The roof work used quarter-inch hardware at the rack and smaller M5 hardware in the extrusion. This flat-washer pack belongs to the quarter-inch side of my purchased fastening supplies.
The drilled connectors and fasteners joining my added extrusion to the roof rack.
The item in my kit
I bought Hillman Quarter-Inch Flat Washers as part of my camper van equipment.
The roof work used quarter-inch hardware at the rack and smaller M5 hardware in the extrusion. This flat-washer pack belongs to the quarter-inch side of my purchased fastening supplies.
Where it fits my build
For the light bar, I cut an added extrusion beam and made three short drilled connectors. The rack side used quarter-twenty hardware, while the smaller 2020 extrusion used M5 hardware.
The different nuts changed the assembly sequence. A rack nut had to slide in through an opening, which meant undoing bolts I had already tightened; the smaller nuts could move and spin while I tried to start a bolt. I used an Allen key to reposition them.
The profiles and joint hardware during my roof-mount assembly.
My build notes
The cutting and drilling made the components, but positioning the small hardware took its own time. I recorded the difference between inserting the rack nuts and fishing the smaller nuts into place because it affected how the joint went together.
The profile, connector shape, bolt and slot nut all contributed to the assembly sequence.
Alternative products
Two alternatives to compare
Bates fender washers provide a wider outer contact area. Small Parts offers another flat-washer format for comparing hole and outside diameters.
Bates Quarter-Inch Fender Washers
These Bates washers combine a quarter-inch hole with a one-inch outside diameter. The broad disk provides a larger contact area than a smaller flat washer.
