I've been making fasteners for over fifteen years. The questions customers ask are pretty much the same. Thought I'd write them down.
What material do you use?
For plow bolts, we usually go with 40Cr steel. It meets Grade 10.9 (or Grade 8 SAE) strength requirements, and the material cost is reasonable.
For track bolts that need Grade 12.9, we use 35CrMo. Better performance, slightly higher price.
If there's no special requirement, 40Cr works fine for most applications.
Where are these bolts used?
Track bolts are mainly for securing excavator track shoes. They're undercarriage parts.
Plow bolts have more uses — bucket teeth, cutting edges, snowplow blades, things like that.
One thing they have in common: they're all wear parts. Tough working conditions, so wear is normal. Just replace them when needed.
What do customers care about most?
Price, obviously. That's normal.
The other thing is having the right part numbers. When a customer sends over a list of part numbers and I can say "yes, we've made all of these before," that puts them at ease. If it's a new part number, we can develop it as long as there's a drawing.
Any minimum order quantity?
500 pieces per spec is comfortable for production. Less than that gets tricky to schedule.
But if you're ordering multiple specs together and it adds up to a container, we're flexible. Smaller quantities per spec are fine in that case.
What kind of orders can you handle?
Honestly, we're pretty good at mixed orders — lots of different specs, smaller quantities each, all shipping together.
Some factories don't like these orders. Too messy. We're used to it. Our system handles it.
Plus we're close to Ningbo Port, so logistics are easy.
Do you do heat treatment in-house?
No, we outsource it. Environmental regulations are strict here. We work with professional heat treatment facilities, and the quality is reliable.
How do you judge bolt quality?
A few simple things:
- Dimensions match the drawing
- Weight is correct — no cutting corners on material
- Heat treatment is done right — hardness and strength are up to spec
Nothing mysterious, really. Just don't cut corners at any step.
That's about it. If you have specific questions, let's talk.
AzuLong · Ningbo, China · Making fasteners since 2009