By Luke Stefurak
From San Diego, CA
Oct 28, 2008
| I feel that anchors on routes should be safe and convenient.
The anchor on a route I am working on has two old Rawl Drive style bolts. One has a hanger the other only has a washer.
I would like to replace these bolts with more modern hardware. My first choice would be Fixe Sport Anchors. I have placed bolts before and would ideally enlarge and reuse the holes.
I am worried about having trouble removing this type of bolt without damaging the rock. If worse comes to worst I can saw them off and epoxy over the studs.
Thoughts? | 
FLAG |
By mikewhite
Oct 28, 2008
| E-mail me your phone number.
mike
asca |
FLAG |
By mschlocker
From San Diego, CA
Nov 10, 2008
| Fixe hangers, sure. Fixe bolts, no. They do not fit in a 3/8" hole as advertised. If you buy a 10mm drill bit (expensive) then go ahead. I have got them stuck, random people I talk with have got them stuck, and now a friend who I recently told not to use them (but did anyway) got 2 stuck. By stuck, I mean they don't go all of the way in and then you can't get them out or use them.
I have had great luck with Powers Power Bolts and Power Studs. They actually work as advertised. Use stainless hardware only.
Tuning forks are good for starting the work (ref supertopo above) but I have always had to finish it off with a crowbar.
As for the "ethics" posted over on Supertopo. If the original anchor is crap it's because the original installer was cheap or lazy. If gear is permanent then it should be good. |
FLAG |
By Brian in SLC
From Salt Lake City, UT
Nov 10, 2008
| mschlocker wrote: Fixe hangers, sure. Fixe bolts, no. They do not fit in a 3/8" hole as advertised. If you buy a 10mm drill bit (expensive) then go ahead.
Might depend on the type of rock. Recently witnessed a bunch of Fixe bolts successfully placed into holes drilled by 3/8" drill bits.
I've always been careful about it, even using a 10mm drill bit, but, at this location (granite is the rock type), at least 3 other folks have only placed the Fixe bolts with a 3/8" drill and all successfully. And, I used a number of them that day (and the next) with no issues.
One thing maybe to mention, though, is all these folks toss their drill bits when they get worn down (which folks should do regardless of the bolt being placed). I measure mine, and, when they get below spec. in diameter, I toss 'em.
Anyhoo...
-Brian in SLC |
FLAG |
By Michael Schneiter
From Glenwood Springs, CO
Nov 10, 2008
| mschlocker wrote: Fixe hangers, sure. Fixe bolts, no. They do not fit in a 3/8" hole as advertised. If you buy a 10mm drill bit (expensive) then go ahead. I have got them stuck, random people I talk with have got them stuck, and now a friend who I recently told not to use them (but did anyway) got 2 stuck. By stuck, I mean they don't go all of the way in and then you can't get them out or use them.
Part of it might be that the old Fixe bolts were 10mm and hence getting them stuck with a 3/8" hole was a problem. Now, the Fixe wedge bolts are 3/8" and I've had no problem using them with 3/8" bits. Granted, as Brian mentioned, anytime you have dull bits you can have issues. This weekend I was seriously "dulling" bits in a hole or two in some really hard quartzite and it was causing issues. |
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By mschlocker
From San Diego, CA
Nov 11, 2008
| Michael Schneiter wrote: Part of it might be that the old Fixe bolts were 10mm and hence getting them stuck with a 3/8" hole was a problem. Now, the Fixe wedge bolts are 3/8" and I've had no problem using them with 3/8" bits.
I've heard all about the old and the new. Problem is who knows what you've got. This friend of mine just used 3. Got 2 stuck, 1 went in fine. Why pay $5 for a Fixe wedge when you can buy a "real" one for $1? |
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By Brian in SLC
From Salt Lake City, UT
Dec 4, 2008
| mschlocker wrote: I've heard all about the old and the new. Problem is who knows what you've got.
You measure them. For example:
Top one is 3/8" inch, and, bottom one measures 10mm.
They also seem to have a slightly different finish on them. But, its pretty subtle. And I'm not sure how consistant it is.
Cheers,
-Brian in SLC |
FLAG |
By Michael Schneiter
From Glenwood Springs, CO
Dec 4, 2008
| Problem is who knows what you've got.
Why pay $5 for a Fixe wedge when you can buy a "real" one for $1?
It's always been very clear to me when getting stuff from Fixe what size the bolts were. When they switched to 3/8 I made sure to clearly label the old 10mm bolts I had laying around. The website and all of their ordering documentation was always very clear, to me anyway, what size the bolts were.
Not sure what a "real" bolt is. Are Fixe bolts not "real"? Yikes! |
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By mschlocker
From San Diego, CA
Dec 10, 2008
| The website and all of their ordering documentation was always very clear, to me anyway, what size the bolts were.quote>
I bought a few labeled 3/8" at REI. I didn't expect to have to measure every bolt before I install it. I was duped with 10mm bolts. Nothing on the Fixe website warned of this possibility. The same thing happened to a friend of mine recently. I warned him to measure them and he just went to use them anyway. He got 2 stuck before he said, "Hey man, you are right. I'm gonna save some money and buy bolts that work".
The part number on the web site for 3/8" bolts at the time matched the part number on the European web site for 10mm bolts. I think they may have fixed this since I made them aware of that.
I think the good thing is that we are talking about it so people know what to expect. |
FLAG |
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