Are rivets really the new duct tape?
Tuesday, March 26th, 2013When I first heard this comment, I sort of chuckled but I think it’s true. Rivets can be used in hundreds of different applications for home, pleasure and business. There are even people that use them when creating handmade furniture. Rivets hold the world together.
Some products are made using them originally. Other items acquire rivets when something else used in their construction fails. Some of the most popular uses are for trailers.
One man that made his car trailer from scratch used 3/16th size rivets to hold the floor of his trailer to the frame. He had created the frame from welding steel pieces to get the size he wanted. He was able to purchase the aluminum skin of a Boeing 747 as scrap when the company lost the certification on the metal. This was cut to size and bolted on to the frame. To date, the car trailer has been to 19 different states, hauling dozens of cars and trucks and two tractors. It has also been used to move a household across the country several times. Those fifty or so 3/16th rivets have never failed – they haven’t even gotten loose.
Rivets can be used for all types of trailers from enclosed car trailers to boat trailers to homemade teardrop travel trailers. People like them because they sit flat, have no sharp edges to catch clothing or tear skin and seldom come loose.
The size of rivet you use for your trailer or other needs may vary and you may need more or less of them than what was used on this trailer. You can rest assured that when properly placed, the rivets will likely last the life of the trailer.