The Huck® value proposition has long been clear: easy-to-install fasteners that deliver consistent, reliable installed values and do not vibrate loose. Huckbolts® are the perfect fastener for industrial applications – unless you need a serviceable joint.
A quick search of strings like “how to remove a Huckbolt” will reveal a variety of videos ranging to from the helpful to aggravated “I hate Huckbolts®” to the helpful yet aggravated “pesky Huckbolts®”. The very permanence that makes a Huckbolt® the ideal choice for OEMs looking to build maintenance-free products drives upfitters, refitters, and service centers mad.
If only there was a fastener that was permanent – until it no longer needed to be.
Why OEMs Use Permanent Fasteners
In reality, OEMs are in the business of building products that satisfy the needs of their customers. They’re looking to produce products that have longevity and don’t create warranty issues.
Industrial manufacturers have increasingly turned to Huck® fasteners because they are easy to install with a variety of Huck® tools. This means they can achieve more throughput with the same workforce. There’s also the potential to solve skills gap problems since joints fastened with Huckbolts® don’t require skilled welders or extensive training.
However, the main reason Huckbolts® have been specified in so many industrial joints is their permanence. Their vibration resistance creates reliable, long-lasting connections that are maintenance free.
The challenge begins when a customer buys one of these products. Whether they want customization after the sale, or simply need to make repairs to damaged or worn components, Huckbolts® can create challenges. The very thing that makes them long-lived makes them difficult to remove for service or repair – particularly without special tooling.
The Impossible Ask
Over the years, Huck® engineers have worked on the problem of serviceable joints. Fasteners like Huckfit® had helical grooves and hex heads on the pin collar that made it theoretically possible to remove. But in practice, Huckfit® was easier to cut off with a grinder than it was to remove with torque tools. The grooves galled too much, and the torque required to remove the collar often deformed the hex collar before removal was complete.
Our original Bobtail® was the next fastener released with an eye to removability. Available collar cutters can be purchased and fitted onto existing tools. It works well enough, but still requires service centers or users to have Huck® tooling in order to take advantage of a removability feature.
In reality, Huckbolts® in the field are removed with torches, grinders, and sweat. Some refitters simply give up and scrap the project. Others damage the part they were trying to salvage. Still others succeed and decided a conventional threaded fastener is a happier replacement for the Huckbolt® they just removed – despite the fact that conventional fasteners can loosen under vibration.
The Next Evolution in High-Performance, Maintenance-Free Fastening
It was an impossible ask. But Huck® was founded on an impossible ask.
The all-new, patent pending Huck Bobtail® R delivers the same vibration-resistant, maintenance-free strength you expect from Huck®—now with a twist: it's fully removable with standard torque tooling.
Installation works just like our original Bobtail®. Place the in in the hole, spin the collar on, apply the Huck Bobtail® tool, and pull the trigger. The tool will pull on the pin and de-form the collar into the lock grooves of the pin before releasing. The joint will be held together with high, consistent clamp, and the collar will not back off under vibration.
The difference between Bobtail® R and other Huckbolts® is the removability. Simply apply a backup wrench to the head of the pin and a standard torque tool can be applied to the hex collar to remove it. Removal of a 12mm Bobtail® R requires around 75 ft lbs of force – less than the average of 100 ft lbs required to install a comparable bolt and nut.
Removal time will vary depending on the type of tool used. Any tool that can achieve the recommended force is appropriate – from hand tools to battery tools to hydraulic impact wrenches.
Built for heavy-duty applications that demand both staying power and future serviceability, the Bobtail® R is your no-weld, no-loosen solution that’s easy to install and just as easy to take apart. No heat. No sparks. No nonsense.
- Vibration-resistant, maintenance-free joint
- Easy removal with standard torque-type tooling
- Installs in seconds—no re-torquing, no retightening
Interested? Contact us at idg@howmet.com for more information.
