I have a case 590sl with a hydraulic amulet thumb that is sharing the center pin. Trying to change buckets that mean need to drive the center pin out. Just can't seem to get the tension off the pin to drive it out. Pin can be hammered until just about flush on the hammering side than seems to bind. Tried drift pin to drive out but seems way to tight . I know the pin on a bucket alone should be hand loose. Can't get to that point. Any idea's or tricks? Also have to somehow chain the thumb to the dipper or else it might swing free and pull the hydraulic line off. Bucket was put down flush on the bottom andpin went fine until flush with thumb ears then seems to bind?
Get the arm straight up and down, put the bucket flat and the thumb down until it just rests on the bucket edge or the ground. Unpin the cylinder and retract the rod, it should hang jsut fine, use a ratchet strap on it if you're worried about it. You either have a bent pin, or something is twisted. Pick the boom up just enough so it looks like the bucket is starting to lift off the ground. If the pin will drive either direction, drive it one way, dress the end of the pin sticking out down a bit and then try going back the other way. Using a drift that is just a hair smaller than the bucket pin, drive it until the bucket pin is clear of the arm and bucket ears on one side. Then try to pull the pin on out from the other side and last pull the drift out to free the bucket and the thumb. I have been known to torch a hole a little bigger than the pin in a piece of heavy plate or angle, slip it over the end of the pin and push on the backside with a jack or portapower, as it angles on the pin it will grab. Or push the pin with a hydraulic jack or portapower.
you were dead on correct. Just got the pin out and it had a nice wiggle to it. Amazing a pin this size could get bent. As this is a case 590sl series two, and the pin is 17 inches long to account for the amulet thumb, any suggestions on where to buy a new pin? I doubt case would carry it. By my measurments it's 1"3/4 in diameter and 17" from lockring groove to inside of pin end. Notice that case manuals seem to have these listed in MM rather than inches, conversion from 44.38 mm comes darn close to 1"3/4. Any help is appreciated.
Amulet would have supplied the pin with the thumb, I'd contact them first. http://www.amulet.com/thumbs.html
2nd that about Amulet, other option is to have a local machine shop make one, perhaps out of slightly tougher material.