When the A-frame Screws Won’t Hold Then What?

Most folks eventually notice that many of the factory-installed screws in the walls or ceiling panels
of their A-frame trailer eventually begin to fail to perform satisfactorily or at all. Here are some
ideas of how to strengthen the connection of a screw to the wall or ceiling (hereinafter referred to
as “wall”).
Option One: This option is to use something comparable to rivets. I learned about this option
years ago at a rally in Thermopolis, WY from a Canadian member of the AOC (and founding
member of this group) named Rich Hamon. He encouraged me to buy this innovative threaded
insert rivet tool (I had never heard of) because he said it would become useful to me with time.
Now I use this tool extensively to anchor things to the walls and roofs securely and replace screws
that will no longer work. Thank you Rich Hamon for this technology tip!
I bought this special tool and starter kit from Harbor Freight Tools. Here is what it looks like:
It installs a reverse rivet that has
threads inside of it to provide for
installing a screw. That way the
screw does not pull out. I have
likely perhaps 30 to 40 of these on
problematic areas within my
Aliner in areas where the original
screws kept coming loose or
wouldn't stay in at all.
Once the initial sample rivnuts are
gone you can buy replacement
sizes on eBay or Amazon for
whichever sizes you desire. This
HFT item uses non-metric thread
sized. If you prefer metric screws
another source would need to be
used for purchasing the tool.
The link to this tool is:
https://www.harborfreight.com/45-piece-threaded-insert-riveter-kit-1210.html

Option Two: For items that need a very secure connection to the walls a stainless-steel screw
may need to be used through the wall to adequately support the item to be attached (such as a
heavy wall curtain rod). Avoiding wall compression is an item of concern. To prevent wall
compression, you can incorporate a small 1” long stainless-steel cylindrical nut. These can be
inserted into the hole thru the wall in conjunction with re-attaching that heavy curtain that has
come lose, etc. These cylindrical nuts are invaluable for protecting our fragile walls from
compressing.
You will need to buy some 6 mm metric button-headed SS bolts and associated nuts or locking
nuts. These unfortunately are only available in metric sizes. A 6 mm metric bolt is slightly smaller
in diameter than a ¼” bolt.
Here is a link on Amazon to these items (see below picture) that are similar in length to the walls
of the typical A-frame trailer:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01HSTV3DI/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o09_s00?ie=U
TF8&psc=1