HOW DO YOU FASTEN SLEEPERS TOGETHER?
What do we recommend ?
Everyday we get enquiries from customers asking how to bolt together railway sleepers & large timbers. In the past we'd have mentioned coach bolts and pre-drilling, and socket sets etc.. NOW we always say 'TimberLok'.
I know that that seems really cheesy, like 'I always use Persil to remove those stubborn stains', but genuinely they ARE fantastic. We had a visit from one of Timberlok's agents, & tried to set them the hardest tests we could, after the screws easily went through pine - To drill through pieces of Oak, Jarrah, & African Azobe (like metal !). The screws STILL went in, albeit with more of a struggle. Seriously, they are great, so long as you have a drill that is very powerful - high torque and low speed.

TimberLok - the hardsell... !
- installs much faster and easier than coach screws or coach bolts
- requires no pre-drilling
- countersinks flush into timber
- draws warped beams down
- can be removed and reused
- eliminates jarring and damage caused by a sledge hammer
TimberLok's screws are guaranteed not to rust in pressure treated timber for the life of you project,although it doesn't apply in saltwater settings.
TimberLok's clear 'anti-friction topcoat' allows it to penatrate the hardest wood more easily than other screws.The agent went on about titanium and the space rocket or something.. Hi-tec you see...!

DRILL REQUIREMENTS You need a powerful high torque, 1/2" variable speed drill. A cordless 18V - 24V may be OK for Pine sleepers, however if you are going through hardwood, you will invariably need a very powerful mains drill. WARNING We have had customers who's drills have failed to be powerful enough.

TIPS FOR USING TIMBERLOK SCREWS
Only about 50mm (approx 2") of the end of the screw (see diagram) actually screws into the wood. So, if you want to attach, say, a 6" sleeper to another 6" sleeper, you will only need an 8" screw. Ring us if you're unsure

IT IS EASIER TO UNSCREW a Timberlok screw that has been put into softwood (e.g. pine) than into hardwood (e.g. oak). These screws tighten up so powerfully, locking together the sleepers with enormous pressure, that in a hardwood, it sometimes almost 'welds' itself to the timber, making it harder to screw it out again. So, make sure everything's correctly in position before you screw it up tightly.

TECHNICAL STUFF
TimberLok is engineered for increased strength and performance.
(info supplied by the manufacturer)
Average ultimate single shear = 1359kg
Average TimberLok pullout strength = 658kg
Straight shank spike = 156kg
Spiral shank spike = 193kg