Ledger Loks are a Great Alternative to Lag Bolts
If you’re a deck builder or other contractor and haven’t heard of them yet, you probably will in the near future. As for decks in Johnson County, KS, they are quickly replacing all lag bolts for securing deck ledger boards to existing structures. Ledger Loks (made by Fastenmaster) are a new multi-folded steel fastener that has been IBC (International Building Code) and IRC (International Residential Code). They have also obtained the necessary lab accreditation necessary to be approved for ACQ lumber (the most corrosive form of treated lumber). Ledger Loks have many benefits over the standard lag bolts so commonly used in the past.
They are less than one quarter inch in diameter. Therefore, they require no piloting of holes or pre-drilling of spacer blocks. This means less boring and, in turn, less weakening of both your house rim plate and deck plates. They can be installed with just a heavy duty power drill although an impact always works best. Even with their mere size, they’re still stronger than half inch lag bolts due to the multi-folded steel technology. You may not believe it by looking at them. I sure didn’t until I attempted to cut through one with a reciprocating saw. Six blades and twenty-five minutes later, I managed to get far enough to bend, twist and break the thing off. A half inch lag bolt would have been sheared through in less than two minutes with the same tool. That told me all I needed to know.
With all this said, the best reason to switch to Ledger Loks is their price. If you price them against half inch diameter by six long hot dipped galvanized lag bolts, they are roughly one third to a one quarter of the price. Of course, this ratio will vary from vendor to vendor, but they will most certainly be well shy of the now hefty price tag attached to galvanized steel bolts and washers. Speaking of washers, you won’t have to buy any. Ledger Loks come with a washer built into the head.
Ledger Loks are now widely used for Johnson County decks and throughout the Kansas City metro area. Many deck builders in Olathe, Overland Park, Shawnee, Lenexa and other cities in the KC metro. Almost all are familiar with and accept them in place of half inch lag bolts. Kansas City deck builders have been using these new fasteners for a couple of years now. Ask your local building codes administration if they’ve heard of them. If not, I’ve added some links and a specification sheet at the bottom of this post. If your local deck hardware supplier doesn’t carry them, you can also order them online through these links.
Merchandising Info: http://www.fastenmaster.com/Files/FastenMasterProductFiles/9/MerchandisingInfo/LedgerLok%20SS.pdf
ES Report: http://www.fastenmaster.com/Files/FastenMasterProductFiles/9/ESR/ESR-1078.pdf
Hope this helps,
Dan Milford (DW Elite Decks)












