Using "Well Nuts" to bolt items directly to the plastic bed

You know what you are talking about.

Both these and rivnuts, if the rubber fails or they start to spin in the hole. Good luck... (you will be trying to cut the screw head off or drill it out without it spinning)

 

I was going to use rivet nuts on my bed to mount my gas cans, but I might use these instead due to vibration. I think the rubber would give a nice vibration damper compared to the solid mounting of the rivet nuts.

 

Also why there really is a right and wrong riv nut depending on application. You shouldn’t just use the basic style just because that’s what you have or all you know. The ribbed or spline helps with spinning and you really need to know the thickness of your material and get the appropriate size- it’s not necessarily 1 size fits all. Some are better for pull out strengths too. I went down this rabbit hole about 6 months back and was amazed at all the differences.

jacknuts have there place too and don’t require a riv nut setter

 

Thanks for the photos of the install. Now I just need to wait out this shelter in place so I can make some money to get everything set up!

By the way, with the CFX35, how many days could you go out for? (2 adults)

 

Did that rabbit hole happen to lead to McMaster-Carr? Amazing website, point and click the pictures, enter dimensions, find exactly what you wanted with drawings and CAD if you need them.

 

3-4 days comfortable. 5-7 days if you are very strategic. To go longer I've supplemented with a good cooler by keeping the fridge full of frozen water bottles and keeping it below freezing. I can keep the food in the cooler with a bunch of pre-frozen water bottles also. As the water bottles in the cooler melt I can rotate them with the ones in the freezer. I drink the bottled water as I go also so it gets calculated into my fresh water supply. As the food gets eaten I can start to switch it over to the fridge for the last part of the trip. You just have to be creative and think ahead.

 

I think I would just cut the head off and push the rest through into "no man's land". And just hope the lost piece would eventually shake out somewhere. Or as long as I can't hear it rattle around it can stay wherever it lands. I would only use these where I can't easily reach the opposite side.

 

What were you thinking for your gas cans? I'm trying to think of something too.

 

I have 2 jerry cans in some smittybuilt holders. They are bolted together, then have bolt holes on the bottom. Idealy I want to have wing bolts that hold them down so I can remove them easy.

 

Correct, but if down in a counterbore or in a corner of a part sucks (stuck with drilling, often while prying up with a screwdriver to prevent spinning).

Let me clarify that I think these are super useful, just something to me mindful of where you use them if they ever did fail. I have used them and will continue to use them... thanks for posting about them for everyone

 

That was 1 of them and it’s very helpful.

 

Oh yeah. I see what you are saying. I'm sure future me will be cursing over at least one of these bolts I put in.

 

Doesn't seem like these would work unless you could get behind the runner nut and hold it with your hand when starting to screw the screw in. How can you do this under the plastic bedliner?

 

Awesome information. You have addressed everything on my mind. I am really looking forward to getting the fridge now. Appreciate your quick responses - Cheers!

 

They work great. I used them for a few fridge slide bolts and I used them for my hi lift mounts. I think they work because the head has a lip on it that gets compressed with whatever it is you are bolting in. The lip getting compressed keeps the nut from spinning. The more you tighten the harder you compress the head and the less the nut will move until it all tightens up. I will say that they didn't work at one of the bolts that had to go through the low part of the bed ridge. It didn't work because the bed slide couldn't compress the lip so the nut just spin in place. For that one I had to crawl under the bed and figure out how to get a regular nut on int.