Deere essentially went metric in '92, I think. While we don't have a lot of new equipment, we have enough that it became neccessary to have it in stock.

I've always really liked the flange hardware that Deere uses on the combines, so that is what we filled with - saves hunting for washers (flats and locks) all the time too.

We originally bought a bolt bin and a selection of hardware by the pound from a local travelling hardware supplier. When I got his 'assortment', I was appalled at how few pieces there were, so I went to the local Deere store and found I could buy what I wanted through parts - one at a time for less. Ergo, our metric bin has the dimension of the bolt (nut), and the Deere part number beside it. I reorder and fill the bin at the annual stockorder time in Dec-Jan.

Luke