A carriage bolt has a round head designed to provide a smoother surface than a traditional hex bolt head. Under the head, it conveniently has a square part of the shank that is designed to fit in a square hole and hold the bolt while a nut is fastened on the other end. This works great in an undamaged square metal hole; however, in wood or a worn metal hole, it doesn't hold the bolt firmly while you try to remove a stubborn rusty nut. It is usually difficult to use pliers, slip joints, or vise grips to hold the rounded head while loosening the nut.
I took an angle grinder with a metal cutting blade and cut the head of this large troublesome carriage bolt. I ground it to just the right size to use a wrench to hold the bolt firmly for loosening the nut. This hack damages the bolt but makes loosening a rusty nut much easier. If it's that rusty, it's probably good to use a new bolt anyway.
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