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Tue Sep 22, 2009 3:00 pm

Bern wrote: Quote: Most 1/2 inch impacts aren't going to touch these nuts. I have seen 3/4 Ingersoll Rands that wouldn't do it at times without heat.

have to disagree with you here.... I've never come across an axle nut that my 1/2" gun hasn't gotten off... (with the exception of an early 80's bmw who's rear axle bolt was so rusted, it was all one chunk of rust)

and my co-worker can vouch the same for his 1/2" drive impact...

with a proper compressor and a good 1/2" drive (not like a craftsman or harbor frieght unit), you shouldn't have any issue...

I use a chicago pneumatic cp7750 and he runs the IR titanium bad boy.... shop compressor is around 100-120 psi with a big tank... (my home compressor with a smaller tank has no problems either...

Wow..Harbor Freight are CHEEKY! I read your post and thought, "But isn't Chicago Pneumatic from Harbor Freight?"

Nope.. They make Central Pneumatic and Chicago Electric!

Sneaky Cheeky!!

.. and the bad news is that I learned from this thread that I have to remove the rear hubs to change the studs.. ugh.

K

Tue Sep 22, 2009 4:01 pm

I just like the 1" bar and socket. I call it the biggest tool in my garage, so big it can't live inside the tool box !

Tue Sep 22, 2009 9:54 pm

Will a 3/4" drive Snap On socket on a 3/4 Chraftsman breaker bar or something less expensive (then a snap on bar) work or would the breaker bar break?

Thank you,

David

Tue Sep 22, 2009 10:01 pm

camerahunter wrote: Will a 3/4" drive Snap On socket on a 3/4 Chraftsman breaker bar or something less expensive (then a snap on bar) work or would the breaker bar break?

Thank you,

David

It may or may not work depending on how tight and rusted the nut and axle are. Most likely it will do fine. Don't think you will break a 3/4 breaker bar with 4' or less of cheater bar on it.

Tue Sep 22, 2009 10:07 pm

Sliding T is stronger than a breaker bar- http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00904443000P?keyword=3/4+drive

Tue Sep 22, 2009 10:49 pm

If the van is in any part of the corrosive belt,( this could be anywhere from NY. to Fla., the whole midwest, the southern caost, the west coast along the ocean, and the PNW , a half inch impact CP, Snap On, IR, Or whatever will be hammering for some time prior tothat nut coming off on it's own--without some persuasion with a torch.

I was talking to my farmer buddy and mentioned this fiasco without any focused heat.

He mentioned right off the top of his head " they might as well flick their Bik on that rusted up hub as to be putiing a propane torch on it--they'll get about the same amount of heat"

I laughed and agreed.

Now here's the way we figured out without any heat, no compressor, no impact, to get it off the Vanagon handy andy, spend no money on anything extra way.

You will need the socket.
You will need a breaker bar.
You will need a fence post--maybe 8-10 ft long.

No jack, no jack stand--nothing superficial.

OK--get the socket on the hub nut.
Attach the breaker bar--or get the socket on the bar first if you'd like, then get it on the nut--as close to the ground as possible--slip the fence post on the breaker bar.

Now for the driver's side nut, back up to just get the fence post touching the ground , and hammer the throttle.

The wheel & axle will break the
nut loose if it's gonna come loose.

Maybe wire wheel & oil up the threads a bit first.

On the passenger side you'll have to drive forward to get it to spin correctly.

This is the recommended farmer way of getting the job done without spending more than you have to, or if you don't want to drive down to the truck shop & have them do it with their actual mechanic related type tools.

To the guy that wants to know what to buy for tools---

A small torch set( just think--you can weld, solder, silver solder, cut, actually work on your exhaust system, and break al kinds of frozen nuts & bolts loose wherever, whenever you want.

Then a socket for the hub nut, and then a breaker bar with a rachet attachment on the end.

You'd be done with this job already if you had these tools--in record time.

Tue Sep 22, 2009 11:29 pm

Yep, those farmers are a smart lot. Most of my family is still farming in Nebraska and Iowa.
I think I will go for the Snap On socket and sliding Chraftsman T bar.
I do have a torch but not the mechanic type. it's a small jewelers torch.

I'm a lot stronger then I look though. In the last year I have twisted off my stuck 2 1/2 inch ball trying to get it off the hitch and broke an axe head right in two pounding on it with a 3 lb sledge hammer.

Thank you,

David

Tue Sep 22, 2009 11:41 pm

David,

Get a little bit bigger tip on that mixer and it'll get that nut cherry red in no time at all.

That nut will almost fly off on it's own.

My buddy is down where the dirt is jet black--and the corn is as big as trees.

Champaign/Urbana.

He farms 3500 acres.

And he's the guy that flat towed my 87 Westy back home in his FOMCO when the 2nd gear brake band on the ide of my trams blew out on the way to Ohio.

He laughed all the way back to my driveway.---
He's still laughing as he took a picture of me driving the Van onto his flat bed--he turned it into a poster and has it in his shed--right above his work bench-- and is still laughing at the thought of that caper 5 years later---

I'll have a tough time living that one down in Champaign Co.

His question to me was " How can anyone operate on any stuck bolt, or nut without a torch?

I couldn't answer him.

Wed Sep 23, 2009 7:42 am

Terry Kay wrote: His question to me was " How can anyone operate on any stuck bolt, or nut without a torch?

I couldn't answer him.

I guess you're saying I'm skilled beyond the comprehension of you or your friend. Thanks man.

Wed Sep 23, 2009 8:44 am

Wildthings wrote: I've owned one of these for years. Heavy and awkward, but does the job and no compressor needed. 2000ft-lbs of torque, plus you can add to that what ever torque you can put on a breaker bar.

http://www.powerhawk.com/pages/SWENCH/1000.html
This looks very interesting.

Wed Sep 23, 2009 8:53 am

Wildthings wrote: I've owned one of these for years. Heavy and awkward, but does the job and no compressor needed. 2000ft-lbs of torque, plus you can add to that what ever torque you can put on a breaker bar.

http://www.powerhawk.com/pages/SWENCH/1000.html
How much is this?

Wed Sep 23, 2009 9:15 am

Terry Kay wrote:
They need a good laugh--

So do I, Terry.. So do I.

But ya see...
Most of us aren't professional shops.
Most of us do this for "fun" and/or "experience" on our own time.

No doubt, Terry.. I'd love a professional shops' assortment of tools. But it is not very practical to make those types of purchases.. not when lil dirge and lil dirgette want to go to college some day. And not if I want to retire before I am 85.

So many of us out here have to pick our battles when it comes time to purchase tools and blow cash.

Old school methods work in many many many cases.. and with care some of these shade tree mechanics "tricks" work just fine. Ever been down Mexico way? Seen what passes for "professional"? :lol:
Now THERE's some ingenuity.

While you may want to run out and buy a new tool for every challenge that crosses your path.. I trend towards "Where there's a will, there's a way".
See. Lots of this stuff got done before torches were available for every TD&H.. Before impact wrenches were affordable...

Hmmm. "The lever".. older than time. Probably around even before the wheel.

Now.. I may have to break exactly 3 real tight/rusted axle nuts in my entire lifetime.. Does that warrant the purchase of a big compressor, an impact wrench and the necessary drivers?
You think?
OK try and argue that with my wife. :lol:
Seriously.. Please!
Try it.. I'll even provide the beer.

Now.. It so happens that I know more than one weekend guy who owns tools that might make a professional shop blush.. But they are the exception. Some of us simply don't have the money to burn and if it takes 30 minutes to bust a nut where $1000 would bust it in 30 seconds?
Well.. sadly.. my time is not worth $500/hr.. though I wish it were.

So it will be the 4ft breaker bar for me.. and if that fails? I'll take it down the strret to my buddy's garage and ask him to break it loose between his paying clients. Then, I'll put it back on properly so I CAN bust it loose next time with "hand tools"

But why? Why not just go to the corner garage first?
Cuz, Terry.. Cuz someday, I may be own Mexico way and have to break that thing loose on my own.. without 220v or gas.. and well? If that time comes, I'd like to think I'd know I could get er done.

Cheers, man.
The laughs are good.
But we all get to chuckle now and then.

Wed Sep 23, 2009 9:36 am

I agree with your anology, and everbody has priorities.

No-doubt.

The smartest move is taking the ride to the shop for the impact removal.
Wam-Bam, your done.

The cheater bar can come back to bite you, but it'll work.

I mentioned it before a torch set up is a important item to have if our going to work on your own vehicle--plus--there are so many other operations you can perform besides working things loose--like welding for instance

And they aren't all that expensive.

You can find a good used set of regulator's, and a medium size mixer with a couple of tips--maybe even a cutting torch and a rose bud for $100.00.

Guys will spend more than that on a boom box set up a SA grill, or set of Rhein wheels.
A pair of E-Code headlamps are more than a C-note.

Priorities.

Forget the tools--buy the bling.

Funny place this world we live in.

My point is if your going to play mechanic might as well have the right stuff.
Next time your dentist breaks out a hammer & a chissel--run like hell--it's goona hurt

Wed Sep 23, 2009 3:23 pm

Terry Kay wrote:
Next time your dentist breaks out a hammer & a chissel--run like hell--it's goona hurt

I laughed.

Wed Sep 23, 2009 6:55 pm

Terry Kay wrote:
Next time your dentist breaks out a hammer & a chissel--run like hell--it's goona hurt
Have you seen the tools used by dentists to extract wisdom teeth?

Or the rib spreaders used to open the chest for heart surgery?

I was a bit groggy.. but when the surgeon bolted my ankle together with $125 worth of titanium screws.. it sure looked like a Makita cordless he was using. 9.6 volt if I saw it right.

I'll tell you one thing.. If I saw a dentist coming at me with an impact wrench,.. or a torch... I'd be bolting for the door. Unless, of course he was helping work on my van... not my teeth.

Fri Oct 02, 2009 2:12 pm

Just managed this with very little drama using a 46mm 3/4 inch socket and rachet (cheap from Harbor Freight) and a 6 foot fence post.

Was happy that after that the hubs just slid off.. that's PO.

Successfully installed longer studs for spacers and new wheels.. who hoo!

K

Fri Oct 02, 2009 9:06 pm

This may or may not work. My dad always said on his old bay he used to use a cheater bar against the ground start her up and use the bus to break it lose. Was always kind of worried to try it.

Sat Oct 03, 2009 6:06 am

The Snap On man was here the other day with the "mini ductor"

Had a big rusty bolt cherry red in about 90 seconds. Way less time than it could take to bring the torch from the other side of the shop and light it. Not to mention the price of gases.

Got me thinking for $425.00. This could save a lot of time.

http://www.theinductor.com/index.php?m=5&s=0&d=5&ds=0&prod=11[url][/url]

Tue Oct 06, 2009 5:43 am

I agree heat works great (I'm a welder so there's nothing better than oxy-acetylene).
BUT has anyone ever tried COLD. At the shipyard we use dry ice to install and remove shafts(20-40 feet long very tight clearances). But at home you can use a can of compressed air, the stuff you use to blow out your computer. Just turn it upside down and the propellant will come out instead of the air and will quickly frost the axle,NOT THE NUT, shrinking it and loosening the nut. You can also try the local farmers trick of heating the nut then cooling the stub with a blast of WD40 or the upside down can of air. Expanded nut, shrunk stub it's got to come off.
This also works if you are having trouble getting your axle into the bearing and hub. Use the canned air or put your axle in the deep freezer over night, and they should slip together easily.

Tue Oct 06, 2009 6:06 am

syncrodoka wrote: Sliding T is stronger than a breaker bar- http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00904443000P?keyword=3/4+drive
I have two of these craftsman 1/2 in. bars. They no longer resemble a sliding T. One is a sliding L, and the other is a non-sliding S.

I agree that the square bit is stronger, I twisted the nubbin right off a standard breaker bar the first time I used it on the nut.