A helping hand

[Frenchy]

Working alone rebedding deck hardware is tough. Here's something I tried. It worked, surprisingly, especially considering the 1/2" chainplate bolts
had friction nuts. - Jean

[Jim Walsh]

You get the prize for a unique solution. It’s always fulfilling when you can adapt a tool you already own. In similar situations I’ve used a crows foot wrench and a breaker bar.
How did the backing plate for the chainplate look? I check mine, they are aluminum bar stock, every other year and they are fine, so far…, I always wished they had used bronze.

[Frenchy]

You're fortunate, Jim - with the aluminum and all. My reinforcing bars are channel iron. They look to be in decent shape, though -
just a bit of surface rust here and there. No serious deterioration at all. Vigilance is key. I figure it's time to renew the 40 + year old
chain plate caulking before there's a problem. Take care - Jean