Three common reasons to drill a pilot hole are: Use a drill bit that's the same diameter as the shank of the screw. Then drill a pilot hole into the material that's the same depth as the screw you ...

Common sizes are usually between 9-10 / 16in and 5. ... It is also used to fix tie plates, or fix into a hole bored in the sleeper. The cost to manafacture screw spikes is higher than the rail spike ...