I have a 78’ case 580c. I’ve removed the boom and the swing cylinder. I am stuck at the piston bolt removal. I have tried a crescent wrench with a 3’ pipe for leverage. Do I need to purchase a compressor and air impact wrench to work on these? If so will a 2hp compressor be big enough to get these off. Thanks.
First of all, you need something that will support the rod while you are putting large quantities of torque on the bolt. I usually put the rod back in place with the original pin to support it. I have used a socket with a breaker bar with a long pipe (like 10 feet). As you can imagine, things could get crazy with all this torque, so be careful. As far as the compressor, you will need huge volume of air and a high torque 1" impact, including a 3/4" hose. Buying this is prohibitively expensive, unless you have a need for it besides breaking 1 bolt loose. Another option is to take it to a hydraulics shop. Some will crack it loose for a fee.
Also might have to put some heat to it Steve
Avoid applying an excessive amount of heat to it. Getting it too hot can alter the temper (hardness) of the bolt and the end of the rod. My advice is - take it to hydraulic shop and have them install the piston seals and install the bolt to the proper torque.
Thank you guys. Had not considered taking it to a hydraulic shop. Thank you.
I use a large wrench and 12" snipe.
I use a well fitting socket of the right size, a 3/4" or 1" breaker bar, and a 10 foot pipe. On the rare occasion that doesn't work a moderate amount of heat (but nothing crazy) usually helps things along.
A crescent wrench is the last thing you want to use on a piston bolt. If the bolt had red Loctite it only requires about 400 deg's. to loosen the bond. This is just a little too hot to touch quickly. You could heat it with a small propane torch like plumbers use for soldering copper pipe. Would be good to have a temp. gun to monitor heat if you wanted to try it first before going to a hyd. shop. A hyd. shop would be the best though and they could put it back on to the proper torque. I took 2 cylinder rods I had pulled out into a shop and they charged 1 hour labour to change the seals on each cylinder. They said the rods looked good but couldn't warranty their work on the seals because they didn't do the whole cylinder. I was OK with that and have had no issues at all. Not worth fiddling around with the bolt/nut to save an hours labour.
At my old shop we got several piston bolts off. Pinned the eye end of the rod in the 80 ton press (using the press as a vise). Jackstands to support the rod out at the piston end. 1" gun on a 1" hose knocked a lot of them loose. Some, tho, we admitted defeat and paid the local Caterpiller shop to get 'er done.
If you're not equipped just take it to a hyd. shop. Way less hassle.
Thats what we did. Bought the rebuild kits and unscrewed the gland and took just the rod in and they broke it loose and installed seals then we slid it back in the tube
I’m sure one of these days, I will encounter a piston bolt I can’t get off. It’s always easier to use the pin on the machine but even in my welding table vice i have been successful. If I have to, I will heat it up to dull red but usually I can get them off with a HF Earthquake and put oil in just before I use it. Put back on, I just heat the rod up a bit and making sure the threads are clean, make sure compressor is on the high side and just run it in. I will use red Locktite and check with a breaker bar and an 8’ snipe.
It might be easier to find a big truck shop in your area. I have had to do it twice as I slowly over time rebuilt each cylinder when it started to leak. I had some rigs to take the nuts apart, and like I said two I couldn't get. What is so weird, both times I took it to a big truck shop, all I had to do was hold the chrome shaft in my hand, and the big impact hit the nut a couple of times and it came right off. 1st time I didn't even get the shaft out of my wife's Honda, just leaned it up on the lip of the trunk and held it by hand and he zipped it right off. I broke a 3/4 drive breaker bar on that nut! And I had a 5 ft piece of pipe on the breaker bar. I said "how much do I owe you" and he shrugged his shoulders and I offered him $20 and he was happy. 2nd time was a different big truck shop. He had some new fangled battery powered impact he wanted to try and it spun it right off. He didn't charge me anything when I asked.
Probably installed with locktite. You will have to cook that locktite off before the bolt can be removed. Like Dave mentioned, use a propane torch to heat it up and when you smell and see smoke from the loctite, you are there. Then it should come off.
2nd time may have been with a torque gun. Incredible power but pretty pricey for occasional use.