Speed Driving Nuts on Long Threaded Rod

Place a 2" diameter wheel cut from 2-3 layers of old tire sidewall between two 1" washers on some 1/4" threaded rod. Chuck that into a small portable drill and make sure the nuts are double nutted/locked and use that to drive the loose nuts down the shaft. Once they are all the way down, tighten them the rest of the way the old way.

This will only work as long as the nuts can be driven easily. Some sprayed oil might assist

The tire sidewall has steel in it, so it can drive them if they are not fully free. Watch for fly off steel strands if you spin it very rapidly that may enter your eye if you wear no goggles

I would put the threaded rod in a hollow spindle lathe, with chuck, place a gapped box end wrench on the nut, spray the rod with WD-40, turn on the lathe and be ready to shut it off.

You are "Winding us up" aren't you?

If you don't mind wrecking a socket, weld an appropriate length of pipe to the socket and weld a nut on the other end of the pipe that you can drive with an impact wrench or other driver. If you can't find a socket that the threaded rod will pass through the drive end (I don't know if a 1/2 inch drive socket will fit, but a 3/4 inch drive socket should), then you might have to use a die grinder or something to enlarge the hole.

Thanks SkFarmer, that's an excellent solution.

Lomax

that skFarmers a smart guy the only alternative I thought of was those wratcheting wrenches but sk has got that beat

Thanks guys. I wouldn't call it smart but rather a solution born out of frustration with numerous belt tensioners on various pieces of machinery.

If the threaded rod is free to turn, I like the idea with the 1/2 inch drill as it is much simpler.

I just stick the end of the threaded rod into the chuck of a 1/2 inch drill, grab the nut(s) with a vice grip and turn on the drill.

Twelve mm is just under 1/2 inch. If your cordless is 1/2 inch, chuck up the end of the rod and put it in reverse with a wrench on the nut. We have raised Reznor heaters 12 feet doing this. We kept the backing nut about 1-2 turns behind the top nut on the way up so it wouldn't bind.

If the rod is too large for the chuck put about three nuts on the end of it. Jamb the top two and put a socket on the bottom two. Then put a 3/8" adapter in your cordless. You can get a three pack of adapters for 1/4, 3/8, and 1/2 inch sockets at Lowe's or that other place.

jh

LOMAX: Why did you not be more specific. An anchor bolt or the far end of threaded rod fixed is far different than a generalized rod.

Perhaps SkFarmer was more perceptive or took advantage of prior experience and or post to suggest a completely different alternative.

Different prior experiences will produce different answers.

If there is enough room why don't you just weld a bit of steel rod (about4-6inch) onto the nut and use the lever action of the rod to help you turn your nut. No spanners, no electricity, no danger from rotating equipment. Why have the worry of a charged up drill when this will be ready to turn at anytime. Plus as it acts as a "strong arm" your tightening effect will be greater.

How about a jack screw or ACME screw. Cost is the issue. Tedium is free.

I may be missing something here, but the standard method for turning a threaded rod (so that you could, for instance, run a nut along its length) it to use two nuts and lock them together at the end of the rod, by tightening one against the other. In this case, the nuts would no doubt be 19mm. Then you drive the end nut with a portable drill, with the appropriate adapters. The shaft spins, and you hold the nut to be advanced by any normal means. No need for welding or making any pemanent modifications.

Thanks Blink, but I needed the rod to move - not the nut. But thank you for your interest and the other respondents as well.