufacturers of nuts and bolts for machinery.

In the early 1860's the "pinched neck bolts" were introduced to the market with the consumer receiving a great savings, as the cost of manufacturing them was reduced in the prices- as the competition for the bolt was the square bolts which were much more costly in manufacturing. Next, came the "concaved neck bolt" which the consumer favored over the "pinched neck bolts" due to the fact that it was less likely to be bent when turning in the socket should the nut need to be screwed on or off- it was also a better price than the "pinched neck bolts".

Today, the nuts and bolts industry is a thriving leader- making up for 70 percent of the production workers in America. It has had its disturbances with International competition, however.

Carriage bolts are threaded for the first six inches- carriage bolts six inches and smaller are fully threaded. Carriage bolts are manufactured in various ways. One uses a low carbon steel. This carriage bolt is best used for general applications. It also has zinc plating which is the most common of the finishes and provides protection against corrosion. There is also a hot dipped galvanized carriage bolt which is the premium of the crop and is highly protective against corrosion. This carriage bolt is recommended and highly used in outdoor and marine environments. Galvanized bolts can be used only with galvanized nuts due to the thickness of their coating.

When applying a carriage bolt it is necessary to take care to ensure that the heads are flush with the surface so that water does not penetrate and rust the metal. It is also vitally important not to bend the head of the carriage bolt when applying- this too, will lead to penetration of water and outside sources which can rust the carriage bolt. When the carriage bolt is applied with a socket be sure that you have the correct fit and that you screw the carriage bolt so that it is a tight fit- with no room for penetration by outside factors.

by: Gary Hall

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