I Dislike Allen key bolts with a passion.

so attempting to loosen my motor mount bolts so i can switch my street wheels to a set of AT's, and chewed out 1 of the Allan Key's trying to get the ******* undone....... Gah, lucky my AT conversion kit came with 4 spare bolts, cut a slit in it with the dremel and remove it with a Flathead screw driver. ok 1 side done which has taken me nearly 2 hrs as it turns out i didn't have a small cutting tool for the dremel so a quick visit to my local hardware store, start loosening the other side motor mounts... bloody tight and chew out a second bolt, well im prepared now cut another bolt and undo. 2.5hrs to install the AT wheels. ive now ordered some new bolts with Phillips head on them as replacement. I HATE ALLEN KEY bolts i always end up stripping at least 1 of them.

End of my Rant and im sure there's other's out there who have done the same.

FYI the bolts are an M4x8mm with machine screw pan head for anyone needing to replace them.

 

What Allen keys do you use for god sake? If you use cheap stuff then of course you are going to bigger the Allen bolts. Use quality tools like Wera hex key set and you want have that problem. Also evolve bolts are also cheap cheap Chinese alloy so yeah good thing you changed them.

 

Yeah did the same last week, was going to play with my belt tension but can’t remove any of the bolts. Used the tool that comes with the board but it’s a really bad fitting.
For the price of the board, you would think they would give you some good quality tools.

Thinking about sending it in for evolve to sort out, can’t be arsed to waste a few hours messing it up.

 

Thanks Louie for the tip on Wera hex keys. Found a nice set of metric and regular on Amazon.

 

I used the 1 that comes with the board, ive since purchased a set Kinchrome Allen keys

 

Great! The ones that come with the board are sooo bad. I stripped the 2.5mm ones on my carbon GT lid and was so mad myself.

Glad I could be of help ✌

 

READ BEFORE DOING###
******* gd idiots.
I stripped my motor mount Allen screws trying to install my street kit. And, after reading forums, it's a common problem!!!

Why? Because ******* Evolve doesn't say on their YT video, or include written instructions saying, that the screws are put in with ******* LOCTITE and you will strip the Allen heads trying to remove. I now have the fun job of having to buy a dremel tool, cut slots in the bolts, heat with a heat gun, and hope to remove the bolts.

Evolve, if you install these with LOCTITE, ******* tell your owners!!!

Now I, like many before me, have to waste hours of my life and additional money, just to change my ******* skateboard wheels.

If these idiots told us in advance that a heat gun was needed, because they put ******* LOCTITE on the bolts, it would save many owners wasted time and frustration.

 

Thanks for the info regarding Loctite on the motor mount bolts. Wonder which variety of Loctite is used. Small bolt. Hopefully 222 or 242. 222 is all that is needed for bolts up to M6. Both designed for parts that require disassemble without the use of heat. Then it is just an issue with too soft a metal and crapping out the head. Have used the hex/allen tools that come with the "ball" shaped option. Designed for use in hard to access bolts, but sometimes grips a head that is distorting. Next resort is using a Torx head screwdriver. Sometimes requires a tap to set the Torx bit into the mangled metal. Last option is the drill out.

 

who knows the boards are assembled in China so probably an imitation brand to actual Loctite, I've never had Loctite blue be so difficult to undo, even after applying heat with a heat gun there still incredibly tight, it seems like it's either Loctite red level hardness or bolts are way over tightened for what's needed.

 

Assuming the "loctite" used is similar or identical to real Loctite. Not sure if the stuff works, but there is or was a product called Loctite Chisel. The chemical the people at Loctite recommend. I think the active ingredient is methylene chloride. Acetone works for cleaning old blue loctite off threads. Getting penetration into the threads may be difficult in our specific application. I try avoiding chemicals. Ultimate last choice.

Thinking of using high temp hot glue vs. Loctite on the motor mount threads. Most bolts and nuts stay put by themselves. It's the vibrations that loosen things up. The micrometer gaps around the threads allows for movement and loosening. Plain 70% rubbing alcohol breaks the bond.

On our wind foiling hardware we use teflon tape (plumber's tape) and teflon based grease. Two problems solved without. Galvanic corrosion causing seizing and vibrations causing bolts loosening up. You would thing teflon would reduce the hold. Not so. Just the opposite.

 

standard loctite blue holds just fine and can still be undone as its supposed to unless you use too much and it becomes a little tight to undo, always handy to have a few extra bolts just in case you do strip 1 and you can pick up 100 odd for under $10. but since I first posted his I've sold my Evolve and moved onto a DIY build, I'm still using Allen key bolts but with the correct amount of Loctite and haven't had a single issue with undoing the motor bolts in the 5 months since i completed my build.