Is it better to apply torque to the bolt head or the nut?
In general, there is no difference between applying torque to the bolt or nut. There are, however, situations where it would matter such as: • If the through-hole produces interference – then it would be better to apply torque to the nut side of the joint. • If the clamp member material is different on one side of the joint – here friction plays a role and you would want to apply torque to the side that has the lower frictional coefficient. • If the through-holes have different diameters – this could change the way the bearing face contacts your clamp members (might be better to apply torque from opposite side). • If the bolt is very long, it might be better to apply torque to the nut to avoid torsional wind-up effects. In summary, if you have the same material in contact with the bolt head and nut, the same sized through-holes (no interference) through the clamp members, and the same size/type of bolt head and nut (heavy hex pattern for both, for example), then it makes no difference
