Red or Blue Loctite on blades?

[jimh406]

I’ve lost 3 bolts so far on my grader scraper that hold the blade to the frame. 2 were given to me by my local dealer. They were just takeoff bolts. Shout out to Big Sky Kubota in Missoula. My wife found one of the nuts on the neighborhood gravel road.

Any way, after losing the last 2, I put locktite on all of the bolts. I used blue, but I’m wondering if Red might be more appropriate. I ran out after the first blade. It takes a lot for 5/8 plow bolts. I also torqued the bolts today. The impact wrench put a variety of torques on the bolts as it turned out.

So, would you use Red or Blue. I have the rear blade to do plus the second grader scraper blade. One other thought is just to put a clump of Red at the end of the bolt. That would prevent it from falling off, but should be easy to heat at the point I need to flip the blades.

Thoughts/experience are appreciated.

 

[Motronic]

I'd certainly start with blue unless you like pulling out the torch to take off bolts, which is what you will need to do with red.

 

[Roadworthy]

Have you given any consideration to self locking or Nylock nuts?

 

[mcfarmall]

Red only needs to be heated up to 400⁰ to break the Loctite.

 

[Bmyers]

I have used blue on bolts that I may want to take off later.

If I remember correctly, blue is medium strength, red is high strength, and if I remember right purple is low strength.

 

[MDCobraMan]

I prefer the red for any high stress hardware over 1/2 dia. Red is well suited for bolts up to 3/4 and when you are loosening bolts of this size range you usually don't need to heat them up. A good impact or breaker bar will get them spinning. Another good thing about the Loctite is it helps protect the threads from corrosion.

 

[BAP]

If the 5/8” bolts had lock washers under the nuts like they should have, then if they loosened up then they weren’t torqued enough. Blue locktight should be sufficient to hold them.

 

[SDT]

Have you given any consideration to self locking or Nylock nuts?

Agreed.

I would use trilobeulars if lock washers were insufficient.

 

[TheOldHokie]

I prefer the red for any high stress hardware over 1/2 dia. Red is well suited for bolts up to 3/4 and when you are loosening bolts of this size range you usually don't need to heat them up. A good impact or breaker bar will get them spinning. Another good thing about the Loctite is it helps protect the threads from corrosion.

Plus one on that. I use red for nuts on fasteners (like plow bolts) that dont ordinarily require disassembly. When/if they do an impact wrench spins them right off. I have never needed to heat one to get it off.

Dan

 

[Russell King]

None work that well on any bolt that in not cleaned well. Cleaned bolts and nuts work well. There are also primers to help the thread locker work.

Thread lockers are anaerobic compounds and only cure where there is no oxygen. They will not cure outside of the nut so putting a glob outside of the nut serves no purpose. Perhaps add a thin jam nut if the bolt is long enough? Hold the regular nut in place and tighten the jam nut to the regular nut.

 

[GeoHorn]

Plus-1 on the Lok-Nuts. Or…. Put a spot of weld on the end to stick the nut to the stud…. grind the spot off when you want to remove the nut.

 

[Motion]

I'm starting to use Permatex orange thread locker that has holding power and removability. FYI, those that use the blue Loctite a product change the old 242 is being replaced with 243 which is better on applications that have oils involved.