Abstract: A safety nut assembly is provided for mounting to the carriage of a backstand apparatus to which a large roll of paper is rotatably mounted. The backstand apparatus includes an inclined screw spindle to which the carriage is threadedly engaged, such that rotation of the screw spindle moves the carriage therealong. The safety nut assembly comprises a mounting portion for secure but removable mounting to the carriage of the backstand. The safety nut assembly further includes a threaded aperture for threadedly engaging the inclined screw spindle. The threaded grooves of the threaded aperture in the safety nut assembly are larger than the threads of the primary weight-bearing bushing in the carriage. Thus, the safety nut assembly will assume a weight-bearing function only upon failure of the primary bushing in the carriage.