Lag screws vs everything else...

[Ratty]

Just Joe. Thanks, I want to do this but I don't bring power tools. Ratchet, socket, maybe a breaker bar since I'm an old lady. I'm goin shopping for some lag bolts. This way I don't HAVE to tie my carport to my tires. And all that rebar wears me out just thinking about it. Woo Hoo. I love a solution.

Oh crap. Now I have to read 11 pages.

[maladroit]

Fabricating a T-handle wrench, say 3 feet long, with 1/2" drive on the end, would be pretttttty handy. You could make this happen off-the-shelf with a 1/2" drive sliding T-handle and 1/2" x 36" extension bar, but it'll cost the same as an impact driver (though you won't need power for this sucker).

[Ratty]

I have tools. Looking them over I have a thing that looks like a mini post hole digger. 3/4 drive with an extension. It's not a ratchet though. The cylindrical bar across the top is 15 inches. I would rather use a big ratchet.

[FIGJAM]

A long piece of pipe over the handle will give you all the leverage you'll need.

[Popeye]

Fabricating a T-handle wrench, say 3 feet long, with 1/2" drive on the end, would be pretttttty handy. You could make this happen off-the-shelf with a 1/2" drive sliding T-handle and 1/2" x 36" extension bar, but it'll cost the same as an impact driver (though you won't need power for this sucker).

Try a four-way lug wrench but check that it has the right size socket for your lag bolt. You might have one in the trunk already.

[Elliot]

My 1/2" lags take a 3/4" tool, which a four-way lug wrench should have. But my 3/8" lags take a 9/16" tool, which I have not seen on any lug wrench.

[Popeye]

My 1/2" lags take a 3/4" tool, which a four-way lug wrench should have. But my 3/8" lags take a 9/16" tool, which I have not seen on any lug wrench.

Even though there are 3/8 trailer lugs I couldn't find a lug wrench for them. You could always weld a 1/2" nut to a 3/8 socket or weld the socket to an unused side of your lug wrench. Or buy an impact wrench.

[sagittandy]

- How much better is hot dipped galvanized than zinc in the playa?
- And how much harder is it to drive 1/2 lags into subplaya than 3/8"?

I have not found any 3/8 x 14 HD galvanized for sale. But 1/2 x 14 HD are available. Wondering if it's worth it.

PS: Thanks for this great idea.

[FIGJAM]

http://www.fastenersuperstore.com/partN ... Steel-Zinc

[tatonka]

i got mine soakin in some oil , they started rusting up a bit after the 2nd year

[Elliot]

In my experience, hot dipped galvanized resists rust quite a bit better than zinc coated. And they cost almost twice as much -- so, if they were not superior, they would not exist.
Of course, stainless steel tops them both, but costs even more, and I don't see them in any length longer than 6", so that's off the table. (Stainless is also more brittle, so might break easier under the pounding of the impact wrench.)

Obviously, 1/2" takes more force to screw in than 3/8", and galvanized has a rougher surface, so that might add a tiny bit friction. But zinc coated may be smoother only the first time you screw them in, and then they get a rough surface of rust.

I don't worry about the rust. A good impact driver handles them just fine.
If you are thinking of rust getting onto and staining your other gear in transit and storage, you might try what I did: I went to the local flea market and bought several small-but-long steel tool-boxes for just a few bucks each, and I keep the different sizes of lags and similar hardware in those.

[Roundabout]

I agree that the zinc coated ones are far more prone to rapid rusting from contact with the playa. I soak them in vinegar water when they get back home. That seems to halt the rusting. Then I drive them into the ground in my back yard and back out. The acidic nature of the soil/clay here knocks the rust off and they are good to go for next year.

[Ratty]

Or you could put them in a bucket of sand with some oil added. That's where I keep my garden tools.

[sagittandy]

Thanks for all the good answers.

[rideincircles]

I will be ordering some lag bolts soon. I will just need to stake down a hexayurt and probably a clamshell carport and whatever other type of shade I bring. I plan on buying the 6-pack of ryobi tools with 2 extra batteries in the next couple months which comes with an impact driver. Wish I would have bought that last year since it is now $40 more.

This thread is pretty convincing.

[maladroit]

I need to point out that the impact driver in that kit is a smaller version with 1/4" drive. Incredibly useful for projects around the house, larger wood screws etc. But not guaranteed to blast a lag screw 14 or 16 inches down into hard packed earth. If you don't really need the rest of the tools in that kit, you can get a larger rechargeable impact driver, 3/8 or 1/2, for about half the cost. Or an AC corded 1/2" impact driver for a sixth of the cost.

[sagittandy]

I have a vintage 1/2" B&D drill, 120V 7A 450RPM, top photo: http://www.instructables.com/id/Central ... -outdoors/

Will it drive 1/2 x 16" lags fully in, or should I get an impact driver?

[FIGJAM]

That drill is almost identical to what I've used the last 4 years.

It works just fine!!!

[rideincircles]

I could probably get the 4-piece ryobi kit with 2 batteries and a 1/2" impact driver for the same price. The 6-piece kit had better batteries, but thats the the main trade-off. I was planning on upgrading my tools before I ended up getting tickets. This just increases the need.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Ryobi-18-Vol ... /202340589
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Ryobi-18-Vol ... /203466914

I haven't ruled out buying a generator yet since I do have a couple of air conditioners in the garage. Still sorting out the battleplan.

[DoctorIknow]

I could probably get the 4-piece ryobi kit with 2 batteries and a 1/2" impact driver for the same price. The 6-piece kit had better batteries, but thats the the main trade-off. I was planning on upgrading my tools before I ended up getting tickets. This just increases the need.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Ryobi-18-Vol ... /202340589
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Ryobi-18-Vol ... /203466914

I like the idea of buying both the kit and the stand alone 1/2" impact driver.
I've been checking out a few 1/2" impact drivers that come with two batteries, and the price nears the price of all those ryobi tools plus the impact driver, and Ryobi is probably quite ok for amateur use, plus, if the impact driver should fail on the playa, one could use the drill with the "hammer drill" option.

and, the Ryobi has an intelligent charger....still rare these days for "bargain" tools.

[sagittandy]

So weird. Excited to get lag screws in the mail...

lag.screws.jpg

[DoctorIknow]

Shoot,,,,I've been spending hours checking out battery powered impact wrenches, and then today I see this. I've had my share of crappy Harbor Freight tools (sawzall, drill press, power washers....but their anvil is great!) but heck, I could buy two of these for less than one of the cheapest 18volt lithium drivers, which will eventually need new batterie$, and my camp has a genny, so why am I even considering going battery?

impact.JPG

[maladroit]

That is what I used last year, and it did not break a sweat. It came with spare motor brushes, and is a solid, heavy beast. The starting current is pretty significant and it tripped my 2000W generator breaker in Econo mode, so I had to switch off Econo while doing the lag screws.

[skippy3k]

Agree with Maladroit. I have one as well and it has worked great.

[Fan C]

That Harbor freight impact driver put up and took down my camp at BRC and at Wasteland Weekend.with no problem.

[Roundabout]

Has anybody been able to find any 3/8 x 18 lag screws this year? It is so weird how that size was so available two years ago and then seems to have just disappeared.

[mudpuppy000]

Has anybody been able to find any 3/8 x 18 lag screws this year? It is so weird how that size was so available two years ago and then seems to have just disappeared.

I haven't but honestly, even the 8" screws seem to hold really well. I tried them out at our regional a couple weeks ago and couldn't pull them out of the ground. Soil was rocky/loose desert gravel type stuff.

[Roundabout]

I haven't but honestly, even the 8" screws seem to hold really well.

Last year the playa condition in my camp was such that you could push in or pull out the lag screws at least 6" before hitting anything solid enough to anchor to. With the ultra dry conditions this year, I am thinking that it will be worse, and that the extra length of 18" screws will be needed for some critical applications.

[SnowBlind]

For 3/8" the longest I could find was 14", but they have 1/2" in 18".

Just like with rebar, the difference between 3/8" and 1/2" suprises me every time. Holding 3/8x14 and 1/2x18 next to each other seems like a world of difference.

[maladroit]

It's OK to push aside some loose playa to get a few more inches deeper. But tie a piece of bright colored string to the lag screw so you don't lose it!