
But are cotter pins one-time use? Well! They should not be reused because the extra bending weakens the pins and produces a failed result when used. Cotter pins use their strength to provide a very strong and reliable locking mechanism. A motorcycle’s front wheel is usually held together by a castle nut and a cotter pin subjected to frequent vibrations. Though not considered necessary for installation, but are necessary depending on the application. Cotter pin sizes differ, so do their uses.

For use, it requires nothing more than a bolt and a hole in it or a drill. Comprising of a U-shaped piece of metal, inserted through the hole of a bolt, with its ends twisted together.Ī Cotter pin serves as a locking mechanism, and it is used in different situations. In other words, a cotter pin is an uncomplicated fastener that is used to secure a bolt in its place. Other types of pins like Hairpin cotter pins or clips are made to slip on without any bending problem. A split pin comprises two long spikes that are bent to hold it in place. A Cotter pin, also known as a split cotter pin, is made up of harder-grade steel. They are made of mild steel, which means they are durable. Clevis pins, a different type of fastener, are commonly used with cotter pins because they have already made holes in them.Ĭotter pins are used for many applications, including locking nuts into place and getting rid of steering noise. You can use this pin by creating small holes in the bolts or other fasteners. What Is A Cotter Pin Used For?Ī cotter pin is a metallic pin used as a fastener for locking nuts into bolts. This method can also be used in aviation cotter pin installation.
#Cotter pin install
It’s that simple, folks, and that is the proper way that you install a cotter pin. If you don’t do this well, you might begin to have issues with your brake system. The other one’s straight, which is already going to make it easier to yank out, and I can use my vice grips, and when I bend the other side out, I can squeeze the tube together, and the straight one is going to serve as a guide to straighten the other one out. When you take out the pin, you will only have one of them to bend back. Hardly anybody knows this trick, but this is how you are supposed to do it. Especially when it starts getting rusty and after it has been in there for a while. That retarded shit, it’s going to make it much harder to get it out. Please do not bend both sides of the cotter pin. Most automobiles don’t use a ring cotter pin, so it is not complicated to do. And you can easily push it over its housing.

Now you can get your finger under one side. The reason is when you go to set your split cotter pin. When you put it in there, make sure you have that longer side up. So take your cotter pin and put it inside the designed hole. You want the hole in an ideal way for future cotter pin maintenance. It’s nice to have the hole parallel with the spindle, or at least depending on your situation. Now when you go to put your cotter pin in, seeing though you have already lined everything up so that you are in a good position to remove it next time.
#Cotter pin how to
Ok! And we are going to show you this.Ĭontinue reading this article to know how to remove a cotter pin for people who don’t know how to do this. When you install a cotter pin, you want the longer side to go up.

You think the manufacturers do that for their health or because they are trying to save our metal times two million cotter pins. So when you look at a cotter pin, did you ever notice that right on edge there, you got that little part of the cotter pin that’s notched out, where one’s shorter than the other side. With this process, a special cotter pin installation tool might not be needed. We have not seen any other article that has talked about this topic, in particular, so we are going to be the lame duck that writes this article because it is somehow annoying that people do not do this right. Ten years of experience does not mean shit if you have ten years of experience doing something half as or wrong. You know, you can be proud, but as you progress as a mechanic, you also want to be proud of doing things right and doing things better. I mean, if you are twelve years old and you get something done, you will be like, Hey! Look, Man, no hands. Although even if you do it wrong, it is going to work as designed.īut it’s not always the fact that you can do it.

Very wrong! It is a very simple repair, one of the easiest automobile repairs out there. Most people do this wrongly a lot of times, and every time we go in for a wheel alignment on vehicles, we notice that a part of the cotter pin is awkwardly bent. We will go over now the correct way to install a cotter pin in your suspension system. How To Install Cotter Pin: A Step-By-Step Guide
